Every once in a while we get to indulge ourselves. With the COVID reality we’ve been living over the past year, it’s time to take a breath and take in a great band that’s been waiting to blow up. If you haven’t heard the Von Tramps, you are in for the time of your life!
Best known for songs like 14B, Sara, New Year’s Day, and L.A., this band is back with new music and ready to take on the world!
The Von Tramps are a delightful all-girl pop punk/rock/ska band that will get your toes tapping and your hips moving. The Minneapolis trio features Jenna Enemy on vocals and guitar, Krissandra Anfinson on bass, and Chelsea Oxborough on guitar.
We spoke with front-women Jenna Enemy on their new single that is hitting the streets today, “Your House,” a cover from Jimmy Eat World’s 2001 album, “Bleed American.” Enemy told us, “This month is the 20th anniversary of ‘Bleed American’s’ release. I love that album and went through a break up over COVID, so I listened to it on repeat. Having been in drumline in high school, I started drumming on this banister and drummed this ska/SoCa beat. So, I thought what if we put this weird calypso beat behind it and make it sound like The Police or No Doubt with a reggae base. I used a 30-gallon bucket and put a mic in it and drummed on the bottom of it to get my idea recorded and brought it in to the studio. We recreated that boom with Taiko drumming in our recording.”
While they have already recorded their most recent album (pending release date), they also recorded this Jimmy Eat World cover. The unreleased album was produced by fellow Minnesotan, Dustin Phillips, drummer for The Ataris. Since the Von Tramps went through a member change during COVID that left them without a drummer, Phillips stepped up and loaned The Von Tramps his impeccable drumming skills on this new album and the “Your House” cover.
Enemy told us that being massive Jimmy Eat World fans made this cover take the longest to record because they wanted to make sure they did the original work justice and were perfectionists about it.
THE VON TRAMPS | YOUR HOUSE COVER
The video for “Your House” was made to give you all the feels: a fun party, nostalgia with friends, and a couple who were once in love but now in a break-up. There is so much going on in the background you will need to watch the video a few times just to try and catch everything, and then a bunch more because the song and video are just that good.
In the end, the take away will always be the music. For the Von Tramps, they bring their fresh take on a reggae infused two-tone electric alt rock ska beat that defines their signature sound. With Enemy’s angelic vocals, this cover more than does justice to the original.
Enemy told us, “We didn’t want to make it (the video) super sad. People have been through enough with COVID. We wanted to make it a fun house party where a couple breaks up. You get the zaniness of a college house party but you also get a story of this couple breaking up, to stay true to the song.”
Enemy continued, “ We had some friends come and help us film it that were all vaccinated and our guitarist Chelsea Oxborough was the director of photography and a few other people did different things to make it great… We have a lot of local Minnesota band members featured in this video like member of Vial, The Carnegies, the Stonedest, and a few other special extras.”
If your a true music fan you’ll appreciate that the Von Tramps might have one more release up their sleeve for early next year (fingers crossed!). They are planning to embark on a national tour early 2022 with local shows until then. When asked if they have any plans to come to the OC, Enemy told us, “Oh yeah, we can’t stay away from you that long. Anytime we have an excuse to go to In & Out or Del Taco, we’re there!”
To Pick Up Their Music, Merch And All Things Von Tramps
