Velvet Road - Normies Beware
A podcast about a band of misfits called Velvet Road, nothing is off limits. And all are welcome at our table but Normies Beware; profanity will be provided.
Velvet Road - Normies Beware
Velvet Road - Melodies and Milestones - Episode 2
Strap in for a rollercoaster of music and mischief as the Velvet Road Band brings you an episode filled with more than just a few surprises. Anna and I start by revealing the whimsical tales behind our names – a little warm-up act before we dive into the main show. Our new multi-purpose studio is buzzing with activity and creativity, and we couldn't be more excited to introduce the fresh faces that are amplifying our lineup. Get the inside scoop on my latest track "Come Back Home," and the heartfelt number Don entrusted to Anna's vocal cords, as we navigate the dynamic changes shaping our artistic landscape.
The fun doesn't stop there; the second half of the show radiates talking about our upcoming Tempe Marketplace performance. We give you a play-by-play of how we turned a mix-up with "Killing Me Softly" into a crowd-pleaser. Plus, We spill on a personal highlight – the honor of Anna singing the national anthem at an NCAA game that was announced right there on the podcast! We wrap things up with a hearty dose of appreciation for you, our listeners, who make every live show an unforgettable experience. Join us as we toast to the quirks, the quips, and the quintessence of Velvet Road's musical journey.
Welcome back to episode two, season one, of the Velvet Road Band podcast. I'm here again with Anna with a funny E in her name. Anna, why don't you speak? It does have a funny E in her name. Why do you do that?
Speaker 1:I don't know, I just want to be different. Of course, as a singer, I have to be different. It's just uniqueness.
Speaker 2:That's cool. That's cool. Mine's Don, with an O, not an A-W. It's kind of funny because a lot of young people they spell my name D-A-W-N. Really, yeah, that's a female version. That's kind of odd. It's fine. Do I look like a female? I don't have the legs for it. That's about it Now. We wanted to record another podcast for you all. Tonight we're actually about ready to have rehearsals. We're all set up in our brand new studio and recording space and rehearsal space.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like a multi-purpose.
Speaker 2:It's got a fridge, a microwave and a lot of space, which I love.
Speaker 1:Hopefully we'll get some video on this podcast once, Anna with an E and it is confident with the visuals. It's very important to me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's very important and not one bit important to me, but that's okay, that's okay. Well, hey, we're getting some stuff going. What we wanted to talk about tonight we have Gig coming up on March 30th at 6 o'clock.
Speaker 2:There you go. I'm just saying I show up 6 to 9 at the Tempe Marketplace. We're excited about that. We're going to have a new crew here backing us up, but then we're excited about that also. It's been a lot of change, yeah, a lot of change. It's good, it's good, it's all good. It's the evolution of a band and that's what the podcast is about. Yeah, I think we call this VR version 4, which is pretty typical, pretty typical. We've also got some other exciting things going outside of VR, don't we? A few things, yeah, what are they?
Speaker 1:Well, I have a song that I have written and recorded and it's just about finished, so we'll be releasing that. Maybe we'll release it here.
Speaker 2:Next podcast. I think we're about ready for it. Right, I think we're close. Yeah, because it's final stages.
Speaker 1:Our Mr Dr. Don over here wrote a song and asked me to sing it and record it for him, and so that one just got recorded last week.
Speaker 2:That's about a month away, About a month away from being done. Yeah, exciting stuff. This is something that I personally have a passion about. It's a great way to release right, To get out your thoughts and emotions, and it's been a wonderful experience. We've got probably 10 or 12 out there that haven't been done, maybe even more than that, so we're excited about that. It's. You know, I think you have what in mind.
Speaker 1:Quite a few.
Speaker 2:It'd be a future EP in mind. Who knows, I think I have an EP that I would like to release. Yes, a new EP release. It's going to probably be who knows how long it's going to take One of the singles is going to be.
Speaker 1:It's called Come Back Home, so it's a pretty deep personal song and I think a lot of people can relate to it. I'm pretty excited to release it and one day Velvet Road, hopefully, will play it on the stage. That'll be fun.
