Voxtrot

Voxtrot
Ramesh Srivastava and Jason Chronis performing with Voxtrot in Chicago, 2006
Background information
Origin	Austin, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Indie pop indie rock
Years active	2003–2010;[1] 2022–present[2]
Labels	Cult Hero Records Beggars Group
Members	Ramesh Srivastava Jason Chronis Matt Simon Mitch Calvert Jared Van Fleet
Website	www.voxtrot.net

Voxtrot is an American indie pop band formed in Austin, Texas, in 2003. Their first recordings were released in 2003, and their debut EP, Raised by Wolves, was released in 2005 to critical acclaim, garnering attention from music bloggers as well as major publications such as Pitchfork and Spin.^[3][4]

The band released two additional EPs in 2006, Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives, and Your Biggest Fan, before releasing their debut self-titled album in 2007. After releasing their first album, the group continued to perform live and released several singles before announcing their impending disbandment in April 2010. The band performed a short tour of the United States leading up to their dissolution, ending in New York City on June 26, 2010.^[5]

On May 6, 2022, the group announced they were embarking on a reunion tour through the latter part of the year.^[2]

History

Early work; Voxtrot

Voxtrot was formed in Austin, Texas by singer-songwriter and Texas native Ramesh Srivastava^[6] in the early 2000s. Srivastava had previously studied at the University of Glasgow before dropping out of the Berklee College of Music and returning to Texas.^[7] Early incarnations of the group included Jennifer Moore and Brandon Eastes, but by 2005 when the band's self-released debut, a five-song EP entitled Raised by Wolves, was released the lineup had been solidified to include Srivastava, Jason Chronis, Matt Simon, Mitch Calvert, and Jared van Fleet.

After the release of Raised by Wolves in July 2005, the band began touring nationally^[8] and received accolades from various online and print publications such as Spin and Pitchfork.^[3][9] Spin noted that Raised by Wolves was "...a stunning mini-collection of John Hughes-heyday paeans, twitchy pop, and surging, Strokes-y dancefloor fillers."^[10] A second five-song EP, Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives, arrived in stores on April 4, 2006.^[11] The three-song EP Your Biggest Fan followed on November 17 of the same year.^[12]

Voxtrot performing at Coney Island, New York, 2007

On October 26, 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported that the group was entering the studio to record their debut album.^[7] Initially, the group had sought Stephen Street, who had previously worked with The Smiths and Blur, to produce the album, but Street was unable to due to scheduling conflicts.^[7] The band's first full-length self-titled debut album was released on May 22, 2007, by Beggars Group.^[13][14] The album peaked at number 42 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart.^[15] Eric Harvey of Pitchfork awarded the album a 5.9 out of 10 rating, writing: "Voxtrot shows a young band eagerly trying to have it all: attempting to establish a mature musical identity while aiming for a wide audience. Voxtrot may very well have a great pop record within them, yet their first effort stumbles from the band's enthusiastic, ambitious attempt to produce it immediately."^[16] The album's first single, "Blood Red Blood", was released as a 7" limited to 1,000 copies June 4, 2007, by Playlouder Recordings.^[17] To promote the album, the band toured with Au Revoir Simone and Favourite Sons in the summer of 2007.^[18]

Later singles and dissolution

In March 2009, Voxtrot released the single "Trepanation Party", which received significant airplay on the Sirius/XM's influential Sirius XMU channel. The track was recorded and mixed with Jim Eno of the band Spoon.^[19] The sound of "Trepanation Party" is a significant departure from their indie sound, towards a more synth-pop feel.^[19]

Voxtrot released a limited edition 7" single "Berlin, Without Return..." on August 3, 2009.^[20] The single contained the song "The Dream Lives of Ordinary People" as a B-side and was initially released in a limited pressing of 400 copies.^[21] The single was self-released by the band's own Cult Hero Records.

