VICTORIA & ZETA FIVE: THE DYNAMIC DUO

VICTORIA & ZETA FIVE:
THE DYNAMIC DUO

In 1993, Victoria began writing songs with guitarist, songwriter, and producer, Edward T Hammill.

As a co-writing team, they have written numerouse songs. Most recently, they cut the Quiet Storm / New Americas, a piece which fuses american blues, rhythm and blues, smooth jazz, classical, afro, latin, and brazillian genres, at Eclectica Studios in Austin, Texas.

Edward T sees color and rhythm and movement and shapes feeling with a foundation for Victoria to float on top a triangle between the rhythm guitar, bass, and drums.

In his opinion, the rhythm guitarist gets to use chords that he finds fascinating. Chords are built up with two or more notes ... He likes to use thick chords, that is; as many notes as possible to make warm and airy sounds.

Edward T uses chords to express a feeling ... and he trys to use chords to convey specific feelings that allow his audience to pick up and perceive. Sometimes he uses open tunings, or open string chords.

When he was 7 years of age, Edward T heard the folk song, "Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley", on the radio. ... a sad song about a man about to die being hung ... and he felt it was an effective way to communicate.

The first 45 he ever bought was "Mamas and Papas" Monday, Monday. And the second one was the Yardbirds "Shapes and Things".

Throughout his school days, he loved writing poetry and songs. His focus started with folk, and then after high school, Edward T and his brother played in rock bands together. Later, his brother chose to tour, and Edward T chose to stay home, turning his focus to songwriting and becoming more versed with blues and jazz guitar.

The music he hears in his head is what motivates him to play and create.

Being the producer-writer type, he gets great satisfaction out of creating a new song, a new arrangement, chord progressions with movement, lyrics, and orchestration of other instruments.

With a spontaneous gift for rhyme and meter, often Edward T creates the lyrical structure, and Victoria completes the melody and verse.