- Big Gipp & James Worthy – Out Of Control (Official Music Video) - December 30, 2023
- SnOOp Dogg Still DA FLyeSt and FreShEST - November 8, 2023
- Sultry and Soulful Songstress Jori Sun Previews Fresh New Track - November 3, 2023
This Brooklyn Based band ROCKS. Garrett Cillo (Guitar/Vocals) and Andrea Belfiore (Drums) are the The VeeVees and they remind us that Rock n’ Roll is great. Their tracks are raw, yet vibrant. GroundSounds got an exclusive interview with them check it out below.
For those just discovering The VeeVees can you tell us about how you guys got together and starting making music?
We first met on Halloween night in 2011 at a speakeasy in New York’s Chinatown. We were introduced by a mutual friend who knew we were both musicians and in between projects at the time. A few days later we jammed and it just felt right.
How did you guys decide on the name The VeeVees?
G: There are very few people that know the origin of our name. All I can tell you is that it celebrates women. We love women!
Can you tell us about the day you made the music video for “Brunette Babe” and about the idea/concept you wanted to convey?
G: It was a perfect sunny day in Brooklyn. The film crew was very small but composed of incredible talents. We had two beautiful actresses dressed as prostitutes, dancing up and down the streets with baseball bats and liquor…so a pretty typical Sunday for us. As far as conveying an idea, we wanted to make a video that had a bit of a storyline, no real connection to us as a band but interesting and atypical to modern music videos.
What are you guys currently listening to?
G: AT THIS VERY MOMENT, The Kinks “Who’ll be the next in line?”
A: Unfortunately I haven’t listened to much music lately but I always shuffle Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Paul Simon and some African artists every morning while I shower. I’m really focused on our music so I listen a lot to our iPhone recordings from rehearsals every time I can.
Can you tell us about the creative process and inspiration behind your track “Main Squeeze”?
G: This song is interesting because it’s one of the only songs we’ve written that I actually had the lyrics to before the music. At that point it’s very easy to get a feel of the music from the lyrics, almost using them as a guide. The subject matter is merely a collection of blurry nights sharpened by wit and passion.
What do you guys enjoy most about performing live?
G: It sounds crazy, but once I make a connection with a great crowd, the energy becomes almost tangible. I feel invincible when that happens. Music is very much give and take to me, I need to feel the energy or the night’s a loss.
A: The energy of the crowd and the energy between us two. I can play my worst show ever but if the energy is there it always turn to be a great show. It’s all about our chemistry and how we deliver it to the people that are watching us.
Most of the times the sound is terrible on stage, you can’t hear yourself, shit falling apart, the bass drum is dancing all over the stage but you can’t let those things take over your performance, you just gotta keep rocking out like is your last show.
I get into the music a lot, with my mind and my body, if I feel it then everybody else will. I see our songs like little pieces of art that allow me to do so.
What is one thing everyone should do while in Brooklyn?
G: Find an intimate music performance. There is unmatched talent in this city and on the right nights, knowing where to look, you can find some of the greatest players in the world.
A: You should come with us to have your best brunch ever at Beco in Williamsburg. We’ll get you full and drunk.
Could you share any life advice with us?
G: I could write you a book. But here are a few things I’ve learned in my time… A large part of life is the journey to understanding yourself. A true friend worries of no distance, or silence. Relationship is the reflection of your soul.
A: Facebook, twitter and all those social media platforms are packed with plenty “life advice quotes” from spiritual gurus like Mandela and Gandhi, they know way more than I do about life so follow their advices. However I strongly recommend that at least once in your life you go visit my beautiful hometown Ancona in Italy, drink wine on the beach, take off your speedo and go swim naked.
What is it about Rock & Roll that attracts you to it?
G: The Blues built Rock and Roll. However, there’s a certain unrest to Rock and Roll that differentiates itself from the Blues. With the Blues there is this ideal, or mindset, for a sorrowful acceptance of how life has become. I love more the unrest in Rock and Roll because there is no point to settle. Blues with a heavy attitude.
A: It’s the attitude. Not much the actual music style of the 40′-50′, which of course I like, but the attitude related to the way you live your life. It’s about finding the inner you. We live in a world where we are extremely manipulated, well fuck that shit, I’m going to do whatever feels right to me cause if not I will never be happy. That’s The VeeVees. Our music projects who we really are, it’s truthful, bold, no bullshit, it’s Rock n’ Roll.
What are you guys currently working on? Is an EP or LP in the near future?
G: To be honest, we have about 3 LPs worth of music right now. But the music industry is in a strange place right now in terms of music release. It use to be, you buy a vinyl, put it on your record player, and make a night out of listening to this amazing album that these artists put blood, sweat, and tears into. Nowadays, everything is digitally oversaturated which makes an “artist’s” ease of use even simpler. Screw that, I want feedback. I want guitar that sounds like it’s being amplified through a warm tin can. I want my soul to evaporate from every single track. Another thing that makes releasing music hard is the fact that we are broke. Ha!
SHARE THIS FRESH NEW TRACK!
