 When Vyktoria clears her conscience, be prepared for some imaginative music you won't soon forget. Garnering comparisons to such diverse artists as Kate Bush, XTC, and "Nanci Griffith Meets Lost in Space," Vyktoria's unique sound floats effortlessly on the cutting edge of rock, pop and folk music.
"Some of the most freehanded, lithe and resilient original music around."
(The Washington Post)
Born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area, Vyktoria's humble musical beginnings as a child harmonizing around campfires with her siblings on warm summer nights quickly evolved to include the complex pop stylings of The Beatles and later, the progressive rock movement of the late 60s and early 70s. "About fifteen years ago, I discovered all this great progressive music," she says. "That was about the time I started writing, so it has been the biggest influence on me musically. I love the dreamy expansiveness of early Genesis; stuff you just can't pin down. Kate Bush is simply divine. I listen to a lot of Mike Oldfield. Jethro Tull is my favorite band of all time. I like most things that have a quirkyness to them."
Quirky is a word often used to describe Vyktoria's own music. A self-taught musician, her songs are rich with odd time signatures, syncopation and unusual subject matter, while at the same time incorporating an instinctive pop resonance. Her studio releases, Blue Apples and This Guardian at Noon, lean in a rhythmic, atmospheric and adventurous direction, marrying exotic and conventional instruments in a bold and eclectic fashion. Having recently completed a five month, forty-two show tour opening for rock group Jethro Tull, Vyktoria has released her third CD, Something About Driving, a live recording from the tour. She is currently recording her fourth CD with Tull's keyboardist Andrew Giddings producing.
"Her brand of Mulderdelic swan-o-phonic ghost operatics doesn't show up in these parts very often."
(Flagstaff Live)
 Music has always been the catalyst for change in Vyktoria, in the most intimate and primal of ways. "If I'm going through anything, I have to write," she relates. "It's a way for me to transform, to make some sense out of it, to make some poetry, some magic out of it. You have to search yourself and confront your truth over and over. You not only have to bare your soul, but dig down inside of it to find anything of use to write about, to say. It's like you're this piece of clay and this music keeps molding you and shaping you and digging stuff out of you." And with her sharp mind and honest, innovative approach, Blue Apples, This Guardian at Noon and Something About Driving reveal Vyktoria as a sensitive and compassionate musical alchemist with an uncanny ability to turn that clay into pure gold.
By sharing her life experiences in an uniquely creative and artistic way with her audience in a live setting, she transforms and puts away past memories, becoming one with her music. Her compelling stage presence, unearthly vocals and accomplished guitar artistry make Vyktoria's live performance a powerful and one-of-a-kind musical event. A consummate performing musician, Vyktoria utilizes three guitars in concert to incorporate a variety of open tunings into her songs, producing lush arrangements and ambient effects. Her incisive wit, intelligent humor and skill for storytelling onstage are an engaging part of her live intrigue.
"A swirling voice coupled with an exhilarating guitar style, Vyktoria infiltrates your psyche."
(The Edge)
Vyktoria conveys the universal, the magical, and an ever-present sense of hope in her songs and is constantly driven to explore the deepest secrets within society and herself. Blue Apples, This Guardian at Noon and Something About Driving give you a delicious taste of Vyktoria's unique poetic vision. They are truly beautiful and passionate gifts to us all.
Vyktoria is the honored recipient of three Wammies (Washington, D.C. Area Music Awards) and now splits her time between the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Sedona, Arizona and the UK. Other accolades include nominations for both a NAIRD Indie Award for "Adult Contemporary Album of the Year" and a NACA Award for "Coffeehouse Performer of the Year" in 1996.
She has performed in 46 US states and in the UK over the past ten years and has opened for many well-known artists such as Jethro Tull, Richard Thompson, Mary Chapin-Carpenter, Laura Nyro, Pierre Bensusan and Roger McGuinn. From 1991-1999, she averaged 200 concerts a year and logged 70,000 miles a year in her travels from coast-to-coast, playing venues such as The Birchmere, Passim, Iron Horse, Bluebird Cafe, Freight & Salvage, and Eddie's Attic. In late 1999, her 42 show opening tour for Jethro Tull brought her to the stages of the Greek Theater, House of Blues, Concord Pavillion and The Apollo Theater in Oxford, England just to name a few. Since the Tull tour, she has been concentrating more on recording and publishing while keeping a lighter tour schedule for now.
