biography
The Victrolas began at a Willie Nelson concert in Athens, GA, in 2003. The band has taken many twisting turns since that night: initially an acoustic duo, in the last two years the group has evolved into a four-piece that creates a unique blend of country, rock and folk. The Victrolas write and perform memorable and appealing songs that cut across the grain of existing genres. Based out of Nashville, Ryan, Josh, Casey and Brandon have been making a name for themselves with an energizing live show and relentless touring of the Southeast. The Victrolas began with Ryan Case and former guitarist Ed Puckett collaborating on songs and playing sets in the bars, coffee shops and streets of downtown Athens. Their first recorded effort, Life like the Movies, was produced in 2003 and released for free download on the band website. Ryan’s older brother Josh sold the pair on a change of venue, and they moved to Nashville in 2004. Josh was already in Nashville pursuing his own songwriting and performance career; he soon began playing and writing with the Victrolas and then agreed to join the roster permanently. Soon after, they met Brandon Nice. Originally from Virginia, Brandon studied audio engineering and percussion in Sydney, Australia before moving to Nashville. After their first rehearsal, the guys recognized that a solid lineup was cementing, and in 2006 began recording a full-length album at Colorblind Studios. The result was Drop the Needle. Released in early 2007, the album garnered positive reviews throughout the region. Proof Everlasting was featured as a weekly “Local Lightning Spotlight” song on 100.1 FM in Nashville and was used as the background in a radio promotion for that program. Here’s to You (Nashville, TN), written by Ryan a few months after arriving in town, was featured in the documentary A Nashville State of Mind, as well as “Music City Unsigned” on 96.3 FM in Nashville. The album also received regional airplay in markets such as Gainesville, Birmingham, Athens/Atlanta, Knoxville and Charlotte, and was featured on the Billy Block radio show and the now-defunct “Americana Tonight” with Mark Wehner. For most of 2007 the band toured and promoted Drop the Needle, selling out of their initial press run. The album remains available for download. In late 2007, Ed left the band to pursue other musical endeavors. As often happens with young bands, the sound was evolving, conflicting interests arose and a major change was made by mutual agreement. Fortunately, the original members remain good friends and Casey Smyers arrived to fill the lead guitar duties with a precise, cleaner sound. The Victrolas are currently in David Henry's Truetone studio working on a new slate of songs for their forthcoming album with musician/songwriter/producer/author Tommy Womack