Six years in

Uhhh.... I won't repeat all that "trying to find balance" stuff, because it seems clear enough that I'm still looking for it.  One thing I have found since I last wrote, is a long list of more things that need to be done.  So here are some fun things that have gone on since this summer.

On my birthday (earlier this week) I finished writing a script - something I have never done before, and LOVE doing! And I also saw this review of our album for the first time.  I think if I had known as a teen that a decade ahead I would be called a "wallflower on fire" I would have smiled a little more often ;)     frontline press album review    (I was a seriously-secretly-shy gal. Probably still am)

We have also been playing out of town in higher doses. Sticking to the PNW, we've made forays into Olympia, Portland, Boise, Spokane, Bremerton, and I don't remember where else. This month we're really burning some rubber. We are in Corvallis this weekend, Seattle and Silverdale next weekend. And the following weekend has turned into a lot of driving for me... Spokane, Bozeman, Boise.  Fun stuff indeed. We are planting our seeds, and breaking some ice { and oh man it was so cold the last time we were in Boise!!! Sub zero. I had to drink 3 beers to get the gumption to put my costumes on - something I never do. AND then I had to run off stage during an instrumental break to pee.  Sorry for the details, but I thought it was hilarious, and was glad I didn't pull a Fergie moment...}. Olympia review - Oh, and we're back in Oly on Monday the 20th too.

Scobra and I are still writing new tunes at a furious pace, and I SWEAR we will release AT LEAST one album this year, if not more. Our problem is organizing and polishing, not writing... Which I suppose is a quality problem to have.

All in all, though I wish there were more time in the day to get things done, this year is looking to be a sizzler. And the end of this month, January 26th to be exact, marks the anniversary of recording our first song: Killing Time. I think we're 6 years in now. And 6 is my favorite #

xoxo
-DVX

Oh yeah, here's a cool poster to look at too.

Full Throttle

Balance is one HUGE lesson I am still working on.  Events and opportunities have been raining down  hard over here at camp DVX.  And while that may not be much of an excuse for my lack of posting, it is the reason.  Everyone's hands have been downright overloaded with work just to keep up the pace - which is FULL THROTTLE AHEAD! So I'm just going to pack in the top shelf activities and creations.  A video, an Interview, a show, and a sneak leak of info on what is cooking in the kitchen ;)

The video is for our single Beat In Your Body, and was created thanks to all of our Kickstarter supporters from The Cinema Thanks You campaign.  So here that is, and thanks again to everyone that pitched in.


We have been very blessed with the opportunity to talk with the folks at Music Tech Magazine, and while this Q&A session is a bit on the technical side for some folks, I love that we are able to give some insight into HOW we make our sounds and do what we do :)

Dionvox Music Tech Interview

And to keep up the pace of this info fest, here is the foxy poster for our upcoming show next Friday night at The Royal Room in Seattle.

And last but certainly not least - the ol' sneak peak leak of what is boiling in our caldron.  ;)
While I can't name any names yet, here's the rundown.  I am a lucky gal who gets to collaborate with some of the deepest seattle musician cats, whose sounds greatly influenced me growing up.  The track is titled Your Name, and is a sultry breakup song - and who doesn't love one of those every once in a while?! Think intimate verses with an epic chorus complete with a full choir singing behind me.  We will be recording with the musicians in a few weeks, and then it will be time to mix, master, shoot a video, and then let this little birdie out of the nest and into the world.