Vyktoria has been invited to showcase her unique talents at such prestigious events as SxSW, Kerrville Folk Festival (main stage, 1994 and 1995), 1996 Olympics, Mountain Stage (NPR), CMJ Music Marathon, Telluride Festival (songwriter contest), Riverbend Festival, Nashville Entertainment Extravaganza, Greenwich Village Folk Festival, NAMM Trade Show (for Taylor Guitars) and the Whole Life Expo. Her music has been featured on several compliation CDs, including "Dear Charlottesville" (with Dave Matthews Band), "Live at the Postcrypt" (with Dar Williams, Ellis Paul) and "Women of Kerrville" (from the 1995 Kerrville Folk Festival).
Vyktoria's music has been promoted to AAA, College, NPR, and Americana radio, and she has received airplay on hundreds of stations, including daily rotation on over 150 stations nationally. Her CD Blue Apples is distributed nationally in Borders Books & Music (including a listening booth), Tower Records and many indies.
She has received stellar reviews of her albums and live performances from Billboard, Performing Songwriter, the Washington Post, Dirty Linen, Austin Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, College Music Journal, The Music Paper, Brum Beat (UK), Magical Blend, New Age Magazine and many others.
Vyktoria cites Jethro Tull, Kate Bush, XTC, Genesis, The Beatles, Rush, Nick Drake, and Mike Oldfield as her favorite recording artists.
Past representation includes Christopher Sabec (Dave Matthews, Hanson), Dragon Street Records (Tripping Daisy, Hagfish) and Akasha Artist Management. She is currently seeking professional management and booking representation.
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Things That Fall From The Sky
From the ethereal progressive rock of "Disembodied Voices on Tape" to the exuberant pop-ness of "Spider" and the sci-fi syncopation of "Black Helicopters," this otherworldly music seems at times to have fallen straight from the stars. Things That Fall From The Sky blends both acoustic and electric instrumentation, featuring Vyktoria's unearthly vocals and guitar with lush, artistic production. The songs are rich in unusual subject matter including paranormal and fortean imagery, showcasing her gift for writing intelligent, inventive and surreal lyrics. |
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This Guardian At Noon
Vyktoria's second CD, This Guardian At Noon, was recorded in the fall of 1997 in only five days and earned Vyktoria a "Best New Age Vocalist" award at the Wammies (Washington D.C. Music Awards). Produced by VPK and Christian Quick at Stillness Sound in Warrenton, VA, this ten song collection has a mystical theme throughout and displays some of Vyktoria's most powerful and progressive songwriting. Vyktoria's idea was to record all the vocals and guitar live in one or two takes, and then for her and Christian to do most of the overdubbing and playing of instruments themselves in a completely spontaneous way. Christian would be upstairs making tea and Vyk would be at the board going over some part on an exotic instrument and would just press record when it was ok. What materialized from the ethers was a very unique record of multilayered acoustic guitar, dumbek, bells, pleiadians, bowed cymbal, e-bow, backwards loops, crickets, flying saucers and some very Neptunian singing. This Guardian At Noon was the album that landed Vyktoria the Jethro Tull tour, and if it's good enough for Ian... |
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Blue Apples
VPK's first CD was recorded in the summer of 1992 in Charlottesville, VA at Bobby Read's studio. Vyktoria co-produced the album with Bobby (currently of Bruce Hornsby fame), and the project took five months of solid work to complete. Blue Apples earned Vyktoria two 1993 Wammies (Washington D.C. Music Awards): "Best Recording" and "Best Female Vocalist." Lushly produced, Blue Apples features uillean pipes, bazouki, cello, violin, viola, banjo, and log drums all set against an artfully-arranged rock band of bass, drums, keyboards, and electric guitar and features world class performances by some of Charlottesville's top musicians, as well as special guest appearances by Paddy Keenan of The Bothy Band and Pete Kennedy of The Kennedys. |
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