-Randy Faucheux, KLSU radio, Baton Rouge
Tell me a story
Vermillion Lies is a sister cabaret. Kim and Zoe (Boekbinder) Vermillion are real life sisters and talented performers, with strange and beautiful songs and strange and beautiful voices.
From Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada to Moscow,
Russia and Braga, Portugal Vermillion Lies has charmed
audiences the world over with their unique brand of beauty,
silliness, and creativity.
With songs ranging from lyrical folk ballads to raucous
circus marches, the Vermillion sisters have earned a
reputation for an amazing live performance which enchants
audiences of all ages and has everyone clapping, singing,
dancing, and playing along.
Real Life sisters, Zoe and Kim Boekbinder "Vermillion",
have spent their lives honing their craft at clown boot camp
and the local dump, where they found their favorite
instruments like toy piano, accordion, typewriter, and BBQ grill.
The live show involves the sisters pulling their odd
instruments out of a large trunk onstage before each song,
prompting the audience to ask, "What's in the box?"
which incidentally is the name of their brand new album.
Vermillion Lies is based in Oakland, CA, tours in a bio-diesel van,
and uses recycled packaging printed with vegetable inks.
'Separated by Birth - One album in two acts has sixteen tracks ranging from retro jazz, to lyrical folk melodies, to raucous circus ballads with toy piano and accordion.
The album features Carla Kihlstedt (Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Tin Hat Trio,) Gino Robair (Splatter Trio, Tom Waits,) and Myles Boisen. Boisen, who recorded the album, is known for his work with Tom Waits, The Tigerlillies and The Club Foot Orchestra.
And for the diehard fans who just absolutely need to know:
Zoe has a bottle cap collection and a chalkboard car.
Kim is an artist who wants to marry a cheesemaker (or two.)
More Stories
The SF Chronicle interview and video!
The San Francisco Examiner
Curve Magazine Article
Moscow Times Article
More Press!
" ...sparks of brilliance in both concept and execution. "
-Mike Connor, San Jose Metro
"...one of my very very favorite new bands to emerge from the Bay Area in quite some time."
-Greg Scharpen, KALX radio, Berkeley
" [Separated by Birth is] ...a Tim Burton-ish ghoul carnival rife with compelling monstrosities like "Circus Apocalypse", "Circus Fish" and the stormy, brooding "Monkey."
-Damon Orion, GoodTimes , Santa Cruz
-Stuart Thornton, Monterey County Weekly
“Amazing debut from bay area sister duo. The album is all over the place, but every one of these places is great. Folk, alternative, retro vocal jazz, experimental undertones. Acoustic guitars, wild percussions and horns, toy pianos, Tom Waits-esque atmospheres (two collaborators on this album worked with Waits). ‘Act One’ is tame compared to ‘Act Two,’ but both are equally remarkable. Brings to mind Regina Spektor or a darker, more cynical Ditty Bops.
-Adrian Belew - Writing on the Wall
“Vermillion Lies reminds Artsweek of the circus in all its eerie, childish glory. Complete with clinking toy pianos, stringed instruments, accordion and Zoe and Kim Boekbinder's sexy dramatic vocals, VL sometimes even brings along some burlesque dancers for their shows. Hubba, hubba. “
- Melanie Glover, California Aggie, Davis
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