Speaker 2:It'll be great. That's the goal. That's the goal and some other things. We've been doing some duet stuff, so that's kind of fun. But yeah, that's some of the new stuff that we have going on, along with some new personnel in the band, and we're kind of excited about the direction that the band's going and we're excited to let that rip on March 30th.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it'll be good. I think we have a good crew, we have great musicians. I mean we always have great musicians. I mean, through every version that we've had, everybody has brought something really cool and unique to the table.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I mean that's kind of where we've been for the last few weeks.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's been a lot of fun. Again, we're excited about our new space that we have and it's just opened a lot of literally opened a lot of doors for us and the new folks that we have coming on, really excited. Tonight's actually going to be the first rehearsal with the whole crew.
Speaker 1:And isn't that funny We've as VR. We've had how many rehearsals but, with this set of individuals. It's our first one and I don't know. I always get really nervous, but I think I get nervous over everything, dr Donald.
Speaker 2:Pretty much over everything. But you always seem to come through. Yeah, and we're. Again, we say how excited we are about the band, because this band's been something that, as we talked about in the first episode, kind of a dream to provide a variety of music that everybody can enjoy. And so far I think we've met that goal and I think so. And we're, you know we're actually splitting into a different direction.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think we're getting a little heavier on the rock sound, I mean, and that's different for me, right, Like coming from a very classical background, like I'm like how?
Speaker 2:do I?
Speaker 1:how do I sound Like? How do I do this?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's been a learning curve and I appreciate all of Dr Don's patients with my stomping in circles and saying stop, restart, and you know it's. It's fun though I mean, I, I, I, I mean, I, I. I've always wanted to be in a band. So yeah this is, you know, like a dream come true.
Speaker 2:It is, and and I had my solution to the heavier rock stuff is more whiskey and smokes, but she won't.
Speaker 1:I will take the whiskey, yeah, not the smoke.
Speaker 2:Not not taking the smokes, but now it's, it's gonna be a lot of fun. We were doing a lot of a lot more Melissa ethyl rich stuff, a lot of neat nice Miley Cyrus stuff there I really wasn't that familiar with. Yeah, I she's got a, she's got a crazy edge to her that I can appreciate. Yeah, so looking forward to that pink and and then some other classic stuff, maybe some Led Zeppelin.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's on the set list for today, and I never knew how incredibly high he's saying.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I've been trying to learn. Okay, well, this will be fun tonight, but well, you know, normally I would do the high stuff, absolutely. Yeah, that's totally leaving that up to you this time.
Speaker 1:You're gonna go, let me go up in the stratosphere. Thank you appreciate that.
Speaker 2:But yeah, so we do have some some really cool stuff coming down the pikes and I Don't know.
Speaker 1:Maybe we should talk about, like, the changes and you know how, how we kind of got there go ahead.
Speaker 2:You know here it's always my band when the hard stuff comes on. No, the changes. We have two new guitarists. Mario has been working with us, for I think this would be his third rehearsal with us. Ryan is coming in tonight. I'm excited about that edition. We have Patrick on the drums tonight. Patrick's filled in for us before and he's gonna be filling in for our March and April dates and and maybe some more as they come along. Some exciting stuff happened. You know we did our duet.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, that was pretty funny. Yeah, actually got. I got a frantic call from someone and was like, oh my gosh, I, I need help. I can't find anybody to fill this gig and they need a musician and a singer. It can't be a full band. Can you ask one of the guitarist? I was like uh, it's that easy. Yes, it's that easy. So of course I reach out and Everybody's like oh well, you know that I don't, we're not ready, we don't have the set list, like I was, like two days.
Speaker 2:I think it's two days.
Speaker 1:And so I just called my doctor dawn over here and I was like so this is what we're doing? And I think his exact words were what have you signed me up for? Because he went out with his base and he's a bass player, a very talented and mediocre. No, you are so good on the bass and we went out there with the tracks and that was kind of the funny part was like there he is, we had these tracks and surprisingly we had 30 31 we started with three people.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:I, and then at the end of it, we have 31 people. So the venue was very impressed with the turnout. And they were like we want you back and then some kind of possible other gigs kind of came out of that, and so it's kind of exciting to see those kind of transform into what they're going to be. And so I think Dr Don and I just kind of looked at each other and were like, well, I guess we have another act.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then Dr Don is now an act too.
