Christmas In Vietnam are a power-trio from the foothills of Appalachia in Middle Tennessee, USA. CIV are able to mould and shape their varied musical influences into a very cool and unique sound.
Vocals/Guitars: Spent Wisely
Bass: Jimmy H.
Drums: Brian Douglas
01 How did you get started in music?
Spent: Unemployment, mostly. (laughs)
Jimmy: Spent taught me how to play the Bass… after I joined our first band.
02 Where did your direction come from?
Brian: Complete improvisation and really letting all of our individual ‘styles’ clash. It’s just one of those things that kind of ‘happen’ and you let it take you into your bedroom and read you a story and before you know it you’re all comfortable and there’s hot chocolate in your left hand and you’re left saying “Yeah, yeah I like ”
Jimmy: Yeah. I can really see that. Individuality and hot chocolate. CIV.
03 Who were your major influences and inspirations and who do you despise?
Spent: I’ll say my major influences were some of my earliest influences. I love a lot of classic rock bands like Zeppelin, Floyd, and so on. Can’t say I despise any particular groups, but I’m not a fan of commercial rock radio these days.
Brian: The Beatles, Soundgarden, Pink Floyd… Yes, all of the music that leaves that distinct imprint on you and leaves you hungry to create something with the same influential impact that it had on you. You gotta be willing to get in a different mindset when you’re a musician as far taking criticism and dishing it out. Not everyone is going to like you, but there’s a group of people that will. That being said, ‘despise’ is a big word. Now, much like Spent, I’m not necessarily happy about where the industry has come, listening to the current ‘modern radio rock’.
04 What inspires you to make your current type of songs and sound?
Spent: Well, I love Vol. 1, but it was really like reaching in the dark trying to find out what we could come up with together. Now, the inspiration for me comes from a place of confidence in knowing that we have a cool, unique sound that we’re trying to cultivate.
Brian: To progress. Our first take on our stuff, we literally had just gotten together and we weren’t necessarily used to the recording and writing processes. I’m not saying I don’t love what we created, because I do. It’s rad. But, right now, we’re really tight knit on everything. The stuff we’re working on blows me away because of the improvements we’ve all individually/collectively have made.
Jimmy: It seems we never have a shortage of unique and interesting ideas to develop. As long as I continue to hear that and we never get to the point of throwing something out, just to throw it out, I will remain passionate to continue.
05 What can someone who has never seen you live before expect from your live shows then & possibly even now?
Spent: Full. Frontal. Male. Nudity. (laughs) No… hopefully just a good time!
Brian: The nudity in itself is definitely my favorite part. If you’re having a good time then so am I.
Jimmy: My God. (shakes head)
06 How do you begin your songs? What types of themes and subjects do you deal with?
Spent: Jimmy & I started writing songs for Vol. 1 on acoustic guitars in his living room. Once Brian joined us, those songs took on a whole new life. Since Vol. 1, we’ve been jamming a lot over different chord progressions and riffs. We record the jams & listen to them to find what we like best. As far as themes and subjects, I’d say for Vol. 1, I listened to the music and went from there.
Jimmy: You have to wait for a power failure. Heh. Sorry, inside joke.
07 How did your music evolve since you first began playing?
Spent: We’re more familiar with each other’s playing style. That makes most any group better, but I think it’s essential when you’re trying to write original music.
08 What has been your biggest challenge? Were you been able to overcome this? If so, how?
Brian: The only thing I can think of is time constraints. I’d love to get paid and jam with these guys 12+ hours a day, but at the moment, that’s not possible. We get together as much as possible and it sounds phenomenal when we do, out of practice and all, so we usually are able to jump right into it.
Jimmy: Time. We have so many ideas and so little time in the day to see them come to fruition.
09 Do you play covers? If you could pick any song, which would you like to cover most and why?
Spent: No covers as of yet, but not opposed to them. Hocus Pocus by Focus because I would feel like “We have arrived!” if we could nail that. Ha!
Brian: Covers are always fun. I’d love to do some when we get our primary stuff out of the way. That’s where all the focus is.
Jimmy: Apache by Tommy Seebach. Listen and you’ll understand why.
10 Where do you envisage being in five years time?
Brian: Man, it’s been so long since I’ve been to Sea World. Do they even have manatees there?
Jimmy: I see myself in Reno… Most people likely end up in Reno. Not that they want to… it just happens.
Spent: 2018?
11 Who would you most like to record with?
Spent: I’m actually stoked about what we’re doing right now!
Brian: If the question was “Who would you most like to jam with?” there’d be a long list, but as far as recording… I’m pretty content with we’re doing and who I’m recording with.
Jimmy: These guys. Not the guys beside me, I have a picture of the Charles K. Band in my wallet. Those guys are amazing.
12 What should we be expecting from you in the near future?
Spent: Our next step is going to be a quantum leap forward in our sound! We’ve grown as a band and as musicians, and we’re taking every step we can to write and record our best.
Jimmy: I couldn’t have said it better! The next project on the board will be amazing! I can’t wait to share it with everyone.
Web Links:
facebook.com/ChristmasInVietnam
reverbnation.com/christmasinvietnam
christmasinvietnam.bandcamp.com/
soundcloud.com/christmas-in-Vietnam
Link to buy the current single:
cdbaby.com/cd/christmasinvietnam
