“Victoria Hammill plays an electric fiddle as if jamming with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robert Randolf — and as if trying to match the tone and freedom of both. Running her dramatically altered violin through a Mesa Boogie amp, she makes a mind-bendingly original bowed sound; if you weren't watching, you'd want to see how a guitarist was creating such wildly expressive solos. A geophysicist who has worked with wave-form propagation and microseismics, Hammill is not afraid of experimenting with the mechanics of her instrument and the sounds it can make."— Michael McCall, Nashville Scene, Critics' Picks
October 21, 2004
“Victoria Hammill won't tell anyone how she gets her violin to sing, dance, whine, talk, and massage your soul. Dang, if Victoria doesn't get connected to lightening every single time she touches bow to string. You have to experience Victoria's violin. To miss out on this experience would be like missing Jimmy on guitar or Miles on trumpet. I know enough about language to know that you can only say ....unique'' once. So let there be no confusion when I say, Victoria is a unique violinist.â€â€” Tim Null, The Befuddled Universe, Breaking Records
March 29, 2006
Victoria & Zeta Five is the name of a new band built around the violin and vocal talents of Victoria Hammill. This is a lady who is, in my opinion, making sounds that have never been made before on her violin. A dynamic stylist on her instrument, she recalls the great blues-rock guitarists, such as Stevie Ray Vaughan."— Shannon Williford, Music City Guide, Music City Blues Corner
March 2004
VICTORIA & ZETA FIVE can perform as a duo with violin, vocals, and rhythm guitar, or as is a four piece with Victoria Hammill on electric lead blues - rock - jazz - fusion violin & lead vocals with rhythm guitar, bass, and drums; and as a five to seven piece with lead guitar or keyboard and sax and backup vocals for large venues. The genre of music is a blend of blues, rock, jazz, and fusion.
VICTORIA HAMMILL (Violinist/Vocalist):
"I love the creative process, and it is joy to perform and create with other artists - listening to and co-creating on the fly, working with the unique expression of each individual, complimenting and harmonizing, soloing freestyle, and expressing feeling through tone, melody, rhythm and lyric, that's what I love. The whole thang - it's all very healing for me and the little girl inside me - it brings out enthusiasm for life - its a gift - and it is so very beautiful when it is free-flowing and spontaneous and when the listeners, through their presence, are part of the process.
So, having a jam band that draws on blues, rock, rhythm and blues, and jazz fusion makes perfect sense due to the very nature and structure of these influences - it's "feeling" — it's "free-flowing" — it's "spontaneous" — it's "electric".
I am a native Texan - "Stevie Ray Vaughan" country - and I play violin gunslinger style - very high energy. So, as you may have already guessed, my unique signature and style has Stevie Ray and Hendrix influences, and other blues greats like Albert King, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Roy Buchanan, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, and more.
Since relocating from a 10 year stay in Nashville, Tennessee, to the Austin, Texas area, Victoria has played in Fort Worth at Stingray's Sports Cafe and at Key West; in San Marcos at the Cheatum Warehouse, Cancun Rob's Fajita Hut, The Tantra Coffee House, and Gold Crown Billiards; in San Antonio at Sam's Burger Joint, the VFW, Make My Day, and on KSYM 90.1 fm LIVE; in Austin at Giddy Ups, Nunos on 6th, Victory Grill, Jovitas Restaurant, Scoots Inn, Antones, Detour Bar & Grill, and The Pier on Lake Travis.
With her Nashville-based band, Victoria performed at "The Clarksville Riverfest", and at well-known Nashville area blues clubs, such as; the "Bourbon Street Blues & Boogie Bar", "B.B. Kings Blues Club", "Bluesboro Rhythm & Blues Company, Inc., "The Hard Rock Café", "Mercy Lounge", "Lipstick Lounge", "The Boardwalk Cafe", “The French Quarterâ€, and others. She has also shared the stage with Shannon de Bayou, Don Kendrick, Patio Daddio, Brannon Lane, and Tom Larson (Delicious Blues Stew); James "Nick" Nixon (The Imperials), Mungo (former Drummer for Bo Diddley), Waldo Weathers & The Mix (former sax player for James Brown & Charlie Pride), Steve Rossi (keyboardist for Peter Frampton), Marion James (Nashville’s Queen of the Blues), Johnny Jones, Mississippi Millie, Dave McKenzie, Miranda Louise, to name a few.
Prior to Nashville, Victoria performed with "The Brett Allen Jazz Trio" and with Edward T Hammill in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Texas, who are now partners who make a strong song-writing team.
Original material includes a broad range of musical styles, ranging from blues, to rhythm and blues, to jazz, and to fusion with latin, brazilian and classical influences.
"I have been playing violin for nearly 17 years - 7 years of formal classical training, 2 years training of Texas Style Fiddling and 8+ years experience as a blues violinist with rock, rhythm and blues, and jazz influences."
Our CD titled "TO BE ANNOUNCED", released from Nashville in April of 2006, is now available for purchase online at CDBaby:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/victoriazetafive
Digital downloads of individual tracks, as well as the complete album, are available for purchase through iTunes and Rhapsody.