On April 21, 2010, lead singer Srivastava announced on the band's website that they would be breaking up following a short tour, entitled the 'Goodbye, Cruel World..." tour, which consisted of a total of seven dates.^[1][22] In the letter addressed to fans, Srivastava noted that "The career path of Voxtrot was truly one of long, simmering build, explosion, and almost instantaneous decay. Slowly, I am learning to replace any feelings of regret with positive memories of how amazing the whole thing was, and how it has, in an unexpected way, fortified my character."^[1] The band performed their last show on June 26, 2010—incidentally Srivastava's 27th birthday—at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City.^[23]

Lead singer Srivastava released his first solo album, The King, in 2014 after releasing several tracks and an EP.^[24]

2022 Reunion

On May 6, 2022, the group announced they were embarking on a reunion tour through the latter part of the year, along with the release of archival recordings.^[2] Srivastava discussed the upcoming reunion with Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian on the Talkhouse podcast.^[25]

2023 Reformation

On April 17, 2023, it was announced on Voxtrot's Instagram account that the band had started writing and demoing new material.^[26]

On September 5, 2023, Voxtrot announced via their Instagram that "Another Fire", their first new single in fourteen years, would be released on September 22, 2023.^[27]

On October 25, 2023, Voxtrot announced via their Instagram that yet another single, "New World Romance", would be released on November 10, 2023.^[28]

Discography

Albums

• Voxtrot (2007) Playlouderecordings / The Beggars Group^[29]

• Early Music (2022), a remastered release of the band's first two EPs Cult Hero Records^[30]

• Cut from the Stone: Rarities & B-Sides (2022) Cult Hero Records^[31]

EPs

• Raised by Wolves (2005, Cult Hero Records)
• Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives (2006, Cult Hero Records)
• Your Biggest Fan (2006, Beggars Group/Playlouderecordings)

US singles

• The Start of Something 7" b/w "Dirty Version" (2004) Cult Hero Records / The Bus Stop Label
• Raised by Wolves 7" b/w "They Never Mean What They Say" (2005) Magic Marker Records
• Trepanation Party digital single (2009) Cult Hero Records
• Berlin, Without Return... 7" b/w "The Dream Lives Of Ordinary People" (2009) Cult Hero Records

UK/Europe singles

• Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives 7" b/w "Rise Up in the Dirt" (2006) Full Time Hobby Records
• Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives EP & 2x7" (2006) Re-Issue / Beggars Group/Playlouderecordings
• Trouble 7" (limited to 1000 copies) and digital single, from the Your Biggest Fan EP (2007) Beggars Group/Playlouderecordings
• Blood Red Blood 7" (limited to 1000 copies) and digital single, from Voxtrot (2007) Beggars Group/Playlouderecordings
• Firecracker 7" (limited to 1000 copies), CD and digital single, from Voxtrot (2007) No. 19 UK Indie Beggars Group/Playlouderecordings

Compilations

• "The Start of Something" featured on Bang Crash Boom, Little Teddy Recordings, 2005 (Germany)
• "Warmest Part of the Winter" featured on Little Darla Has a Treat for You, vol. 24 · Darla Records, 2006 (US)
• "The Start of Something" featured on The Kids at the Club, How Does It Feel To Be Loved, 2006 (UK)
• "The Start of Something" featured on the feature film The Ex 2007 (US)
• "Whiskey & Water" featured on P.E.A.C.E., Buffet Libre/Amnesty International, 2010 (Spain)

Digital singles

• Another Fire (2023) Cult Hero Records
• New World Romance (2023) Cult Hero Records
• My Peace (2024) Cult Hero Records
• They Never Mean What They Say - originally released as Raised By Wolves 7" b-side (2024) Cult Hero Records
• Esprit de Cœur (2024) Cult Hero Records

Videos

• Esprit de Cœur (2024) on YouTube.com
• Another Fire (2023) on YouTube.com
• The Start of Something (2022) on YouTube.com
• Firecracker (2007) on YouTube.com
• Steven (2007) on YouTube.com

Chart positions

Chart	Work	Peak position	Ref.
Billboard Independent Albums	Voxtrot (2007)	42	[15]
Billboard Heatseekers	Voxtrot (2007)	14	[32]
Hot Singles Sales	Your Biggest Fan (2006)	4	[33]

