Venaculas

Venaculas is a metal band from Omaha, Nebraska. The name of the band is derived from a movie with the Three Stooges when a judge orders Curly "to stop the vernacular". The band has grown from basement performances to shows in large concert halls.

Formed in 2000, by guitarists Jason (AKA Jay) Hynek and Chad Riche (lead guitar), along with lead vocalist Phil Anson; Venaculas is now one of the leading hard rock bands in the state of Nebraska.

It is interesting how the band came together. In 1999, Jay (14) and Chad (15) were jamming with Phil on a regular basis. Phil was late one day, so Jay asked his dad Dave to fill in on the drums. As they were jamming Phil showed up, picked up a cheap microphone that was plugged into a tiny amp, and without missing a beat he laid down an impressive, rhythmic and loud style that caught them all by surprise and fitted perfectly with the other members styles. After about a 10 minute jam, they stopped, and someone said "we may have something here." In 2002, Eric Whitney was added to the band as bassist and vocals. He added his own distinct melodic vocals to the music, and added a whole new dimension to the music. In 2005, Dave Hynek stepped out from behind the drums to follow his own business ventures, and his son Davey, the former drummer of the band Dielated, filled in for him seamlessly. In 2000, the band released their self-titled debut EP. And since then has seen their fan base and critical acclaim grow. Venaculas has twice been highlighted in the national magazine, Album Network as the Midwest regional "Breakout Band". They had three consecutive CDs become top selling CDs of 2001 through 2006 for the Homers Record Store chain (3rd in 2001, 2nd in 2002, 2nd in 2003, 1st in 2004, 1st in 2005 and 1st in 2006). They appeared regularly on the CIMS and Aggro national charts, and has had seven songs added to the radios stations throughout the Midwest, such as KIWR 89.7 (Council Bluffs, IA/Omaha, NE), KAZR (Des Moines, IA), and KSEZ (Souix City, IA). The band also had two songs placed in the feature film "Treasure of the Seven Mummies" (Summer 2005 release), and had five songs placed in the motorcycle documentary, "Ride on the Edge." All the while, Venaculas' fan base has been spreading beyond the Midwest (they were highlighted and reviewed in magazines located in France, Germany and Italy) as the band continues to perform to sold-out concerts and share the stage with bands such as Saliva, Sevendust, Puddle of Mudd, 10 Years, Powerman 5000, Primer 55, The Urge, Jackyl, Kottonmouth Kings, Soil, (həd) p.e., Phunk Junkeez and more. Less than a year after their first live performance, the band went into the studio and in one day, recorded what was to be their five-song demo. The band gave an advanced copy to Capone, a disc jockey for KIWR. Capone was so impressed with the bands energetic, positive vibe performance, that one week after receiving the CD, he began spinning the band's anthem-oriented "Shut-Up" on his popular primetime radio program and asked his listeners to call in and express their opinions. The station's telephone lines lit up with mass approval, prompting the DJ to add "Shut Up" along with the bands equally infectious "Jump" to his daily play list. The band's latest release, "Therapy" had two songs in heavy rotation at KIWR with "Decisions" and "Fly." After that "Out of Time" received airplay throughout stations in Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Iowa and it became the #1 selling CD for the Homers Record Store chain and earned a #19 position on the national CIMS chart since its 1/31/05 release. Venaculas’ music, when playing full blast in their dynamic live shows, can only be described as raw, explosive energy that showcases the band’s youth, honesty, gut-wrenching vocals and memorable guitar riffs. With a combination of hard rock, aggro metal and hip-hop the band appeals to many different fans all ranging from 10 years of age to 40. Venaculas' unique sound has made them Nebraska's #1 CD selling/tour grossing hard rock band the past four years. Their new CD/DVD titled "Therapy" has remained the #1 selling CD for the Homers record store chain, earned a #19 spot on the CIMS chart, and a #82 position on the CMJ Retail 100 chart.

Except for the father-son switch, the original composition of the band hasn't changed. In January 2007 they won the Omaha Entertainment Award for Hard Rock/Metal. They repeated the award win in 2008.

Discography

*2001 Self Titled EP
*2002 "Who We Are" EP
*2003 "Listen Up" LP
*2005 "Therapy" LP/DVD

References

* [http://smilinliar212.tripod.com/id47.html Early beginnings]
* [http://www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.asp?epk_id=27771 Artist information]
* [http://www.omahacityweekly.com/article.php?id=511 Article in Omaha City Weekly]

External links

* [http://www.songmeanings.net/artist.php?aid=11993 Lyrics]
* [http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Venaculas Videos on youtube.com]
* [http://www.venaculas.com Venaculas' Official Web site.]
* [http://www.myspace.com/venaculas Venaculas' Official MySpace]
* [http://www.g13inc.com Venaculas' studio/label - G13, Inc.]
* [http://evlone.com/venaculas Venaculas' clothing sponsor - EVL ONE Clothing Co.]