Victorian Halls

Victorian Halls in their 2015 line-up:
(from left to right)
Jordan Dismuke, Mike Tomala, Sean Lenart

Background information
Origin| Chicago, Illinois
Genres| Alternative rock, Indie
Years active| 2006–present
Labels| Victory Records
Members| Sean Lenart
Jordan Dismuke
Mike Tomala

Past members| Carlos Luna
Website| victorianhalls.com

Victorian Halls are an American alternative rock band originating from Chicago, Illinois, United States.

## History

[edit]

Chicago trio Victorian Halls,[1][2][3] headed by the lead singer Sean Lenart, have been playing the Chicago underground music scene for years before they recorded their first two records, EP "Springteen" (2007) and the self-titled 'Octo' EP "Victorian Halls" (2010), both as self-releases. The third EP, "Crystal Lenses" (2011) was already recorded and pressed, but subsequently shelved, due to the group getting signed to Victory Records prior to its release.

Band's debut studio album titled "Charlatan" was released on Victory Records in August 2011. The album was recorded in Los Angeles in Cameron Webb's recording studio.[4]

Their second full-length studio album, "Hyperalgesia" was recorded in Gossip Studios, Chicago, and released in May 2015 [5] with help of prolific music producer and mixer Joe Chiccarelli, who has in the past produced dozens of albums for well-known acts and singers (The Strokes, The Killers, U2, Jason Mraz). The band promoted the material from their new release on their “All My Friends Are Dead” Tour [6] (name taken from the lyrics of the first track of the album “All My Friends”) throughout September 2016.

In November 2015 the group released a Christmas-themed song titled “This Holiday”.[7][8]

The group tours regularly, since 2006 performing yearly and playing more than 85 concerts [9] at multiple venues across the US, either headlining as a main act or, mainly prior 2010, appearing as a supporting band. The band's latest tour was a string of SouthEast US shows staged between 3–11 May 2017.

The remix of their own song "Glass Depth Mood" titled "So Ambitious (GDM Remix)" was included in the soundtrack for the video game Watch Dogs.[10][11]

## Musical style

[edit]

While the group's first major release, Charlatan, was dominated by rough, punk-rock-like tunes, underlined by Sean Lenart's distinctive, shrill vocals (described by one of the critics as "having reached the heights other lead singers don't even know they exist"), the following studio album, Hyperalgesia, while maintaining the overall characteristic experimental-rock feel [12] of Victorian Halls' music, is a much more mature-rock affair with many great, original songs, that however (perhaps with the exception of the track "Most Firearms Are More Than Adequate in Killing an Undead Brain") lack that unmistakable, fresh roughness of the debut album.

## Members

[edit]

Present

* Sean Lenart - lead vocals/lead guitar/piano (2006–present)
* Jordan Dismuke - bass guitar (2011–present)
* Michael Tomala - drums (2006–present)

Live

* Phil Battaglia - drums/backing vocals (2015)
* Luke Harvey - lead guitar (2015)

Former

* Carlos Luna – electronic keyboard, vocals (2006–2011)

## Discography

[edit]

Victorian Halls discography

Studio albums| 2
EPs| 2
Singles| 9
Music videos| 7

### Studio

[edit]

Year | Album details

|

2011 | Charlatan

* Released: 16 August 2011
* Label: Victory Records
* Format: CD, music download

2015 | Hyperalgesia

* Released: 19 May 2015
* Label: Victory Records
* Format: CD, music download

### EP

[edit]

Year | Album details

|

2007 | Springsteen

* Released: 1 March 2007
* Label: Self Released
* Format: CD, music download

2010 | Victorian Halls

* Released: 28 February 2010
* Label: Self Released
* Format: CD, Music download

### Singles

[edit]

Year | Single | Album

|
|

2011 | "A Crush is a Crush" | Charlatan
2012 | "It All Started In The Hall" | Charlatan
2013 | "La Di Da" | Charlatan
2014 | "So Ambitious" | Charlatan
2015 | "Tonight Only The Dead" | Hyperalgesia
2015 | "Come in with the Storm" | Hyperalgesia
2015 | "This Holiday" | N/A
2016 | "Scarlets" | Hyperalgesia
2017 | "Dissolution" | Hyperalgesia

### Music Videos

[edit]

2011 | "A Crush is a Crush" | Charlatan

|
|

2012 | "It All Started In The Hall" | Charlatan
2013 | "La Di Da" | Charlatan
2015 | "Tonight Only The Dead" | Hyperalgesia
2015 | "Come in with the Storm" | Hyperalgesia
2016 | "Scarlets" | Hyperalgesia
2017 | "Dissolution" | Hyperalgesia

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Victorian Halls profile on Victory Records". Victory Records. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
2. ^ "Victorian Halls' Biography". LAST.FM. 1 January 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
3. ^ "Victorian Halls on SoundCloud". SoundCloud. 1 January 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
4. ^ "Victorian Halls' Interview with IAMTHETREND.COM". I am the Trend. 5 August 2011. Archived from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
5. ^ "VICTORIAN HALLS Release Hyperalgesia". Mass Movement. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
6. ^ "VICTORIAN HALLS announce "All My Friends Are Dead" Tour". London Music Hall. 27 August 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
7. ^ "Victorian Halls Celebrate 'This Holiday'". Victory Records. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
8. ^ "This Holiday - Single by Victorian Halls". iTunes. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2017.[dead link]
9. ^ "Victorian Halls Gigography". Song Kick. 15 September 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
10. ^ Victorian Halls - So Ambitious (GDM Remix), retrieved 12 June 2022
11. ^ "Watch Dogs: Alle Songs aus dem Videospiel | Popkultur.de". popkultur.de (in German). 29 May 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
12. ^ "What's That Sound? / Genre Unto Themselves". Illinois Entertainer. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2017.

## External links

[edit]

* Victorian Halls official website[usurped]
* Victorian Halls on Facebook
* Victorian Halls on Victory Records

*[EPs]: Extended plays