Phonoroid - Craving Astonishment

After releasing "Two Many Frames" with the single "Times Flies" (included twice on “Rolling Stone’s”- CD) followed by "Not On The Map" with single "She Cowboy" (played repeatedly on MTV-Europe)— Phonoroid are back with their third CD entitled "Craving Astonishment".

Despite the fact that singer, Vanessa Vassar, relocated to New Mexico in 2000, she and Axel Manrico Heilhecker continue to create their distinct “soundscapes” together. In the summer of 2000, Axel and percussionist Harald Grosskopf joined her in New Mexico where they performed at the Institute of American Indian Arts for the Indian Market’s opening party hosted by “Native People’s Magazine”. Vanessa also presented a spoken word version of Phonoroid’s music that was broadcast live across the United States on National Public Radio. phonoroid followed these performances with a show at the Paramount in Santa Fe and special performances of original music for the theatrical adaptation of the book Conspiranoia.

For the next couple of years, Vanessa visited Axel several times in his studio near Cologne, Germany where they recorded the soundtrack to her documentary film “American Waitress” (now showing on Sundance Channel across the United States) and, eventually, the album "Craving Astonishment" (which includes several tracks from the film).

“This album feels different,” says Vanessa from her home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “I have grown. We have grown. I’ve physically returned to my ‘Cowboys and Indians’ roots but have spiritually expanded in ways I find difficult to describe. It’s almost as though, as what I want to say gets bigger, my voice gets smaller.” She pauses to think for a moment. “I am often asked why I choose to use the spoken word or a soft voice when I’m classically trained and capable of belting out any lyric. The truth is, it’s just what I feel like doing. Since Axel and I still record most of our music on a ‘first take’ basis, a lot of what we do— especially my vocals-- is still spontaneous. I’m just grateful that Axel has always respected my decisions with regards to written word and performance.”

Axel responds, “For me, "Craving Astonishment" takes phonoroid to a much higher level. As a musician as well as a producer, I can see how we’ve grown. The fact that we’ve also entered the world of film music with our compositions seems like the natural direction for us. I’ve personally composed quite a bit for film while also building a sound studio with equipment that allows me to work on specific soundtracks. Vanessa has always worked in the visual arts and our music has often been described visually.”

Phonoroid have added several guests to their newest release including the brilliant trumpet player Hans Peter Salentin and the well-respected Native American visual and performance artist Bently Spang.

“Like a song on our last CD, we are always ‘collecting things,’” says Vanessa. “Music, humor and experimentation are found in combinations within all of our music as well as within all of our visuals. This is something we plan to continually develop as we move onto the next stages of word, visual and sound development.”

Vanessa currently has two documentary films she directed airing on Sundance Channel with three more in production as well as her first feature film entitled "On Sex With Cowboys And Indians". She laughs, “We’ve already started working on the soundtrack before the script is even complete. Well, I never professed to be a person who does things the normal way.”

Axel continues to play live, record and produce music with Phonoroid as well as with Harald Grosskopf for Sunya Beat, Steve Baltes, and many other prominent artists. He is currently working on soundtrack music for Vanessa’s documentaries "Cinderellas Of Sante Fe", "Girls" and "Behind The Sign" as well as for the film "On Sex With Cowboys And Indians" which will all feature music from Phonoroid.