We, at camp DVX are grinding it out more hours per day than not.  But we (I anyhow) are moving towards balance in our activities, and are bringing on new partners on the biz side so that we can put more of our focus on what we love and do best:  MUSIC.  But I also love writing, so you will be hearing from me again soon enough.

xo
-Dionvox

The Cinema Thanks You

Wowzah! It's been some wild times over here in camp DVX.  We just completed our new EP as a part of our kickstarter campaign to make 2013 an unstoppable year (figuratively speaking of course, the year probably won't care to stop no matter what happens to us...)!
We played an amazing and wonderful show at the Crocodile with Land Of Pines and Chaos Chaos, we are playing again at Chop Suey with Yevtushenko on Dec. 20th, and a big ol' Birthday (mine) and Kickstarter Success (hopefully) show on January 4th at the Mix with Station to Station.  I could try and wax on about a lot of other arbitrary things and details, but instead I think you should just watch our video to see what's on the hotplate :D

xo
-Dionvox

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/261849415/the-cinema-thanks-you

The illest...

     I have been fairly out of commission for a week now... It has been a long time since a cold has grabbed ahold of me so viciously.  But then again, I probably needed some of the "rest".  Our Dia De Los Muertos show was fun.  So was the Free Pussy Riot benefit we played.  I think my mind is still blunted from this epic illness though, because try as I might, I am barely even able to string these sentences together, let alone make them witty or interesting...

     So I will just be dull and frank about the upcoming events and happenings in the land of DVX.  We are releasing a collection of songs (which was supposed to drop this week, but then I got sick...) in tandem with campaign for music video moolah.  We are playing a big show at the Crocodile on Dec. 2nd - http://thecrocodile.com/events/6428730/chaos-chaos-dion-vox - And yeah... I really need to drink a cup of coffee or something and then get back to where my mind used to be...

But here is a fun photo of our hostess from D of D party and myself.  She had the best costume and makeup of anyone in the show I think... 

Happy Friday, and hopefully I'll be back soon, with all of my missing abilities ;)

xo

-DVX

Cabaret Futurism

What a delightful if not wild whirlwind we have been in this last week.  Our good friend James from the UK has been in town and staying with us.  He was even so kind (and fun) as to write a new song with us yesterday and to record some sitar on it for us :)  We have also added some Paul to the mix.  We now have a Paul on bass, Scobra now hitting his guitar strings, and a Paul on drums.  Our first full band rehearsal is in a few days, and then the unveiling of said new outfit will be at our show on October 1st at the Fun House.  Which-btw- is closing at the end of October.  So for all of you Seattle punk rock fans, come out come out wherever you are, before it is too late!
In other news, we are coming around the corner towards finishing our second album, and starting our plans for an east coast / midwest tour this spring with our sound sister Niki Avataria.  I am getting very excited about that!

And last but not least, here's a little video we shot probably about 2 years ago, but never had the chance to release.  Here she is:

xoxo Dionvox

The End

It's over, I think.  Summer that is.  And with it, I am wrapping up the film Ghostlight, my season of canning blueberry jam is done, we are in the midst of another round of new songs for the next album.  And all the while, we continue to play shows.  This thursday we play at The Can Can, October first at the Funhouse, and then Nov. 2nd we are throwing our big annual Dia De Los Muertos extravaganza at the Rendezvous... And since I am still wearing these crazy long fingernails from the movie, typing is not my forte at the moment.  So instead, I'll just post some fun pics from the summer :)

I should probably explain all of this, but instead, I think you should all write a fictional caption in your mind... You'll probably like it better than mine anyhow ;)

xoxo

-DVX

VIDEO - RAMA from our show last night

Our show last night at The Mix with Mothrider and Terabyte and the Battery Eaters was AWESOME!  And to top it off, our good friend Kiliii Fish was kind enough to do a beautiful job capturing some of it on  camera.  So I have to share all three videos.

Next up: Our show on wednesday at the Rendezvous Jewelbox Theatre with RavenmusiK.

xoxox - Dionvox

Rain Beats Down

I just finished recording vocals on a new song called Rain Beats Down, as well as another cool song without a title yet.  Long story short, I am thick in music-making mode.  I even got to record a song for the film that I am working on!  But in other news, we have amazing shows coming up, and recently past.  Below is a video from our first show with Kiliii Fish in his new musical project RavenmusiK.

