Virginia Coalition started building a buzz in their hometown of Alexandria, Virginia in the late '90s, releasing their first album, The Colors of the Sound, in 1998. But the three principals are life long friends who have known each other since high school, and in the case of Ottinger and Nicolay, since junior high. Ottinger wanted to be in a band since he was five years old, when his mother let him paint his face like Paul Stanley of Kiss and play air guitar with a tennis racket. Poliakoff had a guitar-playing cousin, who inspired him in the 4th grade. When he was 14, his mother was struck with cancer and eventually died; music and singing provided him with an emotional release. Nicolay's father played classical guitar. Although he was intimidated, he'd sneak away from the family and pick out melodies on his own.
By 2003 the band had three independent albums in their pocket and maintained an intense touring schedule, selling some 60,000 albums, mostly from the edge of the stage. Bluhammock Music inked the band and released OK to Go in 2004, as they moved from regional to national tours. Last year's Live at The 9:30 Club finally captured the band's live intensity and set in motion the musical soul searching that produced Home This Year.
Taking the music back to their songwriting roots on Home This Year has imbued the trio with a new sense of purpose. The gigs they've been doing to prepare for the album release have been drawing raves, leaving fans awed with their emotional and musical intensity. With this new album in hand, the band is ready to write the next chapter in the history of Virginia Coalition. Virginia Coalition homepage
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