Boy bands—They’re Ba-A-A-a-ack!!

By Lynette Topacio
A&E Editor

Every decade there is that one popular boyband that grace the covers of “tween” magazines everywhere.

In the 1970s it was The Osmonds, in the 80s it New Kids on the Block, in the 90s it was *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys. And now there’s V-Factory.Who? That’s V-Factory.

The group, based out of Los Angeles, is comprised five guys from all over the US. There’s Asher Book, 19, from Arlington, Va., Wesley Quinn, 18, from Greenville, S.C., Nick Teti, 24, of Philadelphia, Nathaniel Flatt, 26, of Tenn., and Jared Murillo, 19, of Mapleton, Utah.

V-Factory made a stop in San Francisco at the Great American Music Hall this past Saturday on the Bandemonium Tour along with other boy bands, Menudo (Epic), who formed on MTV3’s reality show “Making Menudo” and NLT (Geffen) whose upcoming album is being produced by Timbaland.

“We’re just young groups trying to promote our music and doing what we love,” Quinn said. “Just traveling the country and performing for people.”

Artists like Justin Timberlake, who have transitioned from now defunct bubble gum pop to a more urban genre, are credited by V-Factory as inspirations. Quinn describes the group’s sound as “a pop sound with an urban influence.”

“For example, one of our songs, ‘She Bad’ has E-40 featured on it,” adds Teti. “He’s dope.”

In the summer, V-Factory hopes to shoot the music video with the Bay Area star. “We haven’t met him yet, but we’re pretty excited,” said Book.

The Bay Area’s major radio stations have yet to discover the talent the groups on the Bandemonium tour have to offer. The tour has only been advertised locally through the internet social networking sites My Space and Facebook.
The fans that they have generated have already done their share of spreading the word out about the group.

“We’re pretty fortunate to have the fans that we do have, they’re really cool, and they try to promote us in every single way,” Murillo said. “They spend most of their time, you know, listening to our music and creating street teams to get us out there, to have people know us.”

The majority of the audience in the Music Hall consisted of prepubescent girls sporting NLT, Menudo, and V-Factory t-shirts, all crammed up toward the center of the stage for a prime spot. Some parents of the young fans’ and more mature fans hung out at tables and chairs set around the main floor, away from the chaos, downing Coronas.

“It’s been a couple years since *NSYNC,” said Tommy Page vice president of A&R at Warner Brothers Records. “The door is wide open for a new boy band. With V-Factory, they’re more edgier.”

The songs they performed like “Doin’ it Too,” which is a little similar to Timberlake’s “What Goes Around Comes Around,” and “Dem Hot Girls” are club ready and have bass thumping rhythms with well choreographed, synchronized dance routines.

And what boy band would be complete without a smooth ballad?

V-Factory also performed two heartfelt songs that would make any female swoon.
The night ended with a mass meet and greet. All three groups and emcees were set lined up, ready to meet their anxious fans. And just two hours after the show ended, videos from the night’s event were already up on You Tube.

V-Factory’s yet to be titled album and music video are due out in the summer.