The Vegas band: Lydia Vance
The members: Vocalist/guitarist Brendan Scholz, guitarist Travis Naegle, bassist Jarred Cooper, drummer Aaron Weislogel.
The influences (according to myspace.com/lydiavance): Thin Lizzy, Squeeze, Elvis Costello, Johnny Thunders.
The history: “The band was formed in July of 2006,” says Scholz. “We started playing shows immediately. Our first show was a showcase for Island Records and consisted of four songs a week after being together. We since have recorded our first record, played numerous shows with bands such as Sparta, Guttermouth, Lucero and I Am Ghost, and been chosen to be the soundtrack for Microsoft’s ‘Idea Wins’ contest for small businesses across the nation. We plan to continue this pace until our heads explode.”
The meaning behind the moniker: “The name ‘Lydia Vance’ comes from the Charles Bukowski book Women. She is one of the numerous characters in the book. You have to read to find out the rest.”
The national music-magazine appearance: Spin, March 2007. “To this day we have no idea how it happened. Knowing we don’t have a label, it proves that by playing shows and having [an] active MySpace, in which we are interacting with fans all over the world, you can still get people’s attention by doing it yourself.”
The public reaction to Fight Fire with Kids on Fire: “It went double uranium last week, fool! In all honesty, to the public—young and old—it has been a hit. We’re getting great reactions everywhere. Locally it went to No. 2 on Zia Records’ weekly Top 10. Internationally, the U.K., Germany, Australia and Japan love it.”
With The Skooners, GDB, Holding on to Sound, Red Light School District. April 7, 6 p.m., $10. University Theatre, 898-5500.