Vanity Theft builds national following

Vanity Theft: (l-r) Alicia Grodecki, Lalaine, Brittany Hill and Elyse Driskill

By Don Thrasher, Contributing Writer 12:38 PM Tuesday, January 25, 2011

It was apparent Vanity Theft was destined for bigger things when the group released its self-financed debut full-length, “PostScript: Pace Yourself,” in 2008. With the new album, “Get What You Came For” (Vigilante Music/Adamant Records), the all-female quartet from Springboro has officially made the transition from regional band to national act.

“Having the support of Vigilante, Adamant and (publicity firm) Girlie Action is amazing,” singer Alicia Grodecki said last week, speaking over her cell phone during a break from pre-tour rehearsals in Los Angeles.

“We’re pretty busy up until summer with shows in the States,” she continued. “We have this tour with Hunter Valentine starting Feb. 2, and that goes all the way up through March. We’ll be home in Ohio for a couple of days and then we’re heading down to South by Southwest. After that we’re coming back to L.A. for a residency at Club Moscow.”

On Tuesday, Feb. 1, Grodecki (vocals, keyboards, percussion), Brittany Hill (vocals, guitar), Lalaine (bass, vocals) and Elyse Driskill (drums, vocals), will celebrate the digital release of “Get What You Came For.” The hard-copy CD will be released on March 1.

“Most of all, I’m excited to get the album out already,” Grodecki said. “I want people to hear it. I’m really proud of it. I think everyone that worked on it is really proud of it. I’m interested to see what people think about it. I’m a little bit nervous, too, but I’m excited.”

Sing-along choruses and new-wave overtones were already a part of Vanity Theft’s indie-rock arsenal when the “Post Script, Pace Yourself” was released. Now, thanks to solid touring and the guidance of producer Joshua Binder, the quartet has honed its sound into an infectious blend of dance-pop and alt-rock.

“We’re going into it knowing there will be people that don’t like the new songs,” Grodecki said. “It’s a different sound, obviously. There’s more to it than our last album. That was very do-it-yourself. We basically just did it in the garage. With this we’re a lot older and we actually had people that knew what they were doing.”

Although no local date is scheduled for Vanity Theft, Grodecki expects to have a Dayton show lined up for early spring.

“We like to finish things off in Dayton, so we can come and play a show with everybody,” she said. “We’re looking to book another homecoming show before we head to South by Southwest, so hopefully everybody will keep their eyes and ears out for that.”

Contact contributing arts and music writer Don Thrasher at donaldthrasher8@aol.com.

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