   

We have also been doing a lot of recording with some cool cats at the Basement Sessions.  The album from last summer is about to have a limited release on vinyl, so stay tuned on that front.

OH! and I almost forgot one of the coolest recent things:  The poster for our show at the MIX this Friday night.  Check it out :)

xoxo - Dionvox

Sorry I'm Late...

How and where do I even start?  Since realizing that my last post was from Texas... And I am very much back in the NW at the present... And naturally, ever so much has gone on!  So I'll attempt some chronological ditties for you to peruse.
   Recap is that we released our album Alien Music For Humans and it can be downloaded at any price HERE.  We also got some pretty rad reviews from SXSW where I was called a dominatrix a lot (I'm wondering if I blinded them with my catsuit powers...) and one guy said that I should be on the Mighty Boosh, which after looking it up, I find to be a great idea! ;)

     Upon our return to Seattle, we played some delightful shows, and I have honestly had a portion of my head buried in the sands of bills, dishes, writing, and so forth.  I am also now doing a nice little side job at my folks new nightclub, The Royal Room.
   Then there is the fact that I am in full on preproduction for a film I'm in.  So lots of studying, character work, oh, and I have black hair and LONG acrylic RED nails... If only you could hear the clicks as I type this ;)  I am recording a song for it on Saturday, and will have a photo shoot for some of the props needed as well.
   AND last but not least, Scobra and I have been working on a host of new material for our next album.  I   have been in the studio every day.  Writing, charting out melodies, playing instruments, singing.  I am starting to wonder if this music business will be my greatest obstacle.  The difficulty being that I find it increasingly difficult to remove myself from the studio to do anything else....   
   Quality problems  :D
 
xo.
and I promise to write more, especially when the 'CLICK' factor of my nails goes down.  It's actually really hard to type like this.  Props to the gals at my DMV...

-DVX

Texas - the half-way point

On the road.  All of our computers are dying on us.  But it is a grand adventure to be sure :) And we totally killed in on  the SPIN stage on Friday.  But the power to this laptop is packed way too deep in the car, so I will keep this short for now.  Here's a link to a little blog we did for Popchips, and you'll be seeing some video within a few days as well.

xo
DIONVOX

http://www.popchips.com/blog/2012/03/15/pop-up-live-winner-hits-austin/

Wrap up

Well, it has been both a glorious and hellish last few weeks.  We have wrapped up the Album (and if you want to know the title, watch the interview below).  And we are now huddled around the kitchen table making our final preparations to leave on tour down to SXSW and up the West Coast.
To be honest, all of the odds and circumstances have stacked against us.  Yet we have persevered with a good heart, and our guardian angels of sorts have been with us as well.  I can't wait to finish tying up the last loose threads of this production, and to hit the road!!! :)  Below is a nice little link to an interview I did earlier this week that should be able to fill you in just a bit more...

xoxo - DV

It's a wild world

The wildness of the final phase of production is now fully upon us!  It is absolutely amazing how intense the energy and work is right now.  But I'm truly working on distilling something essential from this crucible of creativity.  And I'm not the only one working on it either!  I feel nearly bewildered (gotta throw another wild in there somehow...) by how many people we have helping us out.  I have never even met half of these people personally (yet), and still they are putting in some REAL elbow grease - showing us some real LOVE. 
It has also been quite the journey over this last week, to really reflect on all of this.  What was I doing 4 years ago?  Three years? One year?  The grinding work, and the labor of love that we have invested directly into this project has been immense.  And in any given moment, it usually just feels like what it is: moving a mountain with a teaspoon.  Entirely possible, incredibly improbably, and without a doubt it is an epic journey that has never left me with regret.  But for me, I took the two rules literally - move mountain - with teaspoons - and realized that beyond that, THERE ARE NO RULES.  So it has been a very interesting perspective to see just how much we have accomplished, and even stranger to see what sort of shape it has all taken.  These are probably vague fancy words to try to describe the fact that I am amazed and mind-blown as well as the feeling that a mountain of pressure/weight/circumstances could collapse on my at any moment.  And who knows how good or bad it's all going to be.  I for one, however, feel grand.  I feel like I have my own two feet on the ground, and I am taking them exactly where I want them to be!
Scobra deserves a HUGE SHOUT OUT right now, because he has been putting in brutally long days of music production, and mixing.  And we have had some of our worst, craziest, most inexplicable, and heart-wrenching brick walls in our path - especially in the tech. realm... Scobraham-Lincolns realm (oh yeah! Happy prez day to you all).  So he has really been holding out like a proper member of the kriegsmarine in Das Boot, and not succumbing to the pressure. 

