Artist description The Velvet Teen is an art-pop/indie trio from the northern Bay Area whose songs range from the beautiful to the bittersweet, with soaring countertenor melodies, tastefully delicate harmonies, and a unique rock sound not to be missed.

Music Style art-pop indie-rock

Musical Influences Bjork, The Cure, Prince, The Police, Radiohead, Squarepusher, Portishead, Modest Mouse, Cornelius, Music Machine, Toto IV, Duran Duran, 20 Minute Loop, Depeche Mode, Mates of State, Primus, Eric Serra, Robert Miles, Pet Shop Boys, Orisha, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Nintendo, girls, Tricky, R.E.M., Icelandic music, nintety-nine, Life in Braille, Desert City Soundtrack.

Similar Artists The Cure, Bjork, Jeff Buckley, Prince, Modest Mouse, Dismemberment Plan, Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins

Artist History The Velvet Teen began as the solo project of Judah Nagler, in order to experiment with pop in the post-analog realm of electronic music. In March 2000, the 19-year old Nagler recorded the E.P. "Comasynthesis" by himself at Grizzly Studios in Petaluma, with the aid of Logan Whitehurst for live drums. Nagler and Whitehurst had previously created The Secret Band in 1999, a literal title derived in order to explore a neglected side of their creative endeavors as songwriters, but without the knowledge of their then-bandmates. The affair soon became serious and within a month the duo had written and recorded a full-length album on 4-track, and released it on the international medium of the internet. They soon found their new project to be much more satisfying and set out to pursue it with full-force, but switched the name back to The Velvet Teen. They teamed up with bassist/vocalist Josh Staples, of such highly regarded and hard-working acts as The Conspiracy, The Wunder Years, and Edaline, and recorded the 3 song EP, "The Great Beast February" in January 2001. Since then, the trio has been making friends and fans all up and down the West Coast, touring extensively and constantly writing, creating and raising their own standards for good music. "Music is all I've known my whole life," says Nagler, "If I go a week without writing a song, I feel like I'm all out of place ... I honestly know I would die without it." All three members have played the roles of both rhythm section and frontman in one project or another, and they bring this experience into their work, complementing each other with three-part harmonies and a cohesive blend of rhythm and melody. Through their determination and focus for the sound as a whole, each individual's talent is showcased as well. "I see our songs as tiny snapshots of the human experience," Nagler recalls, "Like we're these scientists locked away in a room, not looking for a cure or a way out, but simply searching for that small substance in us that makes us do the dark and beautiful things that we do. We're very complex creatures."

Group Members Judah Nagler - voice, guitar, keyboards, programming / Logan Whitehurst - drums, voice, keyboard / Josh Staples - bass, voice, guitar

Instruments 3 voices, 1 guitar, 1 bass, 3 drums, 4-6 cymbals & 2 keyboards

Albums Out of the Fierce Parade, Plus Minus Equals

Press Reviews "It is apparent that said solid turnout of scenesters is present to see the eternally posed Velvet Teen. Indie-pop wunderkind Judah Nagler's uncanny songwriting dexterity is that of one-man Brill Building; The Velvet Teen benefits from a virtual trunk of amazing material to pull from, with not a clunker in the batch. Even their sound checks are beautiful. Every time they play, the musical growth is apparent, especially in vocals, with the backing by bassist Josh Staples and drummer Logan Whitehurst becoming more intricate and assuming an enthralling 60s Pop flavor. They do not fail to render Latent Rock Journalist to a spewy pile of mush. Mmm... Velvet Teen-y." - Sara Bir, from a show review in Section M Magazine -------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- "This Santa Rosa-based trio has been working the West Coast club circuit for the past year and has been winning over fans everywhere. Nagler, whose voice comes with a similar warbling falsetto, sounds not unlike a young Jeff Buckley, or Jacob Golden from Birthday. From lush ballads - 'Super Me,' 'Mother of Love' to the glorious uptempo workouts - 'Naked Girl,' 'Counting Backwards' -- the Velvet Teen's music shimmers with three-part harmonies and elegant transitions." - Eddie Jorgenson, Sacramento News & Review -------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- "We (at Café du Nord) are all in love with you ... we listen to (your album) all the time ... we are enamoured; you're definitely one of our new favorites ..." - Phone message from Jessie, booker at Café du Nord, San Francisco -------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- "I predict good things for the gentlemen of The Velvet Teen, and even better things for those who choose to see them perform. Their music, heavily influenced by the usual favorites (Radiohead, Depeche Mode, Björk) could be seen as derivative, but it's not at all phony. When they play a song that sounds a little like the Police, it winds up being one of the best Police songs you've never heard--and it came from Santa Rosa! Each of their songs are like that--they could be a hidden track on one of your favorite albums. The Velvet Teen almost comes across as being comprised of an All-Star lineup without any notable stars." - Kate Mercier, The Portland Mercury -------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- "You guys are the best band ever." - Ian DuBois, sound engineer for the Irish Tenors, Primus & others

Location Santa Rosa, California - USA

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