Jane Woodman - vocals/guitar
Paige Weber - vocals/guitar
Rachel Thoele - bass
Jeanne Hangauer - drums

Driven by two frontwomen who both write, both sing and both play guitar, Van Gogh's Daughter can be light and dark, or charming and brutal, or feminine and masculine, or any of the push-me pull-you yin yangs that are at the heart of the best pop music. Shove is the band's debut album.

Jane Woodman and Paige Weber, VGD's two singer-guitarists, both grew up in the midwest, where "finding something to do was usually what we spent most of our time doing." Songwriting became the vehicle to help each of them escape the home on the strange. That vehicle carried them separately to San Francisco, where a bizarre (and nearly tragic) coincidence brought them together. Once recovered, the two did time in various local bands and eventually found a kindred spirit (and rock-solid drummer) in California native Jeanne Hangauer. The Jane-Jeanne-Paige trio kicked its sound around the city for awhile, but it wasn't until Rachel Thoele showed up, fresh from playing bass in various local "art/freak/noise" bands including the semi-legendary, semi-seminal SF group Frightwig, that Van Gogh's Daughter really emerged.

Playing SF hotspots like Bottom of the Hill, the band honed its sound into the chaotic pop powerhouse heard on Shove. VGD co-produced the album with Julian Raymond and Phil Kaffel. Basic tracks were cut live, with all four members sitting in a circle, to help summon the energy and vibe of their live shows.

The songs are based on - what else? - "drinking, anger, our heads and relationships," according to Jane and Paige. They express the frustration of smart kids who want to taste the best and worst that life has to offer, as heard in the chorus of the raucous "S.L.A.G." ("I wanna get wasted") and "Through The Eyes of Julie" - a slice of irrestible pop wrapped around a wistful look at the life of a junkie. Other must-listens: the uptempo brooding of "Down" and the yearning "Struggle and Sting."

Hollywood Records