Venus Bogardus are a post-punk band, inspired by no-wave, new wave, and experimental literature. They formed in England, but have relocated to New Mexico and have already been described as "the best band ever to be based in Santa Fe" (WigWamBam Zine, ABQ) - "If you haven't seen Venus Bogardus, you haven't really lived!" (Santa Fe Reporter) Since moving to New Mexico the band have already got to play with their hero Mike Watt, and are having a fantastic time making noise.
"Venus Bogardus are World Class" - BBC Radio Introducing
"Literate post-punk" - The Wire
Founding members James Reich (vox, guitar) and Hannah Levbarg (vox, bass guitar) met in 2002 as fans of Richard Hell's writing and music, fell in love, opened (and closed) a nationally acclaimed independent bookshop in Bath, England and began collaborating on Venus Bogardus songs in 2005. James is a published author and poet. Hannah, originally from Texas, is Richard Hell's Web forum moderator (since 2003). The couple is fictionalized in the book Julie & Julia (Little Brown, US/Penguin, UK) by Julie Powell (2009 Nora Ephron film, starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams). Richard Hell advises: "The band is skillful, interesting and ambitious. Check them out!"
In 2007 Venus Bogardus found themselves chosen as one of the six best emerging bands in Britain by Glastonbury Festival and a panel of judges and critics from Q Magazine and BBC Radio 1. The band went on to play a heroic set at Glastonbury Festival. In the UK, they also played a headline set at Ladyfest Bristol, as well as venues across London and beyond. New Zealand's Die!Die!Die! who Venus Bogardus played with in Bath, England declared "I'm f*cking ecstatic! Venus Bogardus are the best band we've seen in Britain!"
Between 2007-8, Venus Bogardus played shows in continental Europe (including headlining at Frankfurt's New Glam Underground Festival) and toured the US where they met their drummer Luke Carr. They debuted at The Viper Room, and also playing shows in Boston, New York, Austin TX, and across the south-west. The three Austin shows attracted the attention of Hunt Sales (Iggy Pop, Tin Machine) who described the band as having a "really great evil groove" and discussed producing the band. Flattered, but probably too broke to afford Hunt Sales, the band made other plans. In March 2009, the band, joined by drummer Luke Carr who had toured the States with them, moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico and signed to a new record label five03 records in New York, and will be releasing their first new material with the label in February 2010 - the album Spitting at the Glass.
Venus Bogardus is named after a femme fatale character in the 1962 lesbian pulp fiction classic, Beebo Brinker, by Ann Bannon. The author sent the band her blessing, and praise for their first recordings. The band has worked with avant-garde artists and writers in the UK, France and the US since forming in late 2005. Stanley Donwood (Radiohead), a regular visitor to James and Hannah's independent bookshop, and with whom they organised an alternative literary performance event in their ancient cellar, contributed art for their DIY single, Jacques Rigaut, in 2006 (Patchogue Records).
Jean-Luc Bitton, biographer of Dadaist Rigaut and commentator on the DVD release of Louis Malle's classic 1963 film, Le Feu Follet, contributed spoken word to the vinyl release. For the 2007 album Motorman, avant-garde author (and one-time custodian of William Burroughs' dreams) David Ohle read from his 1972 cult novel, Motorman, onto a cassette which he posted to the band from his office in Lawrence, Kansas. French artist Laurent Collobert (Cassius etc.) provided the Motorman sleeve art. The artwork for the new album Spitting at the Glass is provided by Michele Maier, an assistant to feminist artist Judy Chicago, continuing Venus Bogardus’ commitment to intense artrock and potent performance.
Instrumentation:
James Reich - guitar/vocals
Hannah Levbarg - bass/vocals
Luke Carr - drums
November 19, 2009 - New Album: Spitting at the Glass
The new Venus Bogardus album, entitled Spitting at the Glass, will be released in February 2010, supported by a west coast tour. A local/soft launch is planned for December 20009. Album launch parties will be hosted at great New Mexico venues the Atomic Cantina (Albuquerque, Friday December 11th) and The Cowgirl Hall of Fame (Santa Fe, Saturday, December 12th). The album sleeve features photography by Michele Maier, who worked as an assistant to feminist artist Judy Chicago at the time of Chicago's Birth Project during the early-mid 1980s. Spitting at the Glass is the band's first new release on New York's five03 records. The album contains twelve new tracks recorded at Warehouse 21 in Santa Fe, NM that were engineered, mixed and produced by the band. Intern Max Grand also assisted during the session where the band recorded Judy Davis Lips and Scatter. Spitting at the Glass records the first time that Venus Bogardus have been able spend more than four hours in a studio and the new album with its played-live essence (only minimal vocal overdubs, and some additional guitar texture tracking were added) evidences the improvisational, free noise influences that have been suggested behind the band's previous releases. The result is an album that finally possesses the raw poetic power of Venus Bogardus live.
September 15, 2009 - VB signs to five03!
Santa Fe, New Mexico by way of Bath, England band Venus Bogardus has joined our merry little party. We've secured their 2008 release "Tourist" for distribution and the band is working on new material to that will be out by the end of the year. "Tourist" should be available via the usual outlets by the time that you read this.