Ten Year Vamp Press Page

Ten Year Vamp - female fronted, high energy, modern radio rock with pints full of personality. charm. and sex appeal. Ten Year Vamp have sold thousands of CDs... even landing on the Billboard Charts, and have perforned 2-4 shows a week for the past 4+ years. 10YV has shared the bill with bands like Lifehouse, Nickelback, Three Doors Down, Finger Eleven, Fuel, Spin Doctors, The Gin Blossoms, Hoobastank, Drowning Pool, Seven Mary Three, Simple Plan, Bo Bice, Ludacris, Nonpoint, Cinder Road, 12 Stones, The Cliks, Sebastian Bach, and many more...

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Lez Zeppelin guitarist best of the band
Mediocre group keeps crowd in Albany park entertained
Daily Gazette - Tuesday, August 5, 2008
David Singer

ALBANY — Lez Zeppelin’s Steph Paynes is the best woman guitarist I’ve ever heard play.

That might not be saying much, since you rarely — actually, never — get to see women in the role of guitar-hero. Monday night at Washington Park she played the part of Jimmy Page, nailing the solos in “Custard Pie” and the slide work in “In My Time of Dying.” She lit up the sky during “Since I’ve Been Loving You.”

I’ve seen better Jimmy Page copiers. But she was darn good — even mimicking his bent-over knee-level posture — and you couldn’t help give her points just for daring to play Page.

The rest of the band didn’t come close.

But the packed venue didn’t ask for much: just keep banging out those Zeppelin tunes. Which they did with “The Ocean,” “Immigrant Song,” and “Black Dog.”

Vocalist Sarah McLellan was a mediocre blues singer and didn’t have the range to follow Robert Plant’s notes. Nor could she tease out the more sensual spots like Plant did, as in “What Is and What Should Never Be.”

But her own limited style was likeable. Drummer Helen Destroy sought to hit — destroy — the skins as hard as John Bonham did. But Bonham was much more musical than that. Destroy was consistent, and never let down the tune, but she also rarely contributed beyond the heavy, expected thumping.

Only Paynes dressed in Zep regalia, the others in plain suburban jeans and white sneakers, which took away from the Zeppelin atmosphere they sought to create.

The New York City-based band seemed aware of their weaknesses in the rough stuff, like the mid-section to “Heartbreaker.” But that didn’t stop them from plowing through it.

But the large crowd came to hear women play Zeppelin, and that’s what they got in spades, including a frolicking “Black Dog” and “No Quarter,” which captured the eerie, black-magic of Page. They closed with “Kashmir,” “Black Dog,” and “Whole Lotta Love.”

Albany-based Ten Year Vamp opened the show with a powerhouse set centered on their originals. They are good — as individuals and together — and it was hard to watch them work so hard and only be the warm-up act. Singer Debbie Gabrione is more energy and presence than vocals, though you can’t separate the elements on stage. Scott Card has the skills and concepts of a jazz-fusion drummer, his limbs carving every angle of the tune.

From the first beat of the opener they exploded. They stated with their work ethic that they’re serious. Some of the songs started with the members leaping in place together. Bassist Chad Balzer and guitarist Mark Rose don’t appear to be the jumping-spinning boy-band type, but they’re not above it either, and they don’t have to be. Their music stands strong, even when they covered Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” in their power-rock style.

Gabrione mentioned that they play regularly in seven states. How good will they have to be to reach all 50?

Amp Up with Ten Year Vamp - CD On Tap (1/29/2008)

What’s grown local, never sleeps, amps up the metro music scene and rocks out with a woman at the helm? If you haven’t seen it, if you haven’t heard it and if you haven’t experienced it – drop everything. You, my friend, need a substantial dose of the sinfully sweet sounds of Ten Year Vamp.

This high-energy kick-ass rock band is five years young but consistently outperforms bands with decades under their belt.  Their sounds rock the rooms in over 50 venues and across seven states. The list of bands they’ve shared the bill with read like a Billboard Chart - Fuel, Lifehouse, The Gin Blossoms, Finger Eleven, Bo Bice, Nickelback, Three Doors Down, The Spin Doctors, Simple Plan, Hoobastank, Ludacris, Cinder Road, Nonpoint and Drowning Pool.

“We started performing in 2003 as an acoustic duo,” says Mark Rose.  “The plan from the beginning was to find a band, and play just a few acoustic duo shows while we searched for band members.  We thought we might play a month or two of acoustic shows, but it ended up taking eight months to find the right.”

