Simple Pleasures

While it is by no means unheard of that a band can chase down the simple man’s dream of becoming whatever they want to by working hard and putting in their dues, strict calculations conclude that these underdogs get far less exposure than those who have chosen the campiest and most well-worn ideas to make a quick and dishonest buck. Leading the charge of the honest and surprisingly forthright hordes of independent artists today is The Velvet Teen, whose refined subtlety and beautiful vocals have set them apart from the pack, and whose bassist, Josh Staples, was kind enough to forego the excitement of driving down I-5 to speak with me regarding his group’s fervent following.
A huge part of the success of The Velvet Teen has been their persistent touring schedule. Having toured Japan late last year and spent almost the entirety of 2002 on the road, one has to wonder what keeps it interesting. “Well, we’re lucky enough to tour with really awesome bands. That’s a really big part of it. That and the shows have been consecutively bigger and better and more kids have been coming out, so that keeps it fun too,” states Staples.
The group started out as a solo project for Judah Nagler, North Bay Area maestro and vocalist / keyboardist / guitarist but soon after releasing an EP, Nagler called on the talents of Staples and drummer Logan Whitehurst to form a complete unit. Since then, the band has released two EPs and in 2002 released their first full-length Out of the Fierce Parade to moderate critical acclaim.
Considering the musical arrangements found on any of The Velvet Teen’s recordings, not to mention the sleek falsetto provided by Nagler, the resounding sentiment of more and more listeners is, “These guys are an indie band?” The resourcefulness and stigma attached to groups with beautiful songwriting and tearful ballads for some reason automatically assumes mainstream potential. However, having fielded offers from major record labels, The Velvet Teen prefers to stick with Slowdance Records.
“We’ve considered it, but with the state of major label music, currently, we kind of think it’s the stupidest thing you could do. There’re so many great independent labels out there and then so many great independent bands. Of course, there are great major label bands too, but there’s not a lot of room within that context for success, so we prefer to be where we are,” confirms Staples.
Pending the release of a new full-length album, the group has taken the reigns, so to speak, by recording and producing the entire album themselves, which according to Staples has been an interesting endeavor.
“We’re still working on the mixing of it. We’ve pretty much finished tracking and recording everything, so it’s kind of a big project to tackle. Chris [Walla from Death Cab For Cutie] isn’t helping out with this particular release. It was originally slated as an EP, but now it’s about seven songs, about 40 minutes long. We still kind of consider it to be a mini-album or an EP, but it has to be the longest EP I’ve ever heard of,” jokes Staples. He admits that this release will be perhaps the most complex or cohesive album to date for the group, what with horns, strings and flutes in abundance throughout.
So it seems that whatever futile slings and arrows The Velvet Teen may encounter on their meteoric journey to the forefront of music fans’ minds from California to Japan (where Staples admits they have a massive following), this trio conforms to no one’s expectations, but rather embraces the uniqueness in the delicate nuances of life. Nagler has been quoted as saying, “I see our songs as tiny snapshots of the human experience,” and in that regard, you’d have to conclude that integrity, not simplicity, rates as their highest priority.

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