Core members of the Nashville band included, Victoria Hammill (Violin and Lead Vocals), Edward T Hammill (Guitar), John Raska (Drums), William Scruggs (Bass) and Markus Rodriguez (Guitar).
Guest Shannon Williford(Harp), duels with Victoria Hammill (Violin) in "Bayou's Blues Jam (Wild Turkeys)". Other guests include the legendary saxman Waldo Weathers and bassist Sue Birch of Alchemy VII in "He Makes Me Feel So Good", and James "Nick" Nixon of The Imperials carries the male vocal and rhythm guitar in "Crosscut Saw / Don't Lie To Me" with Victoria (lead vocal), Sue Birch (bass & back up vocal), Julieanne Denton (back up vocal), Shannon Williford (Harp), and Markus Rodriguez (lead guitar). Hammond B3 extraordinaire, Larry Van Loon plays all keyboard tracks. Sue Birch also plays bass and does back up vocals with Julieanne Denton in Willie Dixon's "Close To You".
VICTORIA & ZETA FIVE's solo jam to "Say What?" by Stevie Ray Vaughan, is a favorite. Victoria (Violin) starts, followed by Larry Van Loon (Hammond B3), Markus Rodriguez (Lead Guitar), William Scruggs (Bass), John Raska (Drums), with Edward T Hammill (rhythm guitar) throughout, and a group vocal, including Sue Birch and Julieanne Denton.
And "Down By The River" is a stellar performance with Victoria on lead violin and vocals, and guests Jack Hartford (Bass), and James "Nick" Nixon, Sue Birch, and Julieanne Denton (Backup Vocals).
JOHN RASKA (Drums): John Raska has performed with such greats as The Max Johns Band, Robert Von & Peace Soldier, Dana Robbins of Barry Manilow, Steve Hartin of Steppenwolf & Black Oak Arkansas, Blues Legend Ed King, Willie Bryant of Elijah Prophet, Michael Whes of Neil Young and Crazy Horse, etc., etc.
WILLIAM SCRUGGS (Bass): William has performed with "The Executives", at officers clubs, parties and events like the Marine Corps Ball; The Tyrone Smith Revue, where they opened for people like Teddy Pendegrass, Neil Sadaka, The Chilites, Dion, and notable gigs like the Tennessee Governor's Inaugural Ball, The Shriner’s Ball, The Postmans Ball, and The Swan Ball. He has also had the honor to play for Martha Reeves and the 'original' Vandellas when she was inducted into the Rock-in-Roll Hall of Fame. Most recently, in addition to Victoria & Zeta Five, he has played with “The Legendary Waldo Weathers & The Mixâ€, “Country Soul†at the 2001 Country Music Festival at Zurich Switzerland, the band called the “Groove Dudes†where they played the CD release party for the “Night Train To Nashville†compilation produced by the Country Hall of Fame Museum, featuring performances by Johnny Jones, Bobby Hebb, Robert Knight, Clifford Curry, and the brother of the late Gene Allison, as well as with Johnny Jones at the Montreal Jazz Festival.
MARKUS RODRIGUEZ (Lead Guitar): Growing up in Oakland, California, San Francisco Bay area was cool. The music was/is the "vibe". From the soulful Santana to funky Tower of Power to the Dead to the old blues clubs in west Oakland - it was in these clubs that Markus learned to play guitar, which he has played for more than 20 years now. Markus was lucky to be in many great bands and to share the stage with many great blues players, such as; Charlie Musselwhite, John Lee Hooker, James Cotton, and Lowell Fulson, to name a few. He’s been in the Nashville area for 9 years now and feels it is a blessing to have played with most of the great blues players in the Nashville area.
SUE BIRCH (Guest Artist/CD) For more info, visit www.pressenter.com/~tater/suebirch.html
JAMES "NICK" NIXON (Guest Artist/CD) For more info, visit www.jamesnicknixon.com
SHANNON WILLIFORD (Guest Artist/CD) For more info, visit www.DeliciousBluesStew.com
WALDO WEATHERS (Guest Artist/CD) For more info, visit www.waldoweathers.com
Recorded at Atlantis Recording Studio, Hendersonville, TN. For more info, visit www.atlantisstudio.com
[For more info about the band please visit the VICTORIA & ZETA FIVE official website at www.ZetaFive.com]
PLAYLIST:
Victoria & Zeta Five is available to perform up to four 45 minute sets of cover and/or original material which draw on a broad range of musical styles, such as; rock, blues, jazz, fusion, rhythm n' blues, latin / brazilian, and zydeco.
Please visit the official Victoria & Zeta Five website at www.ZetaFive.com to download Press Kit which includes our playlist.
Full tracks from our "To BE Announced" CD can be heard at www.ZetaFive.com as well.
CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR HIRE (Local Live / Session & Tours):
VICTORIA & ZETA FIVE can perform as a duo with violin, vocals, and rhythm guitar, or as is a four piece with Victoria Hammill on electric lead blues - rock - jazz - r 'n b - funk - fusion violin & lead vocals with guitar, bass, and drums; and as a five to seven piece with lead guitar or keyboard and sax and backup vocals for large venues.
Victoria Hammill is also available for hire (session or live) to perform with other professional artists and musicians (subject to negotiation).