Vault 51's Landon says Our Music is Difficult to Define

Rock n' roll quintet Vault 51 have had their obstacles at hand like most other musicians. But that has not stopped them from writing and recording what will be their debut EP release "Kid". In fact, they have already released two singles off said release with so much more in-store! Frontman vocalist Landon Jones discusses the EP, singles, and more.


1. Can you give us a brief introduction to the band and how they got started in music and this band?

Landon Jones: Everyone in this band got their start playing shows in various local bands. Years passed and eventually those local bands broke up. I missed the shit out of playing music, but our local scene had started to die off and it was hard finding musicians serious enough to make music with. Josh and I had played shows together in the past, but didn't know each other very well. He reached out to me one day and asked if I'd be interested in singing for a project he wanted to start up, and I was stoked as shit. I had already know him to be a great drummer, so I was super excited about the opportunity. Over time, he reached out to other talented musicians that had previously been a part of the local scene, and they agreed to join up. That was the start of Vault 51, and the first time any of us had ever been in a band together. We had an undeniable chemistry right from the start, and we still do today. We later added Tom to the band, a guitarist from the U.K. Josh had met him previously when his band came to the US to record some demos. We've been through a lot as a band in the past 2 years, and it's likely we will go through plenty more. But everything that happened to us helped mold the band into what it is today, and I think we're all a lot better off for it.

2. What is the story behind your band's name Vault 51, what does it mean, how did it come into the picture?

Landon Jones: When the band first got started, we actually went by the name False Flag. That was the case for months, but eventually we discovered a cover band with the same name, and they had no intentions of co-existing. Our manager at the time was trying to help us find a new name, but we were having a hard time coming up with anything we liked. Our practice space was currently in a little storage unit and we practiced in unit 51. He wanted us to call ourselves "unit 51", but after our friend quickly pointed out unit was another name for penis, we decided against it. We had been preparing for a showcase and spent every day in that unit for a full month preparing new songs, and practicing old ones. We jokingly called it our "Vault" for that period of time. The band essentially got its start in that room, and it played an important role for us in the beginning. We eventually took the concept of the "Vault" and paired it with unit 51 to create Vault 51. Its more than just a name for us, it's a story.

3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local acts you could recommend?

Landon Jones: Vault 51 is based out of Atlanta, Georgia. Years ago, the music scene here used to be incredible. There were a bunch of venues to play, and no shortage of bands to book shows with. As the years passed however, many of those venues started to shut down. And as kids got older, less and less of them were still playing music. The scene started to die off and it became way more difficult to find places to play. There's still a very small scene here, but nothing like what it used to be. There are however a few bands worth mentioning that still kill it. To name a few, Panic Wolf, The Funeral Portrait, No Ghost, Come and Rest, and Downcast are just a few of the local bands left in our area that are still grinding day in and day out. Definitely keep an eye out for those guys.

4. How would you describe your style, to those who may have never heard your music before?

Landon Jones: I feel like the style of our music is pretty difficult to define. Especially considering every song on our EP is completely different from one another. None of our songs are necessarily heavy, but we have some songs that are definitely more aggressive than others. I'd say our music falls somewhere between alternative rock and active rock with just enough variation to have something for just about anyone.

5. Does your EP "Kid" have any hidden secrets or Easter eggs that others may not know about?

Landon Jones: Definitely, but those are things you will have to find for yourselves.

6. What was the process like writing and recording for this EP "Kid", did you do anything differently or stick to the same old route?

Landon Jones: When we first began writing the EP, we got a suggestion to work with a producer out of North Carolina named Drew Fulk. Multiple people had suggested him to us, so we decided to give it a shot. We established a close friendship with him, and he helped the band develop our sound the more we worked with him. It took writing a few songs with him for us to really get dialed in, but the more we worked together, the more we started to find ourselves. He moved to California at some point, and we got the chance to go write an album with him in LA. We spent a month out there and wrote about 11 songs in that time, but we had an incredible time doing it. This was about 2 years ago. Since then, we decided to cut the album down to a 6 song EP titled “Kid".

7. How about your two singles off this release "Thirty Six" and "Magnolia". How has the reactions been towards these singles?

Landon Jones: Personally, I'm blown away by the response to our first two singles. You know, we wrote these songs 2 years ago. And at the time we were so excited about how they turned out. But then we went through a lot of shit and were forced to wait a long time before we were ever able to release anything. In that time, and with us jamming these songs all the time, it was really easy for us to start to get tired of the songs after a while. And even easier for us to start wondering if kids would still like the songs by the time we were able to release them. We put them out, not really knowing what to expect. So far though, just about everyone has something positive to say and kids really seem to enjoy the songs. It's hard to even put into words how incredible that feels, especially after all the work that went into creating those songs. I'm honestly just really excited to finally be able to put these songs out there after sitting on them for so long. And I'm even more excited to see what we bring to the table next.

8. Why should people go forth and check out your EP "Kid", what makes it stand out?

Landon Jones: Our EP “Kid" drops July 20th, and you should definitely pick up a copy. Why? Because it's great. A lot of hard work went into this album, and we are all so proud of what we accomplished. Even if you don't buy it, just giving it a listen and sharing with your friends helps immensely. It's hard to say exactly what makes it stand out from any other artist these days. At this point, everyone's kinda doing their own thing, so it's hard comparing one band to another. All I can say for sure is that we went through some bullshit. We have a story to tell, and I'd like I think that reflects in the songs on our EP. We poured a lot of emotion into these songs, and I feel it deserves to be heard.

9.  What plans do you have for the rest of this year?

Landon Jones: With the addition of Tom to the band, our current mission is finding a way to get him from the U.K. to the US. Once we can get him here the plan is to practice with him, write some new music, and hopefully start touring some.

10. Would you like to say or add on anything more?

Landon Jones:  We just want to thank you for taking your time to interview us. We are incredibly fortunate to be getting the support we are! Make sure to check out our debut EP ‘Kid’ coming out July 20th.