Versus the World

Versus the World

Self-titled CD on Kung Fu Records

By Susie Salva

Melodic punk rockers Versus the World are exactly that, them against the world. “Being an artist is very hard and a lot of the time we are alienated…it’s us against the rest of the world,” said Mike Davenport, bass player, in a recent phone conversation. Versus the World’s self-titled CD on Kung Fu records showcases this powerhouse of a band. Influenced heavily by the Foo Fighters and Thrice, this band features exciting melodies and hooky choruses.

Versus the World is comprised of Mike Davenport, bass player, Donald Spence, vocals and guitar, Nic Matsuda, guitar, and Trevor Matthias.

“Our singer (Donald Spence) doesn’t really scream a lot, but when he does it’s powerful. I think a lot of singers these days are over screaming. That’s cool, but it’s starting to get cliché,” says Davenport.

You can expect to hear a lot of personal lyrics on this new release. “We wear our lyrics on our sleeves. Our music is about everyday life and living,” explains Davenport. “I write when things are really good or really tough, like the most extreme moments in my life is what I write about.”

“Don’t Let Go,” is the first single is about a friend of ours that ended up getting really strung out on drugs and we tried to help him. We did the best we could, but there was no saving him. No one wanted to let go. It’s just something we eventually had to do. We all just stopped supporting and being his friend. It’s sad, but it’s really true,” commented Davenport. This song is a good example of their very intimate lyrics with a strong bass line.

“Ghost in a Bottle,” is about another friend of ours and his dealing with alcoholism as well as his families’ past. Like I said, we write about what we see in ourselves and our friends. In “Ghost” one hears nice harmonies and a hooky chorus.

“Love Every Scar,” is an acoustic version which talks about scars that prove how human we are and how easily we are hurt by others. Spence’s vocals are powerful, but sensuous. Every scar has some meaning or significance behind it.

“If I Died,” looks at the idea of mortality. If I died tomorrow would I be proud of the things I’ve done in my lifetime? This song is a stand out track mixing passion with power and looking back on ones’ life. If my life flashed before my eyes would I be happy with all I have accomplished in my life, which is the gist of this song.

“In Spite of the World,” “It’s the last song I wrote for the Ataris that came out on their, “Blue Sky” album about ten years ago. It was really weird redoing this song with Versus the World, but doing so I finally felt like it was complete. Before we didn’t have a lot of money and it was rushed and wasn’t reaching it’s potential. Now I feel that we nailed it right,” says Davenport.

“No Where Fast,” is a hidden track sung by Davenport. “This is our one funny songs. We’re really serious a lot of times in our lyrics, but this song is goofy. I wrote this when I was seventeen and I’m now in my thirties. It’s awesome to see something (song) grow and change over the years. It’s awesome to see what things turn out twenty years later and it’s still relevant,” said Davenport.

Happiness is of the utmost importance to this new band. “The ultimate goal with is to be happy. When I was with the Ataris and we sold a million records I wasn’t happy. We were in a situation (with the Ataris) we all grew up together and then we grew apart. I just want to be in a band where everyone is happy and I find happiness with this band,” explains Davenport. “With Versus the World the most amazing thing that has happened to the band is how everything happened so fast. We formed this band March of last year and it’s not even been ten months. We did the whole Warped tour and we have our album coming out and we have a song on the “Taste of Chaos,” Christmas album which is doing really well. We are going on a full US tour with No Use for A Name in February and we are going to Europe in March. By the time we’ve been a band for a year it’s amazing that it happened so fast... it feels like ten lifetimes.

Versus the World is an energetic powerhouse of a band sure to wow you with their powerful melodies and sincere lyrics. Check out Versus the World on MySpace or their website www.vstheworld.com or on their US tour in February.

Story by Susie Salva

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