Vanity Avenue is an up-and-coming reggae-rock band in Bakersfield that has made a name in the local music scene.
Lead vocalist Manny Garcia, 22, started the band with his brother in 2001 and chose the name Vanity Avenue because he felt there were too many “pretty boy bands” out there. Garcia said, “I knew if we put vanity in the name, they would see us.”
Drum set player and Bakersfield College student Chris Borbon, 22, an American Sign Language major, has been in the band for about a year and a half despite being a full time student and working.
“It’s hard to find the time to practice,” Borbon said. “We have [our material] down so well but when we write new material, of course we practice.”
“With these guys you don’t need to ask for anything more,” Garcia said.
The band describes their music as “reggae-rock with a hint of ska” because they feel their music is dominantly guitar and drum based reggae, with a little horn provided by trombone player Joe Vasquez.
Ray Vargas, who plays guitar and backing vocals, promotes shows and works in the sound department for venues such as The Dome. “We’re not seeking to get signed, we’re not seeking to be on TV but we’re just going to play music and wherever it takes us, it takes us,” Vargas said.
They get a lot of their gigs through word of mouth, playing private shows as well as Toys for Tots and other charity events, according to Borbon.
“We’ve played with a few bigger bands like Flobots and Thousand Foot Krutch,” said Borbon. “But we have the most fun playing with other local bands.”
“Anyone who is looking for bands with reggae or ska flavor, they call us,” said Garcia.
The band mostly thanks their former venues for inviting them back and promoting them to other places, and it’s the connections that get them gigs.
“I think that’s why we do so well because our music is basically equal across the board. We have a lot of rock stuff that the rock crowd would like and we have a lot of reggae stuff that reggae purists would like,” Vargas said.
A song of theirs called “Bud Light” is a crowd favorite, with a fun and unique name despite the fact that only a few members of the band drink. “If we had a hit, that would probably be it,” said Vargas.
After an interview, the band broke into a jam session in which they played a few of their own songs, including “Politician Man,” which started off as a slow reggae tune and sped up into more of a rock song. Eventually, their music morphed into mix of various famous cover songs and impromptu freestyling.
Their most recent album, “Sex, Drugs and Ska,” is no longer being sold, but they said they would be going into the recording studio soon to record a new album.
If you are interested in seeing Vanity Avenue, their next show will be New Year’s Eve at Fishlips Bar and Grill.
And to those who are already fans, Vanity Avenue said, “Thanks for being there. It would suck without you.”