"Karen Meat and the Vahnevants, two great Des Moines sounds that taste oh so great together. On this release, we find local singer/songwriter/musically schizophrenic pop-star Karen Meat getting dissolved into the acid-drenched “Back from the Grave” stylings of the Vahnevants. Just like taking too much of too much of Hoffman’s Olde Original, It’s nearly impossible to tell where the Id and Ego of each entity begins and ends."
- from Ed Bignar's Pop Occulture website
"Karen Meat and The Vahnevants hail from Des Moines, Iowa, where the musicians are a tightknit bunch with a penchant for collaboration. Given their shared interests and buddy status, It’s only right and natural that Karen Meat (Arin Eaton) and the Vahnevants would make a record together. The resulting EP,“Karen Meats the Vahnevants,” will not disappoint fans of either act.
"On first listen, the four songs on this EP might sound like the Vahnevants with a different frontperson. Closer inspection, however, reveals Eaton’s songwriting assuming an equal role. The creative signatures of the two acts blend well, with melodies teased out by guitars as much as vocals...
"Throughout the proceedings, them Vahnevant boys whip out lil’ lassos of C&W licks and strangle vibrato-laden leads out of their guitfiddles. 'Karen Meats the Vahnevants' is the musical equivalent of falling off a barstool. Morricone banshee wails blow by like tumbleweeds, and the overall effect is something akin to Joe Meek scoring a western.
For all the obvious points of aural reference, “Karen Meats the Vahnevants” never wanders into pastiche. The lyrics hit on the age-old concerns of rock ‘n’ roll (falling in love, falling out of love, getting soused) but framed in modern terms (they use the word ‘thot’ in a song title, fer fuck’s sake). The bleached-out recording–captured by Des Moines’ busiest taper, Phil Young–benefits the songs, the vocals at once present and distant, a thick film covering the lens.
So here ya go: rock ‘n’ roll chocolate and peanut butter. Eat y’self fitter and grab the tape, out now on the recently revived RULE_OG_Y label."
- from a review by Bob Bucko on the Your Record Collection Sucks website
Lineup:
Arin Eaton - vocals
James Brittenson - bass guitar
bRyan Meier - cello/drums
Micah Sturdevant - guitar/piano
Jared Vaughn - guitar/drums
BandCamp:
https://ruleogy.bandcamp.com/releases
Karen Meat's home page:
http://karenmeat.com/
Karen Meat's Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/KARENMEAT/
Karen Meat's BandCamp page:
https://karenmeat.bandcamp.com/
The Vahnevants' home page, maybe?
http://thevahnevants.tumblr.com/
The Vahnevants' Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/TheVahnevants
The Vahnevants' SoundCloud page:
https://soundcloud.com/thevahnevants
To download the whole podcast, right click the link below and hit "Save as...":
https://archive.org/download/IowaMusicShowcaseEpisode44/Iowa%20Music%20Showcase%20-%20Episode%2044_.mp3
Labels: 2010s, 2017, alternative music, Des Moines, Des Moines area, Ep 044, Falling (song), Indie and Alternative Music, Karen Meat (artist), Karen Meats The Vahnevants (band), Micah Sturdevant, Vahnevants (band)
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