Members

• Ramesh Srivastava – vocals, rhythm guitar (2003–Present)
• Mitch Calvert – lead guitar (2003–Present)
• Jason Chronis – bass (2003–Present)
• Jared van Fleet – keyboards, guitar, strings (2003–Present)
• Matt Simon – drums (2003–Present)

References

1. Srivastava, Ramesh. "VOXTROT". Voxtrot official site. Archived from the original on May 1, 2010. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
2. Rowley, Glenn (May 6, 2022). "Voxtrot Announce Reunion Tour and New Archival Releases". Yahoo!. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
3. Howe, Brian (March 28, 2006). "Raised By Wolves EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
4. "Raised By Wolves EP - Voxtrot". AllMusic. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
5. "Voxtrot Break Up". Stereogum. April 21, 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
6. "Music That's Not a Myspace Blog". Nirali Magazine. October 2006. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
7. Wappler, Margaret; Brown, August (October 26, 2006). "Buzz Bands". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
8. "VOXTROT: history". Voxtrot Official Site. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
9. Hood, John (June 21, 2007). "The Crash of Crush: Austin's Voxtrot Makes Mopery Magical". Miami New Times. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
10. "Voxtrot: Artist of the Day". Spin. December 5, 2005. Retrieved September 27, 2006.
11. "Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives by Voxtrot". iTunes. Apple Music. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
12. "Your Biggest Fan - Voxtrot". AllMusic. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
13. Rajagopalan, Pras (May 22, 2007). "Voxtrot - Voxtrot". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
14. Heaton, Dave (May 22, 2007). "Voxtrot: Voxtrot". PopMatters. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
15. "Voxtrot: Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
16. Harvey, Eric (May 24, 2007). "Voxtrot - Voxtrot". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
17. "Voxtrot - Blood Red Blood [7" VINYL]". Amazon. ASIN B000PITY1I. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
18. "BYT Interview: Voxtrot". Brightest Young Things. June 12, 2007. Archived from the original on April 3, 2012. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
19. "New Voxtrot – "Trepanation Party"". Stereogum. March 16, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
20. "Voxtrot: Berlin, Without Return..." Pitchfork.com. July 23, 2009. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
21. "Voxtrot Shop". Archived from the original on June 21, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
22. Breihan, Tom (April 21, 2010). "Voxtrot Call It Quits". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
23. Wall Street Journal Staff (June 25, 2010). "Voxtrot Singer Ramesh Srivastava Looks Back Before Last Show". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
24. Howe, Brian (February 25, 2014). "Ramesh: The King". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
25. "Stuart Murdoch (Belle and Sebastian) with Ramesh Srivastava (Voxtrot)" (Podcast). Talkhouse. June 23, 2022.
26. @voxtrot_atx (April 17, 2023). "Last week was a big one at Voxtrot HQ!" – via Instagram.
27. @voxtrot_atx (September 5, 2023). "On September 22nd we will release ANOTHER FIRE..." – via Instagram.
28. @voxtrot_atx (October 25, 2023). "NEW WORLD ROMANCE will be released November 10th..." – via Instagram.
29. Stevens, Darcie (May 18, 2007). "The New Rage: Voxtrot finally spins a long-player". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
30. Deville, Chris (May 6, 2022). "Voxtrot Announce Reunion Tour". Stereogum. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
31. Deville, Chris (May 6, 2022). "Voxtrot Announce Reunion Tour". Stereogum. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
32. "Billboard Heatseekers" (PDF). Billboard. June 9, 2007. p. 81.
33. "Billboard Hot Singles Sales" (PDF). Billboard. November 25, 2006. p. 58.

External links

• Official site
• Official Facebook page
• The Voxtrot Kid, Srivastava's personal blog dating from 2005
• Voxtrot (2010) LP promotional site
• Podcast interview with Soundcrank, June 11, 2006 (Archived .mp3 file)
• Live footage Archived February 11, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Minneapolis, February 27, 2006