In the world of textiles, velveteen is a cloth made in the imitation of velvet. Yet in the indie music scene, the trio that call themselves Velveteens are the real deal.
Playing at the Levee this Friday, the band is comprised of sisters Anna Wolk ’13 and Catherine Wolk ’12 and drummer Devon Fontaine ‘14.
Catherine’s lead vocals are nostalgic and melodic, reminiscent of female musicians from the 60‘s with their smooth, sorrowful sound. The sisters’ harmonies and minimalist combination of instruments transport the listener into a dream-like trance.
Velveteens have so far recorded two demos in Fontaine’s bedroom, aptly naming these the Bedroom Demos. “Do You Remember” and “I Don’t Know” are almost eerie, with distant vocals and the catchy repetitions of the beats and drum loops.
These demos feature Devon on the electric drum set and guitar, Catherine on lead vocals and cello, and Anna on violin, synth and vocals.
The Mirror: How did you and your sister get into music?
CW: So basically Anna and I met shortly after my birth. After that we hung out a lot and stuff. It was cool. We played instruments at a young age, Anna violin and piano, me cello. We were in our first band in the winter of 2010 but two years after we left with a greater knowledge of the music industry.
The Mirror: What’s it like to play in a band with your sister?
CW: It’s nice because I can tell her exactly what I think of what she does and she tells me what she thinks of what I’m doing. It does lead to more bickering than the average band, but that level of honesty creates something truer than other bands, in my opinion. And we have a chemistry that has been fined tuned over 20 years, so we have a one up in that area as well.
The Mirror: Can you tell me more about the first band you were in and why you and Anna left?
CW: The band was with another Fairfield student that has since graduated and his brother. We spent the summer of 2011 touring New Jersey and New York City with them but when we felt that it was time that we could have input into the writing process they did not take our creative ideas seriously. They also had some misogynist ideas about control and the music industry that neither Anna or I agreed with. They did not believe in strong women, and I don’t mess around with business matters. They also didn’t let me control the band’s Twitter. Now I have control of our band’s Twitter and we have gained notoriety for it.
The Mirror: What’s your major?
CW: I’m a double major in math and english with a minor in economics.
The Mirror: To someone who has never heard you guys before, how would you describe your sound?
CW: I honestly don’t really know. Magic maybe? I’m kidding… I think. Maybe the music that goes on in my head in real life, if that makes any sense. I don’t really know because I haven’t heard anything exactly like our music. Maybe Dream Pop, it’s a major buzz word in the music industry these days, though I’m still not exactly sure what it means. But we have pop melodies and they sound a bit dreamy so… pillow soft if you will.
The Mirror: You have two songs on your Bandcamp site, are any more in the works?
CW: We have about 9 songs written that I can listen to without hating myself, but hopefully we’ll be posting more tracks soon.
The Mirror: What can we expect from your set list for the show at the Levee?
CW: Those nine songs plus one or two covers.
The Mirror: Who are your musical influences?
CW: My idols are 60’s French singers like France Gall and Françoise Hardy, Morrissey of the Smiths, and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, so that’s where we get the ideas for melodys and string parts. Also more modern bands like Belle And Sebastian and Camera Obscura. But then there’s the electronic element that’s influenced more by hip-hop (especially the drum beats) and bands like Depeche Mode and New Order as well as the soundtrack for the 90’s cult classic Twin Peaks.
The Mirror: Is there a story behind your lyrics?
CW: It’s mostly about loneliness and what I think about. Basically they’re about me and the enigma which is my mind. I don’t really gush to people about what I’m thinking and all the problems I’m facing by myself, so this is my way of doing it. None are about relationships so no one should have the interpretation that a song is about them when listening. I’m way too narcissistic to write about anything else besides me. Most of them are written in the shower or on the toilet and on the notes section of my iphone.
The Mirror: If you could play with one artist, dead or alive, who would you choose?
CW: Morrissey because he is a beautiful animal.
The Mirror: Is there a story behind your lyrics?
CW: It’s mostly about loneliness and what I think about. Basically they’re about me and the enigma which is my mind. I don’t really gush to people about what I’m thinking and all the problems I’m facing by myself, so this is my way of doing it. None are about relationships so no one should have the interpretation that a song is about them when listening. I’m way too narcissistic to write about anything else besides me. Most of them are written in the shower or on the toilet and on the notes section of my Iphone.
The Mirror: You present yourself as a female fronted indie band, any thoughts about how females are represented in the music industry today?
CW: I don’t really know how to describe it. In the mainstream music industry there are two types of female singers. Those that play the dumb cute girl (Taylor Swift, Carly ray whats her name) and then the overly sexualized (Rihanna with that Cake song, yuck!). I am neither of those. I try to be more of the Katherine Mansfield type, trying to figure out how my own mind works underneath my exterior. There’s not much of that in the industry today, the last mainstream female act to do that was probably the Cranberries. It’s been a long time. But in the independent music industry there is still a gender bias. Being a female fronted band is seemed as a novelty. I put that into our description so people would know who we are and be attracted by the fact that we are women. But honestly, shouldn’t it not matter that I’m female or male and instead attract people solely based on my work. It also matters more what I look like in photos and on stage than a male band. I have to put an effort in, make sure I wear heels on stage so my legs don’t look like nubs, make sure my sister and I look put together, all so people can take us seriously as opposed to any male indie band that looks like they rolled out of bed, took some shrooms and showed up. Not that I want to look that way. I like dressing up, but I wish it didn’t have to be that way.
The Mirror: What’s the inspiration behind the name, the Velveteens?
CW: Our name is Velveteens with no “the”, like Eagles. No one gets their name right either. I just really like velvet and velveteen. I like The Velvet Underground. I like the film Blue Velvet. I like soft things. It’s an old-fashioned fabric and I’m an old-fashioned girl. You can see me chilling in velveteen occasionally on campus.
Check out Velveteens at the Levee on Friday at 10 pm and on Twitter (@wearevelveteens).
Leave a Reply