The Velveteers Interview

Interview by: Hannah Hines

Photos by: Jackie Cooper

We sat down with The Velveteers in Lakewood, Ohio right outside of Cleveland––a.k.a the birthplace of rock and roll. The band all commented on the incredible location as we talked in the upstairs of the charming Mahall’s, which can be described as a bowling alley, a venue, a bar, and so much more. While the band gets their makeup done––colorful and electric to match their music and personalities––I talked to lead singer and guitarist Demi Demitro about all things music and more. 

PLEASER: So, now that album has been out for a while and you've been playing songs live, has your relationship with any of the songs changed because you’re experiencing them in a different setting?

Demi Demitro: They've totally changed like so much. Every song is constantly evolving which is something that I think is really special about being able to play your songs live. When you're on stage they all have different energy, and when we wrote the album, it was during quarantine. So there were no shows, so we didn't really get to experience any of that until this last year. They've been definitely evolving and changing to the life setting.

Do you feel like when you go into record the next album, you'll think about how they translate live more? As opposed to last time you went into the writing process?

DD: Yeah, definitely. And I think because now we aren't in a pandemic anymore, the new material that we have we’ll be able to play live and see this kind feels.

I looked at the album artwork a lot, it's so––, I mean the album itself feels super cinematic. I loved the interpretation. What were you thinking of when you had the album artwork done?

DD: Baby [Drummer] and I, we were kind of insane over it. We did multiple photo shoots to try and get that photo. We put flowers on my face, that were just glued to put them on my face, but we just wanted something like you said. It represents the music and kind of gave this overall feel of…I don't know, magic and I think we're definitely like super aware of how we want the art direction to go with the music. Yeah. It's definitely very important to us. It was a very painful photoshoot.

In terms of cinema and just like visuals in general, are there any colors or textures that you feel when you listen back to the record? Or that you thought about while writing?

DD: There was this light pink color I had when I was writing the album that I don't know, sometimes when I'm writing stuff, I see a whole movie play out in my mind. Especially with the colors. But there is this really, really pretty light pink color that I just consistently felt. Then also the blue color on our album, that one came up a lot. There's this place in Colorado called Netherland, and there's this really beautiful lake that Baby and I would always go to, and it was just really, really magical. And so I think unconsciously we took a lot of inspiration from that place.

Do you appreciate it more now that you tour and see other places?

DD: Yeah, it’s kind of a mix because, I mean, I always miss being at home when I'm on the road. But with climate change, everything in Colorado has changed. We have fires almost every week. So the air quality's really, really bad. But I do. I always miss being at home with my pets. I have a cat, then I have a dog named Mozart, [and] another dog named Penny. 

I wish everyone could have a tour cat.

DD: That's what we've been saying. Anytime we see a cat or dog on the road, it just lifts your spirits. Sammy from Greta Van Fleet, he has his dog Rosie and she's on the road and we saw her at all the shows. She was really cute.

Do you guys have any other creative outlets that you feel drawn to besides music that you like to gravitate towards when you need a different artistic sort of outlet than music itself?

DD: Yeah, I really like collaging. Both Baby and I make all of our posters and do collages and stuff. Then, I also really like just making videos, music videos. We do all of our own music videos so it's fun to do that for the band, and then sometimes just like make something for no rhyme.

I know you all have amazing fashion expressions, so I feel like that's also, I mean I would consider it like an artistic outlet. So, when you're getting dressed for a show, do you kind of go for how you're feeling that day or is there any sort of like process to it?

DD: Yes, now that we're in summertime, I guess it depends on what the venue is like and if it's really hot. It's also definitely about how we feel in it and what makes us feel the most confident. I thrift all my personal clothes that I wear on a day to day basis and then me and my mom made a couple of the costumes I've been wearing.

When it comes to the writing process, I was wondering…obviously the writing process is emotional. Do you find yourself kind of going inward and looking back at past situations when you're trying to write songs? Or I guess what does the writing process look like for you? Cause I know for some people it's very imaginative and for other people it's really based on real life.

DD: Real experiences. For me it's all very…it's kind of hard to explain it, but it's very in the moment. It almost feels like the song is coming from a different place other than myself. So it really depends. Sometimes it has something to do with something I've gone through, and other times it feels like something completely beyond me.

Do you find yourself writing things other than songs? Like do you write any poetry or poems? Or like you said, you picture stories when you're writing too. 

DD: Yeah. I definitely love writing poetry and reading poetry too is always very inspiring. Anything to just…I don't know, keep those creative juices flowing.

Are there any artists that you'd wanna ever collaborate with in a creative capacity or do you like working as a band?

DD: I think St. Vincent would be really cool. Yeah, I love St. Vincent. Danger Mouse is a really cool producer and writer. There's so many people I would love to collaborate. It’s good being open to other creative possibilities. Cause you never really know what's gonna come of it and it's a really great learning experience to just write with someone else.

Any causes you would like shine a spotlight on before we finish?

DD: There's a company in Boulder, which is my hometown, called There With Care. They help terminally ill children and their families. They deliver meals to them and just do whatever they can to help the families. They're a really, really cool non-profit. Thanks for coming to all the shows and listening to our music, means a lot.

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The band went on to play a captivating, true rock n roll set––really an experience. The duel drummers, Baby Pottersmith and Jonny Fig, infuse so much energy into the live show. If you love listening to The Velveteers, you definitely need to see how their music explodes in a live setting. 

Check out the rest of The Velveteers’ live gallery here.