The Capital District venues have really supported the band from the very beginning. Although competition is fierce, things seemed to happen fast for 10YV in the right places. “We have to give a special thanks to Ralph from the Bayou,” smiles Mark.  “He gave us a ton of Happy Hour gigs as the acoustic duo, and he gave us our first gig as a full band on the main stage... it's been our home ever since.”

2008 is shaping up to be a year jam-packed with shows and appearances for Ten Year Vamp. The band will often go from one venue to the next, from city to city, playing for their loyal followers of the “vamp culture.”

“We're always busy, but lately we've got more shows than ever,” boasts Mark. “Feb 1st we're at the Bayou in Albany.  We'll get home from the show that night somewhere around 5am, sleep for about three hours, then meet up with a bus from Premiere Limo to take us down to the city.  We've got a big show at the Blender Theatre in Gramercy.  It's the BoDog Battle of the Bands and we've made it to the third round of competition with a million dollar recording contract on the line.”

The BoDog Battle of the Bands is presented by BoDog Music and does culminate with the winning band receiving a million dollar recording contract with BoDog Music. Over 7000 bands entered in this high-profile, high-energy, aggressive music jam contest across the country. Through many levels of qualifying rounds, each major city selects bands to continue on the next following rounds. Ten Year Vamp has titillated and tempted the eager crowds at each round they’ve advanced to. They are now another step closer to that recording contract.

When asked what sets them apart from the rest of band world, 10YV front woman Debbie Garbrione makes these points. “Firstly, there aren't many (any?) female fronted bands, who HONESTLY rock, and can amp up a crowd.  Female fronted rock bands are rare, and female fronted high energy rock bands are even more rare,” boasts Debbie. “We're able to deliver high energy AND talent. Many bands have to compromise on one...either they have the energy, but can't seem to deliver the stability of the music at the same time...or....they are incredible musicians, but they just stand there. We have it all.”

Ten Year Vamp also prides themselves on their uncanny ability to connect with the audience. “We don't function separate and removed from the audience,” says Debbie. “We function WITH them, and talk to them, and laugh with them and we monitor them to confirm they're having a good time, and that we're doing our job... which is to entertain them and make killer music.  They fuel us, just as much as we fuel them.” Having seen several recent shows, this is a characteristic absent from so many bands. Ten Year Vamp really does thrive on the crowd’s energy and involvement. The more pumped you get, the more you see it on stage. It’s completely intoxicating and addictive, to put it mildly.

It’s no wonder why the band is taking this connection even further through their innovative and ground-breaking concept of “consumer/band partnership.” In an effort to Amp Up the Vamp, the band is offering the option to become an owner and collaborator of a record label. Through several levels of participation, 10YV fans are able to truly become part of this music and marketing revolution. The band is slated to record their first major album this fall and is offering YOU, the loyal fan, an opportunity to buy into the band’s record label and become part of the process. Ownership opportunities start at just $25 for a Basic Sponsorship up to $2000 for a Corporate Sponsorship. Each additional level offers additional benefits based upon financial participation including a percentage of the album profits, listing on the album credits, invites to band tour dates, and even the executive ability to chose songs for the final album cut.

“The potential is endless here,” says Mark. “No one is doing anything quite like this and we want our fans to be the first to do so in the industry. We want them to be part of the process that only a select few usually get to be a part of.”

Of course, being part of such a crazy gig can bring with it some pretty crazy times. Debbie says, “I don't know that I have a favorite 10YV story necessarily, simply because something funny or crazy happens almost every show....alcohol, boys, girls, hotels, adrenalin, rock music, hormones....it's quite a combination.”

“My fav 10YV memories are attached to our bus trips,” laughs Debbie. “We often play in NYC (which is 3 hours from Albany), and we'll get a bus and fill it with 50 friends and head down to NY city. We get food and drinks and good music, and we all just get to hang out and laugh and be silly. Then we arrive at the club and put on a KICK ass show, and more often then not, we BLOW away all the NYC based bands. It's a good feeling to drive 3 hours to play in world reknowned bars (like CBGB's or the Knitting Factory or Blender Theatre), and go head-to-head against bands from one of the trendiest, music centered cities in the world... and bring more people then any other band and just blow the other bands out of the water.”

Ten Year Vamp is often catching the eye of numerous industry notables, one of which most of you have seen on VH1 or read his column in the Village Voice. Michael Musto recently judged a competition 10YV played in and had these fine words to say as a result: “I voted for the tighter-than-my-pussy Ten Year Vamp".

The band is slated for a full rockin schedule through the months to come. To check out where they will be rockin out, visit www.tenyearvamp.com. Also, for further info on the unbelievable kick-ass opportunity to be a part of a real record label, visit www.tenyearvamp.com/album_project.html.