Virgin Islands

Last wave punks Virgin Islands have been making waves in their home city of Seattle and beyond since their inception in the fall of 2009. The band releases their debut full-length  “Ernie Chambers v. God” on May 10th, 2011 via The Control Group. ECvG is a politically provocative and musically bold rock album, yes – album, with 11 socially charged manifestos that could be the perfect house music for the last party on earth, or the fight songs for your next revolutionary meeting. Arguably post punk and definitely post modern, this record is an intense and sincere statement from a band who’s not afraid to buck the status quo, much like the man Ernie Chambers himself. Virgin Islands usher in the last wave of rock music with conviction and soul. 

The band, consisting of lead singer and guitarist Michael Jaworski (formerly of The Cops), drummer Aaron Ball, bassist Charles Keller and guitarist Christopher Meyer, have stumbled upon something rare in this world. They’ve found a channel to create rock music that is exciting, fun and completely relevant in modern times. Virgin Islands stand out in the sea of sameness and passionately carry the torch of politics and punk rock while delivering one sweaty rock show after the next. Ernie Chambers v. God could be party music for the apocalypse, or it may be what we need to lead us out of darkness. Either way, the last wave of rock n’ roll never felt so good.

Ernie Chambers v. God was recorded to tape over 8 days in November of 2010 and was co-produced by the band and Johnny Sangster (Mudhoney, The Briefs, The Cute Lepers, Steve Turner). Virgin Islands will be on the road throughout 2011 in support of the new album.

Press:
“Composed of singer/guitarist Mike Jaworski (the Cops), drummer Aaron Ball, bassist Chuck Keller, and guitarist Chris Meyer, Virgin Islands make heads-down, meat-and-taters rock and roll that is as immune to music-genre mutations as black Wayfarer horn-rimmed spectacles. A certain sector of the Western world will always need bands like this—music that evokes the Clash, if they recorded for SST in 1986. With this kind of sound, passion, guts, memorable riffs, and vocal conviction are all important, and Virgin Islands possess all these qualities—plus the panache to make them not seem hoary. Their songs aim for a roughly artful combination of masculine tunefulness and stinging noise, and they hit the target more often than not.” Dave Segal, The Stranger

“It’s been said over and over that Virgin Islands are the evolution of ex-punkers, The Cops. Personally I like to think of them more as an evolution of Seattle rock. The band has incredible solidarity, the rhythm drives the songs forward at breakneck speed, the guitar screams alongside the vocals without trampling them and the whole thing comes together with the oneness of a fucking wrecking ball.” – Seattlesubsonic.com