Virginia’s Basement Q&A
Virginia’s Basement is a Twin Cities-based emo band composed of Santana Vigil, Kyle Zendejas, and Ramón Varela. They participated in last Friday’s Battle of the Bands: Battle One here at the University of Minnesota and released their debut album, “Bubby.” last October, which can be found on all streaming services.
What’s the band's origin story? Where did the name come from?
Santana Vigil: The name comes from my mother's name. Her name is Virginia, and I’ve always practiced in her basement. And then after years of practice and failure, I met Kyle, and he pulled me out of my shell. We practiced together for about two years on and off, and we kicked things off with Ramón during COVID times.
How would you describe your music?
Vigil: I call it emo trash. That's what I call it. I've told everyone it's the worst shit in town (laughs).
Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
Vigil: So I started off by listening to a lot of Bright Eyes and Fugazi and Elliott Smith and just all the sad artists. Then it was hardcore emo from the 1980s, and then in 2014, there was a big emo scene here in the Twin Cities, so those [groups] were big inspirations.
You released an LP in October. How did it feel recording and getting it out there?
Kyle Zendejas: It was cool because we went through someone I played in a band with back in the day. This is essentially the first record he produced and mastered and everything, so it was cool to go through him as an old friend. It's still unreal that we actually released music so quickly; we did it in the span of like three months
Vigil: We had only been a band for about nine months at that point. We and we busted our asses gigging or whatever, to a point where we had this album that we really cared about Bobby, and we wanted to fucking get it in, and he had a great doggy. And it was like half the cost of a normal studio, but it was well worth it. Like the production value and all the synths and keyboards, jazz was worth the money. To get there we literally did gigs we hated gigs we loved and all that, and the journey was amazing. And we busted our asses to get there.
What do you enjoy about performing live the most?
Zendejas: I guess just like seeing people go crazy for our music. It's just insane that we can write music that people enjoy for some reason.
Vigil: I love it; it's a one-of-a-kind experience. The adrenaline you get from being up there can cause you to literally black out from how excited people are to sing your songs back to you.
What’s helped your guys succeed the most and what advice would you have for other groups?
Vigil: We gained a ton of knowledge growing up in the scene, and that's a big reason why we're doing good now; we know what people were doing wrong five years ago. and what all the bands were focusing on, or whatever. Also, just being nice to people.
What’s the near-term future plan for the band?
Vigil: Keep playing shows with our favorite artists and make keep making a difference in the music scene and grow, also a little Midwest tour could be killer.
What are some favorite memories you have of performing?
Zendejas: When the crowd toppled over the stage because of how packed the venue, Rose Club, was.
How was the Battle of the Bands here at the U?
Vigil: Battle of the bands was a beautiful experience. Getting to watch new bands play that we’ve never heard of. Connecting with the members, familiar fans, and new fans was great.