Please like our new FB page BTW:  http://www.facebook.com/Dionvox
On an entirely different note, I am happy to tell you that I am going to see Die Antwoord tonight.  Haven't been to a big fun show in ages, and am looking forward to dancing my hiney off ;) 

DIONVOX 2012

     Wow!  So much has gone on over these last few months!  And I have been terribly remiss in posting anything on here.  It seems as though the world is changing a mile a minute these days, and to be quite honest, I have been caught up in the whirlwind of it all.  So first off, we are now DIONVOX, not Ramona The Band.  This is a bit of a transition period, as we are working on moving over all of our sites, and getting the word out.  On Friday, we will play our first show as DIONVOX (see details here) and on Saturday, we will play our last show as Ramona The Band for the 2nd annual February Freak Fest.
     In other news, we are featured in the first issue of a new magazine called NW Prodigys.  In fact, I'm on the dang cover!! Check it out:  This is what I look like on an ipad ;)

And in other creative news, we did a crazy-awesome photoshoot with Kiliii Fish where we built a giant spider web (entirely out of 2x4 and packing tape).  Kiliii took a time lapse of the building process and made a little video.  Here it is:

OK!  I've got to keep working on our shows now.  But just so's ya know~ Scobra is in the studio as I type, putting the final mix on our album.  We will release the newbie album, and tour down to Austin and back in March.  Next post will include the tour schedule! :D

xo
-DV

Gobble Gobble

     Holy WOW!  What a crazy few weeks it's been!  First off though, it's Thanksgiving.  So happy Turkey Day :)  Holidays are some of my favorite days to hunker down and get creative.  They are also a day where things in the outside world seem to slow down, which is the main reason why I am able to write this post right now.  I am happy to report that since we won the Spin Magazine/Popchips competition (that's right, WE WON!!!!) we have been madly busy with all sorts of wonderful new opportunities.  MADLY BUSY being the key words there.  So please use that as your reason to excuse me for not having posted anything earlier.  And since it has been a while, and so very much has happened, I will give a brief rundown of some of the events...
     During the final few hours of the Spin competition, Scobra and I had a photo shoot with the lovely and talented Fiona Pepe.  One of the resulting shots is this:

 
        So then, the day after our winning was announced, we played a Victory Show!!!! - Photocredit Tim Basaraba.

     And in other news (there has been so much going on!) aside from the fact that we are now officially playing SXSW on the SPIN stage - releasing our full length album and then touring it down there and back, and all under a new name.... We have a photo shoot and interview this Sunday for a brand new publication that will be hitting the stands in early December.  I don't want to ruin any surprises, so we'll keep the mag name under wraps for now, but O MY GOSH we are going to be featured with some very heavy and amazing people!! So stay tuned.
      And in honor of a day of sharing and creativity, here's a link to a free download of an underground track of ours  http://ramonatheband.org/track/killing-time-remix-ft-wynne-glizzy-leila-steinberg

xoxo
-Dion Vox

Groovy Sunday

     Alright, that title probably makes me sound like a blues-hippy, but I don't care.  I can't help but start this out by stating that I am at home right now, sitting in my kitchen.  Drinking coffee, smoking a cigarette, surrounded by silence, wearing a bathrobe, writing.  What happy peace I have right now :)       Granted, I am still working, and the Spin mag / Popchips competition still isn't over yet.  In fact, a hole delicious storm of activity is coming up for us.  Blah blah blah - a whole list of lists of tasks and production work - plus some foxy photo shoots!
     But today, I want to just post some fun stuff that I have discovered recently.  Just because. 

