In 2005, Minus the Bear opened for Thursday at St Andrew’s in Detroit. They were touring for their Menos el Oso album. I was there dancing along with their spacey dance beats and enjoying every moment. After touring around and releasing 2 more full-length albums, six years later, they returned to St Andrews to celebrate their 10 year anniversary to play their first album, Highly Refined Pirates, in its entirety. They brought with them a passionate talented group, The Velvet Teen, from California. The Velvet Teen toured with Minus the Bear back in 2006.
Since St. Andrew’s provides an intimate environment for the audience, the atmosphere was electric! Everybody in the room was grooving, dancing & singing along with their favorite song. With The Velvet Teen’s high-energy rock and Minus the Bear’s smooth grooves, by the end, we were all covered in that “I earned this” kind of sweat. Proof that both bands ignited passion in the audience.
After the show, I went next door to the most hospitable bar in Detroit and sat down with Judah Nagler, guitarist and vocals for the Velvet Teen. As the elderly barkeep kept our glasses full of free drinks, we discussed the band’s past tours, current inspirations and future plans.
Q: How are you enjoying your tour so far?
Judah: We have been on the road for about a week with Minus the Bear. We have so much love for those guys. They have been our good friends for the past decade, showing use constant support by inviting us to tour with them and coming to our shows on off-tour times. We have so much fun on the road. We’ve toured in Japan several times and been to most of the United States. After being here tonight, I am really feeling the love for Detroit.
Q: The Velvet Teen, it’s an interesting name. Where’s that come from?
Judah: Well I’ve had mixed feelings about our name in the past, since its been misleading to some.
Q: How so?
Judah: Well, we’ve played with bands before when we get off the stage they come up to us saying how they didn’t expect us to have the sound we have. They were expecting something more calm I guess because the word “velvet” is misleading. I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of something needing to be burned to become real. In a way, everything is always on fire - using some type of fuel to keep it going. When its burning, its alive. And “teen” came from the fact that I think in that amazing time between 12-19 years old, music means more to you then it ever has or may ever again. I love music now of course, but nothing can touch the music you hear during that time in your life.
Q: What bands have been the biggest influence on the music you create?
Judah: Everyone in the band has different influences. A favorite across the board for the band is Nirvana and during my teenage years I was totally obsessed with Björk. I even got to go to Iceland to see her perform with a youth choir. That was an amazing experience.
Q: I have to say, I sincerely enjoy your newest EP, “No Star”. The songs on there convey such emotion to the listener. The vocals on the title track “No Star”, to me is like listening to a mix between Bob Dylan & Steve Perry. Throw in your crunchy, grunge-style guitar sounds and great beat, you have a killer collection of music. What’s the writing process like for your band?
Judah: Wow, well thanks. Casey (the drummer) and I jam out and some songs come out through that, but usually they start with an initial song idea. We arrange it as a band. Lyrics always come last for me.
Q: Speaking of lyrics, the song “Forfor” has a real message to the listener. I hear a call to action when I hear it. Did the inspiration for that stem from political events the past few years?
Judah: Of course. I try to stay neutral with most of my lyrics, but I do have thoughts on things and I want to express it. In general, people need to be involved in society. The idea of Democracy isn’t happening in America and more people need to see that. I’m excited to participate in Occupy Wall Street when we get to our show in Manhattan.
Q: That’s great. So after this tour, what’s the future for The Velvet Teen?
Judah: We are writing songs on the road and are working on a full-length album. Since music is our passion and love, we want to reach out to even more people and share our music with them.
