By 
According to the band’s vocalist, the band recorded on analog tapes in the studio for a rich warm effect.
Anyone listening to one of Northern Colorado’s largest rock acts, The Velveteers, may have picked up on their warm, reverb, and distortion-filled sound. A welcome reprive from the harshness of the COVID era.
Demi continues, explaining, “I’m a big fan of simplicity when it comes to recording, so when we recorded the EP we stuck to the bare basics like reverb, delay, and lots of distortion to try and capture our live sound as much as possible.”
When asked about their writing process, Demi continued by stating that the music seems to write itself alluding to the ether. From her experience, comparing the artist to an antenna picking up on a creative frequency.
And on the note of frequencies, when asked about their drive-in performance at The Holiday Twin Drive-In, in Fort Collins, Adrian explained the technical aspects as causing them to feel a bit nervous, out of not having played a show through the audience’s car stereo. Which is a typical issue for live acts during the COVID era.
They continue, “It ended up being some of the best sounds we’ve had and I think as long as your car stereo was dialed quite high it sounded great in the audience as well. We’re just glad to have been able to play a show at all during these times.”
Demi added, “We definitely miss touring and playing live shows though, live-streams don’t really hold a candle in comparison to live shows.”
Adrian took it further commenting on the inspiration for their live look saying, “We love T.Rex, David Bowie, Alex Cameron, Arrow De Wilde, The Kills, Kate Bush, and PJ Harvey. Lots of glam and glitz. Anything that makes us feel excited.”
Highlighting the lack of touring in 2020, due to COVID-19, The Velveteers reminisced on their past tour to the United Kingdom overseas.
Demi stated, “Touring the U.K. was a lot of fun. People in the U.K. are really into rock n roll and there is so much music history there. One of Adrian and I’s favorite parts of touring is trying new foods. It’s like we’re going on tour to play music but also touring a bunch of restaurants too.” — Restaurants being yet another industry rocked by the pandemic.
The Velveteers further elaborated on COVID and their music by explaining that the band is currently busier now more than ever. Hinting that their influx of creativity may contribute to something down the road.
Recommended:
The Save Our Stages Act: What You Need To Know
As a newcomer to the Fort Collins music scene, I enquired about a way for someone in my shoes to navigate such a diverse scene of both musicians and fans, especially now in the era of COVID. To this, Adrian pointed in the right direction saying,
“For people who are wanting to get into their music scene more, not just for Foco but anywhere, I’d say to remember that if you are nervous about finding your place and making friends that that is normal and most everyone has been there before. A lot of people will be feeling nervous just like you so you aren’t alone. Really just be genuine to how you are feeling and be kind if you are in the social scene with good people you’ll be met with the same energy you are putting out. People can see through facades and who you truly are deep down is always more interesting and beautiful. Things are hard currently with social distancing though, everything is online and far away. So many people are looking for friends right now, just a single genuine message could be the start of a wonderful friendship. That’s sort of how Demi and I met.”
Demi echoing, “I think the Fort Collins scene is thriving and super supportive. Every time we play in Fort Collins it’s such an awesome experience and I think folks here really value live music.”
When questioned on which local act they enjoy working with, The Velveteers mentioned Rose Hill Drive.
Demi continued, “We can never truly get enough collaboration with them. They are the coolest.”
The Velveteers finished up our interview by leaving some positive notes to anyone looking to start a band following in their footsteps.
Adrian encouraging, “Don’t be afraid to do exactly what you want in your art, a lot of times I think people will get caught up thinking they have to wait until they reach a certain level of success before they can make the art they want to make. I think it’s the other way around.”
And Demi concurring and continuing, “I would say just continue to keep your heart in the right place and always remember why you started playing music in the first place. Believe in yourself and your vision because there will be times where you run into hurdles, and at the end of the day believing in yourself is so incredibly important. People will try to tear you down, and you just need to ignore those people. Surrounding yourself with kind people who support you is important, and don’t get too caught up in scene drama, it’s honestly just a really big waste of time.”