And now for just some cool things that I found today:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.211536058908209.54156.100001554503581&type=3

xoxo - Dion Vox

PS - Don't forget, we are playing our (hopefully... probably...) VICTORY SHOW this Wednesday at the High Dive in Fremont.  Checkit~  http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=265108813517149

We are in the lead!

Hey again :D

So I am proud as punch to announce that Ramona The Band is in the lead for the Spin Magazine/Popchips competition.  But we are only in day 8 out of 14 right now, so please remember that you can vote for us every 24 hours.
And another tidbit of tasty news is that we are on Spin's website!  Here are some screenshots to commemorate ;)

 And here's a link to the page on their site: 
http://www.spin.com/articles/spin-popchips-reveal-5-finalists-band-search

And just for giggles, here's a really nice blog that was written about our entry ~

http://www.soundonthesound.com/2011/11/01/send-a-seattle-band-to-austin-vote-on-popchips-pop-up-live-videos/

Thank you a million times over for all of your love, wishes, good luck, and support!! You guys are the reason we are in the lead!!!

xoxoxox
-Dion

The FINAL Round

Wow-ee!
We made it to the final round of Popchips/Spin magazine competition for a slot on the Spin stage at SXSW!!! Which also means, we finally get to unveil the video we made of our Vaudeville Carnivale show :)  Which also means, you can VOTE for it when you view it, and help us win!


Here's the video and VOTING link ;)

http://apps.facebook.com/popchipsfinalfive/contests/162446/voteable_entries/34776128





We also threw a big Dia De Los Muertos party last night, and here are a few fun photos

 Photos are courtesy of Kook Teflon and Debora Spencer.

Pleas help us out with the competition!!! Pretty pretty please, with a cherry on top~

xo
 - Dion Vox 

I'm not in Kansas anymore...

Oh gosh!  Oh man!  I have been in something very close to a cyclone of activity for these last few months!  And so these posts have been painfully lacking!  So here's the quick and dirty rundown of the whole she-bang.


We made it to the second round of the SPIN magazine/Popchips competition, where we threw a big show, and made a video.  Here are a few fun shots of that:

And then we also entered into the Tenlegs.com Butterfly Effect competition.  Made first place in the music category too! :)  Check it out here: tenlegs.com

AND.... We are throwing a big ol' Dia De Los Muertos party/show coming up.  If you are local to the NW, you should check it out:  Dia De Los Muertos

Holy time-warp batman! Or should I say: Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.  Everything is in technicolor, and I have hardly enough time to even post about adventures!

xoxo
-Dion

Get Caught Up in the excitement!

Hey!  :)

Listen folks, this is the last one with the name RTB on it... SO-

To celebrate, and also to help us in this competition... Click on the banner below and download our song Caught Up for free.  They make you 'like' them on FB.  But you probably already like plenty of so-so things because they are your friends.  So be my friend and help a sista out~

xoxoxxo
- DV

Holy Wow Batman!

Well, it's been crizazy these last few months!  So although this post is a bit belated, here is some footage from the end of our Sitarmageddon show.  Rather heathen-like, and all around a good time :)

In other news, we will be releasing a video this week to announce our new band name... For REALS this time!!!

And, on the fun front, I thought I would post a silly video that Scobra, myself, and Zwoessel all took part in. (No, Scobraham Lincoln is not dancing, he composed and produced the track...)  Hopefully you get a good laugh outta this one:

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that this video was made in honor of easter... But for bunny enthusiasts, I think it needs no explanation ;)

xoxoxoxxo!
- Dion Vox