THE VITAL MIGHT

THE VITAL MIGHT
Magma Music
Red Planet
10-song CD

The urge to create a concept album seems to come from one of two impulses: to impress the bejabers out of the hoi polloi, or as a desperation move. Well, color me impressed. The title track, “Phantom Spaceman,” sets the theme and gives us a taste of that old Genesis/King Crimson progginess, and “The Truth” is a remarkably catchy and appealing, if somewhat lyrically simplistic followup. But “City” knocks it out of the park: it’s lyrically superb and emotionally evincing. The turbulent and reverberant “Trouble” seems strategically placed to carry the story along, and the melancholy instrumental “Chime” is deftly positioned to slow it down. “Saturday,” with its overtones of U2-style grandeur, brings us back to the narrative. The echoic “Seasons” provides another interlude, and then comes the magnificent slow-to-ecstatic centerpiece “5 O’Clock.” The Metallaesque impetus of “Superstitious Wish” provides a climax of sorts, and the final track provides a somewhat ambiguous denouement. I do not completely buy into the premise of their high concept “rescue the fair maiden from Mobsters on Mars” premise, but one doesn’t have to. The music carries the theme along far more effectively than the backstory. And each individual song can be appreciated on its own terms and outside of any larger context.  I’m not sure whether this is a deathless classic, but it’s well and carefully planned, and I strongly suspect it might well be. Bravo.   (Francis DiMenno)

Well our October tour is over and it was amazing.  Lots of new friends and fans, some new and old venues, and a lot of rock.  We’ll be posting more videos and pictures from the tour soon.

In the meantime, we’ve got a show in BOSTON to look forward to.  It’s Friday, November 14th at Harper’s Ferry, opening up for Cherry S/T.  This is our first show since our crazy sold-out CD release party back in early October.  Don’t miss it!

Friday, November 14th - Harper’s Ferry (Allston, MA) with Cherry S/T - http://www.harpersferryboston.com - Click Here to Buy Tickets Now!

On the day of our CD release party, Bill O’Neill featured “Red Planet”:

“Red Planet,” the Vital Might (Magma Music) ***

The band’s Web site says some fans have compared it to Rush, others to System of a Down. Seems about right. What really sets Vital Might (a Boston trio that includes Cape native Andy Milk on guitar and vocals) apart is its lyrical creativity. The band’s press release describes “Red Planet” as the tale of a man who tries to rescue his lover after she’s kidnapped by Mafia thugs and held at the home of a mob boss — on Mars. Now that’s entertainment.

We had a truly amazing night that exceeded all of our expectations this past Saturday at our CD release party. We’ve written up a blog about the night here: http://blog.myspace.com/thevitalmight

We want to thank all the bands, our friends, our families, and everyone else who made it a successful night.

Also, here’s a bunch of pictures from the wonderful evening: http://picasaweb.google.com/

If you weren’t able to be there to grab a copy of Red Planet, you can get it below:
http://www.thevitalmight.com/redplanet

We’ve also got some snazzy new Red Planet t-shirts here: http://thevitalmight.bigcartel.com

If you’re not in the Boston area, we have a BUNCH of shows in New England and the tri-state area coming up. We’ve listed them at the bottom of this email. For more details, go here: http://www.myspace.com/thevitalmight

A couple more things:

• We were featured in Relix Magazine’s Bands on the Verge: http://www.relix.com/blogcategory/Bands_On_the_Verge.html
• Red Planet and the release party were featured in THE BOSTON GLOBE this past Saturday: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=2068746&blogID=439131987&Mytoken=D87C93AE-2377-41C5-977E8F19D1E77AF411328784

Hope to see you at these shows coming up!

Cheers,
Andy, Rick, and Cracker
THE VITAL MIGHT

Tour dates:

• Oct 10 2008 - Andrew Hall (ALL AGES) Lunenburg, Massachusetts
• Oct 11 2008 - The Haunt (ALL AGES) - Ithaca, New York
• Oct 13 2008 - Living Room (ALL AGES) - Providence, Rhode Island
• Oct 16 2008 - Lucky Dog Music Hall - Worcester, Massachusetts
• Oct 17 2008 - Kenny’s Castaways - New York, New York
• Oct 22 2008 - Whiskey Bar - Hoboken, New Jersey
• Oct 23 2008 - Doc Watson’s - Philadelphia, PA
• Oct 24 2008 - The All Call Inn - Ewing, New Jersey
• Oct 25 2008 - Howlers Coyote Cafe - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Oct 30 2008 - King’s Tavern - Saratoga Springs, New York
• Oct 31 2008 - NO SHOW, want us to play your Halloween party? Email us back!
• Nov 1 2008 - Ground Zero (ALL AGES) - Suncook, New Hampshire
• Nov 2 2008 - Trash Bar - Brooklyn, New York

I did an interview with Heather Simon from Relix Magazine and they were kind enough to publish an article on their Bands on the Verge section.

http://www.relix.com/blogcategory/Bands_On_the_Verge.html

One quick note…THE VITAL MIGHT never played Pearl Jam covers.  That was my old band back in college…I think I confused her by telling her about my old music past.  Killer article otherwise!

Cheers,
Andy
THE VITAL MIGHT

This past Saturday, our show was the Critic’s Pick and Tristram Lozaw had some nice things to say about the new record:

“The band calls it a ’sci-fi mafia love story.’  This critic calls ‘Red Planet’, the heady sophomore CD from Boston’s Vital Might (below), a dramatic rock throwdown that blows away expectations - smart, heavy, and imaginative.  Tonight, Cassavettes, Build a Machine, and A Hero Next Door help the Vital Might celebrate the new CD at the Middle East.”

There’s SO much to say about last night’s release party, but first, make sure you grab your copy of Red Planet:

Click here to buy Red Planet (MP3s, iTunes, Rhapsody, etc.)

This is your final warning!

This Saturday night we celebrate the release of our new album Red Planet with all our friends and families at the Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge. You’ve all been such big supporters of us and kept us going along the way. There wouldn’t be a band or a new album without you. So…we’d like to return the favor with a STUNNING ROCK SHOW.

We’ve pulled together an elite group of Boston bands for this one. We’re not on until later in the evening, but the music starts at 9pm and it’s worth it to get there early. You can hop in and out of the music room and grab dinner in the front room of the Middle East too.

Here are the show details:

THE VITAL MIGHT CD Release Party
Saturday, October 4th
Middle East Upstairs
472 Massachusetts Ave Cambridge, MA (Central Square on the Red Line T Stop)
Also performing: Cassavettes, Build a Machine, and A Hero Next Door
9pm, 18+

Tickets: http://www.thevitalmight.com/party

Sick of your old THE VITAL MIGHT t-shirt? Along with copies of Red Planet, we’ll have some NEW MERCHANDISE on sale at the show.

If you’re in the Boston area, pick up a Boston Globe on Saturday. We’ll be in the Sidekick. Also, look for an interview in this week’s issue of The Cambridge Chronicle. The Cape Cod Times will also have a mention on Saturday.

Looking forward to it!

Cheers,
Andy, Rick, and Cracker
THE VITAL MIGHT

p.s. For those of you UNDER 18, we’re playing tomorrow night (Friday 10/3) at the Sad Cafe in Plaistow, NH. Information here: http://www.myspace.com/thesadcafe