About VW
Hailing from South Louisiana, Vermilion Whiskey is a working man's band, steeped in whiskey fueled Rock-N-Roll tradition. With musical roots that run deep like river veins stretched across their beloved home state & beyond, VW is ever evolving and steadfast, and have molded their own brand of heavy southern influenced Rock-N-Roll for just over a decade, always by the motto, Long Live The Riff!
Backstory
On a quiet night in South Louisiana, the sound of drums filled the air. Ross paused the TV and ran outside to hear a beat coming from his new neighbor’s house just two doors down. Without warning, he emerged with a bottle of whiskey and crashed the party.
The rest is history…
Vermilion Whiskey was born on that fateful night in 2010. Shortly thereafter, a lineup was born with Dave Thomas (drums), Ross Brown (guitar), Carl Stevens (guitar), and Bruce Broussard (bass), writing what would become their debut album ’10 South’.
A short stint of live shows and a few singers later, VW found their frontman and lead vocalist Thaddeus Riordan in 2012. Then, as they say, IT WAS ON SON!.
VW came out the gate swinging with their freshman album ’10 South’ which was released on September 1st, 2013. They played the local bar scene, then soon spread regionally across South Louisiana, growing a loving fanbase and gaining momentum.
Post ’10 South’, life and lineup changes happened, bringing in Buck Andrus on Drums, then Jeremy Foret, and later Jonathan Saltzman on bass as new material was being written. With the new lineup, VW began writing a new EP and put some miles on the road across South Louisiana and Texas.
Their sophomore album ‘Spirit of Tradition’ was released on Feb 17th, 2017 to positive reviews as their regional presence grew, and VW began to share the stage with bands like Crowbar, Mothership, WoFat, and many others.
Then of course life happened again, band goals drifted, and the current new lineup began forming when Carl Stevens decided to take a step back from life on the road. Thaddeus Riordan assumed second guitar duties, and Jason Decou took over on the bass as Vermilion Whiskey’s third album was taking shape, breathing new life into the band, and bringing a new sound to the table.
Hitting the studio hard in early 2022 after a long list of drummer auditions, they brought in Tommy Buckley of Crowbar/Soilent Green to rehearse and record drum tracks for VWs third studio album ‘Crimson & Stone’. Current live drummer Wade Perkins was also found in that timeframe, and he was also instrumental in helping to produce drum tracks alongside Tommy and Duane Simoneaux at OCD Recording and Production in New Orleans, Louisiana.
On May 26th, 2023 released their latest LP ‘Crimson & Stone’ onto the scene including two pro shot music videos and a wealth of YouTube content. Upon release ‘Crimson & Stone’ made it to No. 6 on the monthly Doom Charts and made the Top 100 year end list. Their latest offering is a blend of classic VW southern hard rock, driving stoner riffage, dabs of dissonant overtones, and a heavy helping of Pure Louisiana Sludge.
In 2024, Vermilion Whiskey continues to tour around the Texas/ Gulf Coast scene and are appearing at numerous music festivals across the US including the Maryland Doom Fest and Ripplefest Texas. VW is currently demoing a new album with plans to start tracking by the end of the year.
If you are reading this thank you for the support
\m/ Rock On \m/
About Our Name
Vermilion Vs Vermillion
Our name is commonly misspelled. Vermilion Whiskey is spelled with one ‘L’ instead of two. We really don’t care how you spell it as long as you don’t forget about us when buying a round of drinks.
The definition of Vermilion is actually a shade of the color Red..... Red Whiskey
Vermilion [ver-mil-yuh n] noun
Being that we are all from around the greater Lafayette (Acadiana) area located in South Central Louisiana ‘Vermilion’ is a common word.
Mainly our name derives from the Vermilion River (aka Bayou Vermilion) which runs directly through Lafayette Parish. The watershed of the Vermilion River is gritty and dark. You wouldn’t want to make whiskey out of the water. Vermilion Whiskey’s music is just the same... Gritty and Dark.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermilion_River_%28Louisiana%29
Other examples are Vermilion Parish, Vermilion Bay, and offshore OCSG Vermilion block of territory.
Whiskey VS Whisky
Vermilion Whiskey is spelled with an ‘ey’. We are from America Jack...Daniels if you please.
”Whether it is whisky or whiskey has been the basis of many arguments over many years. The Scots spell it whisky and the Irish spell it whiskey, with an extra 'e'. This difference in the spelling comes from the translations of the word from the Scottish and Irish Gaelic forms. Whiskey with the extra 'e' is also used when referring to American whiskies. This 'e' was taken to the United States by the Irish immigrants in the 1700s and has been used ever since. Scotland, Ireland and America all have a rich heritage in the whisky industry”
http://www.whiskyforeveryone.com/whisky_basics/whisky_or_whiskey.html
The more you know......
Vermilion Whiskey
Aka: Red Whiskey, Dem Bayou Vermilion Boys