Alternative rock/shoegazers The Velvetheads have offered up one of the most impressive records of the year with their latest full length ”you know, I did”. Taking influence from artists like Rocketship, Sonic Youth, and Yo La Tengo the bands fuzzy guitar sound takes welcoming twists and turns that revel in colorful psychedelic undertones.
We sat down with Velvetheads founder Tito Marsan to talk about the formation of the band, how the album came together and the scene in Fort Wayne Indiana.
How did The Velvetheads start and who all is in the band?
The Velvetheads was started by Tito Marsan in Houston, Texas with original members, Noah Perez and Andrew Drey. Intending to be a collaborative project, there have been many musicians who have performed or collaborated with us. About 15 people have been involved with The Velvetheads. Currently, there are 8 of us in the band, 3 in Texas and the rest in Indiana. There’s Tito (multi/vox), Noah (multi/vox), Justin (bass), Jason(drums), Willow (multi/vox), Steve (drums/keys), Logan (bass), and Alex (guitar).
What music/musician made the biggest impact on you all as children? What’s the first album you all remember playing over and over?
The band’s overall sound was heavily influenced by Rocketship, Beat Happening, and The Velvet Underground, but we all have our own tastes as well. Album’s like “First Days of Spring” by Noah and The Whale and “Etiquette” by Casiotone for the Painfully Alone influenced much of the songwriting ideas and our use of omnichords.
What was the writing and recording process like for the bands latest release “you know, I did”?
It took about two years for the album to come together conceptually. Most of everything written is influenced by real-life experiences and relationships, which is partly the reason it took as long as it did. The album was also part of a senior project for Tito to write, record, engineer, and mix. Everything was recorded at the USF music tech studios in downtown Fort Wayne. We planned a weekend for everyone to come to the studio, with 3 members driving from Texas. In that one weekend, we were able to record a majority of the album. Only 2 songs on the album were not recorded on that weekend, which actually was recorded about a week before the scheduled release of the album. Though it was kinda cutting it close, it feels fitting for the album to be as hectic as it felt to create. It’s meant to have a sense of rawness and honesty to it.
What’s the current scene like in Fort Wayne Indiana? Any bands you all recommend?
Fort Wayne has a really cool and collaborative art scene. There are so many bands and artists in Fort Wayne doing awesome stuff, and people are very open to helping out and collaborating on projects. Lots of cool stuff is happening in Fort Wayne. Bands we definitely recommend are: NamenNamen, Doorgirl, The Namby Pamby, Bebop and the Rocksteadys, and Incas.
If the band could compose a soundtrack for any film director who would it be and what would the film be about?
We’ve actually scored two short films in the past, “Purple Bottles” and “Six Feet,” the latter of which is premiering at the 43rd annual CineFestival in San Antonio, TX. It’d be cool if we could compose a soundtrack for Gasper Noe for some psychological coming-of-age story, with some experimental elements in our music. Feel like that would be an interesting and tense combination.
Any future plans?
Yes! We are currently working on a couple of Eps that we plan on releasing throughout the next year. Some punk, twee, and electronic stuff in the works. Planning on releasing the demos on Soundcloud as time goes on.
