For a band that has not even been together for a year, Vic Kingsley sure is experiencing quite a bit of beginner’s luck.
The quartet of University of Miami students recently landed a full endorsement deal with famed guitar company Gibson, and the company will now provide the band with equipment to play live, record and shoot music videos.
“They felt like we’d be a good representative for Gibson,” band frontman Vic Garcia said. “Maybe because of the style of music that we play and the kind of instruments that we use for our recordings.”
Vic Kingsley was also mtvU’s Best Music on Campus featured band of the week for the last week of January. mtvU found the band and liked their music because it fit the TV station’s style.
Vic Kingsley comprises Garcia on vocals, guitar, keyboard and harmonica; Jon Draper on bass; Ethan Carlson on guitar; and Luke Moellman on drums and piano.
Garcia is a graduate student working toward his Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing and composition and Draper is a junior majoring in ecosystem science and policy and biology.
The music video for their song “B for Breaking My Heart” officially debuted on Feb. 19 and is available on YouTube. The song is from the band’s upcoming album, These Frequencies, and the official album release party for will be April 4.
Meanwhile, the band just wrapped up the album’s artwork at a photo shoot in Little Haiti last week.
“In the photo shoot we had the band laid out on the floor wrapped up in cable,” Carlson said. “We’re trying to tie in sound, waves, anything technologically based with music. It kind of fits with our music video as well.”
Vic Kingsley fits a lot of different genres, but the band’s 11-track album could be called intelligent rock to some degree.
“We feel like there’s no reason why we can’t have songs that are super catchy but also very interesting to listen to,” Garcia said. “The art people would love it and the people that are into MTV would love it.”
“[Vic] Kingsley has an interesting pop quality,” Lauren Byrne, a senior, said. “The individuals in the band are extraordinarily talented and I believe the music will appeal to a large number of people.”
Oh, and it is worth mentioning that they are still unsigned. The band shot the music video and recorded an album entirely on their own.
“We’re an independent band that’s just doing everything ourselves, without the need to have to go out and sell our souls to anybody,” Garcia said.
The group has been touring the South Florida venue circuit, playing at UM, PS14, Dada, Tobacco Road and Studio A. Last week, they played with the energetic local indie rock band Select Start. Their next show will be with Hellogoodbye at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, tonight at 8 p.m.
If you can’t make it to Fort Lauderdale tonight for their show, check out Vic Kingsley’s concert March 1 at Churchill’s Pub in downtown Miami at 10 p.m.
Kimberly Rubenstein may be contacted at k.rubenstein@umiami.edu.