About
Members
Toby Lawhon
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Sauntering through smoke-filled nightclubs and dark cabarets, slipping slyly through the mystique and mystery, a gentleman makes his way to the stage: a forum for rebellious words, a front for his role in the resistance - or is it? A resolute ringleader of a musical menagerie, the voice to ring out through the labyrinthine alleyways and echo in alcoves deep and dark, leading the lost, heartening the forgotten, this is his world: of poisoned absinthe, of cloak & dagger and lock & key; an enigmatic world tangled amid a web of intrigue. Yet he knows his role well, for messages come more profoundly and persuasively when woven secretly within the melodies of music.
Geneva Arena
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From out of a dank back alley steps a shrouded silhouette, a phantom figure stalking surreptitiously through the veil of a dreary fog. She is the flowing ghost, the underlying pulse of the resistance, an obscure, cryptic specter whose clandestine movements propel the plot. She looms inconspicuously and shrewdly about the dimly lit street, then strides rhythmically forward as she spies her mark - another strike to anchor the efforts of the revolution.
Camron Frederick
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Tucked within the confines of a lavish study brimful of curios and oddities, a stoic figure listens intently to the ticking of his pocket watch as sinking sands slide steadily to the bottom of a timeworn hourglass. He is the timekeeper, the steadfast heartbeat of the revolution - a puppet master orchestrating change, and - like clockwork - he instills a sense of urgency, or an air of nonchalance into the movement. He lifts his head as the last grain of sand falls and a magnificent wall of clocks chimes a marching call to arms. The time is nigh.
Antonio Brazil
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Behind a drawn tattered curtain, toiling methodically and tinkering masterfully on tarnished contraptions under flickering lights, a polyphonic alchemist calibrates his dissident harmonic devices. With these ingenious implements, and the utilization of a complexity of notes and tonalities, he plans to sonically alter the aether between electromagnetic poles in order to create a resonance that will forever fuel the resistance.
Justin Rainbolt
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Coolly cutting a deck of cards with a single hand as he casually rolls a tarnished coin along the knuckles of the opposite, a master of legerdemain sits at a dimly lit table. He takes a turn looking each of his opponents in the eye - his cocksure smirk giving nothing away, as it seems to them that it is always there. A jack-of-all-trades cardsharp with an ace up his sleeve - he is the chameleon, the ignis fatuus who phases and distorts whatever required in order to obtain the upper-hand for the resistance. As always, his adversaries are unknowingly hoodwinked by his brilliant sleight of hand. What they are dealt doesn’t matter, for he has already won.
Biography
Dallas, TX based alt-rock outfit Marquis of Vaudeville shatters the monotonous & mundane with a theatrical Tim Burton-esque rock opera soundscape of angst-ridden anthems, devilishly beguiling ballads, and waltzes through a twisted Wonderland that tug at the heartstrings of today’s youth.
While easily accessible to the mainstream masses due to their infectious melodic hooks, this musical menagerie stays tapped into all manner of pop culture and alternative subcultures alike, including performances at events such as DragonCon (80,000+ attendees), Wizard World Comic Con, The Anne Rice Vampire Ball, Endless Night Vampire Ball, various festivals, a great multitude of fantasy, horror, anime, and steampunk events, as well as a residency with Six Flags at Fright Fest.
They’ve licensed music for a multitude of film projects & television shows (mostly horror/fantasy) such as the syndicated series ‘Charmed’ and Showtime Network’s hit series ‘Dexter’.
The band has had featured articles in Alternative Press, Buzzfeed, as well as Huffington Post, and were named in D Magazine’s top 25 ranking of best Edgefest Lineups where they shared the stage with The Offspring, Death Cab for Cutie, Modest Mouse, Hozier, and AWOLNATION.
While on their most recent UK tour, their award-winning Alice in Wonderland themed music video We’re All Mad Here and their classic vampire horror video The ENIGMA Men piled up ‘Official Selection’, ‘Best Music Video’, and ‘Gold Award’ accolades at music video & film festivals across the globe. Now, their latest video for the rebellious anthem Marionettes is doing the same.
Hate them, love them – either way, they demand the world take notice, and purely desire to incite something genuine, to inspire sincere emotion despite the world’s mind-numbing mediocrity and generic mass production. Whatever your tastes, Marquis of Vaudeville is a tantalizing flavor for even the most finicky musical appetite.
PRESS
“Delivering dreamy melodic guitars, powerful alt-rock vocals reminiscent of Muse's Matt Bellamy and a cabaret-infused punk sound…the band (Marquis of Vaudeville) captures moments of grandeur reminiscent of theatrical greats like the operatic Queen. [Their album] The Tragic Valentine, is listenable from start to finish, with moody melodies, driving rhythms and a dark, vaudevillesque undertone that it paints throughout, while remaining radio friendly. Their polished alt-rock sound and musicality notwithstanding a one-of-a-kind, theatrical stage show [are] what keep their fans coming back.”
— Deitra Magazine
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“That mix of pleasant pop and hard-rock dynamics, this stuff is so slick and well-constructed. Very impressive.”
— Doug Brod - former editor of Spin Magazine, MusicNation
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“If you’re tired of the same old song & dance, Marquis of Vaudeville readily provides a few unusual flavors to an otherwise bland music world... You can certainly pick up on a Tim Burton-esque quality to many of the various sounds... In fact, singer Lawhon has a voice that many times vacillates between Elfman’s mischievous tone & that of Muse’s Matthew Bellamy... Although Marquis of Vaudeville may never specifically point to Queen as an inspiration, the parallel between what that English band accomplished, and this new act attempts to do, is fairly obvious... When you add the fact that singer Lawhon sounds a lot like Muse’s Bellamy (Muse quickly admits to its hero worship of Queen) the comparison is an apt one. As good as this recording sounds though one can only imagine how great this act must be in person. Like Alice Cooper & Marilyn Manson before them, Marquis of Vaudeville brings visual flair to its unique auditory creations. This is rock music with a distinctly cinematic scope.”
— Dan MacIntosh, Indie-Music.com
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"Marquis of Vaudeville's self-titled debut is a shrewd fusing of twinkly pop, gaze-at-the-stars vocals and melancholy melody outlined with edgy, trenchant guitars...This is music to paint your own mental picture while listening to—a healthy dose of rock 'n' roll with a fair share of emotion, invention and imagination."
— Alan Ayo, Dallas Observer
“This Dallas five piece knows a thing or two about hypnotic and beautiful melodies. Marquis of Vaudeville craft alternative rock gems that remain accessible while they wander through space and time. Singer/guitarist Toby Lawhon’s voice dazzles and dances with incredible talent that would make Ours’ Jimmy Gnecco proud. With strong memorable songs, this is the music modern rock radio should be getting familiar with.”
— Exploding In Sound
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“Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls applauds the band with, "Ziggy meets Marc Bolan outside Max's Kansas City. Makes me want to break out some sequined leggings and spit on the sidewalk. Space-age modern-age glam nostalgia."”
— Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls, MusicNation
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“Beautiful mixes of keys, acoustic, and electric guitars paint a sound-scape backdrop for some really nice vocal work...these guys have fashioned a professional sounding work for the rock fans of the world.”
- LIT Magazine
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“Although they've influences that include such classics as The Beatles, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones, their music stands on its own.”
- Adam P. Newton, ENVY Magazine
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“Marquis of Vaudeville delivers a musical escape from the mundane. Their debut album The Promenade of Fools and Ghosts is both whimsical & haunting, mixing the band's songs with instrumental pieces that inspire the imagination.”
— Doctor Fantastique's Show of Wonders