Coming Up: Vita and the Woolf

Whimsically unique electro-pop with jazz undertones is what one can expect from duo Vita and the Woolf. The two-person band hails from Philadelphia and offers a one-of-a-kind collaboration of soulful lyrics and powerful ballads. You can catch them at The Nick on Monday, March 14.

Originally a 7-member band, Vita and the Woolf is now a duo with Jennifer Pague on vocals/synthesizers and Adam Shumski on drums. They’re traveling along the Southeast to inject their powerfully haunting, yet still upbeat music into each city they visit. In 2012, Pague first conceptualized the name and musical aspiration for the band. However, she states that her interest in music never really began, it’s always been a part of who she is and her desire to create music sparked her ambition at a young age.

“It’s always been a thing, a desire in my life,” Pague says. “I started recording demos when I was a senior in high school.”

The band’s eccentric name is derived from English writer Virginia Woolf’s novel Orlando. The book was inspired by Woolf’s own love affair with poet Vita Sackville West. Mingled with Pague’s own affinity for dogs and wolves, the band name was born.

When it comes to her songwriting process, Pague normally creates her own lyrics and likes to record in her private office studio. “I typically start with a melody, beat, or a catchy idea and build off that.” Pague says.

Listening to Vita’s songs, one can easily feel the electricity from her emotionally charged lyrics. Pague stated her two biggest inspirations were relationships and her time living abroad in Europe when she was 17. “When you live there you have a lot of growing up to do,” Pague says. “I did a lot of soul searching when I was over there.”

While their demo album Fang Song is more acoustic and youthful in stylings and sound, Vita and the Woolf’s next album, Tunnels, has an older, more mature overtone. “Tunnels is produced a lot more than Fang Song,” Pague says. “There are fewer harmonies and the songs are in a different form.”

Vita’s next single to drop from the new album is “Quiet,” a powerful ballad about being jealous and seeking revenge that will have one head-banging along with the duo. With a lot of new adventures ahead on tour and their next album, the band is excited, but not placing too heavy of expectations on themselves. “It’s a really exciting to see us gaining such momentum, but we’re also trying to go with the flow,” Pague says. “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

For those wishing to experience a soulful R&B mixture of jazz and electro pop, don’t miss Vita and the Woolf at The Nick. The show starts at 10 p.m. The Nick is located at 2514 10th Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35205.

Photo by Colin Kerrigan.