Speaker 1:And you know that's a fun little. It was fun, I mean it was easy. We didn't have to worry about everybody.
Speaker 2:Except for cables.
Speaker 1:You know that's what happens. You were responsible for that. That was on user.
Speaker 2:I'm just saying All the cables were there, oh they were there.
Speaker 1:They were just. We're not functioning. We're going to let him a hello and that for a while it was fun.
Speaker 2:We got through it. We got through it and you know it was a no pressure thing that really turned. There was actually somebody there that wants to book the band for some events.
Speaker 1:But that's all down the pipeline, so we'll kind of see what kind of that kind of forms into. But yeah, I mean it was great that we did it, because it definitely opened up some more opportunities for us as a band and as a Anna and Dr Don act whatever that's going to end up Whatever that's going to be.
Speaker 2:But yeah, it was. It was a lot more fun than I thought it would be to be honest with you, because again, with two days time and then we had two days, oh.
Speaker 1:and then here's the other funny part. So I sent him the set list, right, and we get there and I pull up the song list and it's on my phone or my iPad and he goes well, that's not, was not on my list.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, I got to keep him on his toes. It worked, it worked, it worked out.
Speaker 1:And that's the great thing about Don as a bass player is that he he's really great improv he will just roll with it and yeah, I mean it worked out, beautiful.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it worked out.
Speaker 1:We had a great turnout. We had great comments from even the listeners. I mean they were. They enjoyed themselves.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and, and I gotta give you props, you did a great job, you did a wonderful job, and then the last song came about.
Speaker 1:Then the last song came about okay, let me tell the story about the last song. So we do Killing me softly in Velvet Road and Anna's brain. I was thinking the Roberta Flack, and then I was also thinking the Fuji's. I don't know, it was 10 minutes before we started this and I Just clicked the first one that I saw and it was the Fuji's version, which is great.
Speaker 1:I love that version because it's kind of like you with Velvet Road and so it started and I was like, hmm, okay, I Was thinking that Velvet Road was playing it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and how that gets into your noodle I'll never know, because it's not like Velvet Road has recorded this track. It's a wonderful noodle, I'm telling you.
Speaker 1:I squirrel a lot, yeah, and I think we got what was it to the part where the where Y-Club comes in with, and I Frantically went, oh no, and in the audience started laughing and then we picked right back into the Strom in my pain with his finger. That part, yeah.
Speaker 2:The only thing you didn't do is walk in circles, and I was waiting for that. Now it turned out really well. I was really happy and pretty high after the not literally, figuratively high after the the gig, just because it was so much fun and it was different, something I'd never done before.
Speaker 1:So but yeah, I mean that's kind of. It has been a lot, though, like with recording and the new change over. Then the you know getting the new space and that's been a lot of blood, sweat and tears kind of coming into here and More dr Don doing all the heavy lifting because that's his job, it's his band.
Speaker 2:It's my band when all that, all the heavy lifting, comes into space.
Speaker 1:It's not, it's my band, just letting everyone know personnel issues. It's his band personnel issues. It's my band moving moving equipment and furniture. I'm having a scroll moment. Okay me softly is such a good song. Yeah, it is this beautiful song beautiful song and I love the way velvet road does it yeah. We have. We do it so fun. I don't know. I just I love them. Actually, you and I pretty much do the song.
Speaker 2:It's primarily driven by the low end.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's fun. Which I like well, yeah, you know, you get your time to shine.
Speaker 2:Well, I need that, I know I need that, need a little shiny moment. Well, what else? What else we got going on? Nothing really grand and you know, I think right now it's just preparation. We're doing a lot of preparation because we've, you know, got literally probably 70, 80 songs on the wish list and we just finished up a new set list, a brand new one. So tonight our focus is on set one. Getting that down and then hitting into the second set oh, what is it? I love to hear it.
Speaker 1:Um, I don't know if I've actually told anybody yet, but I got selected to sing the national anthem for the NCAA. Oh yeah, I don't, for actually Dr Don knows this, but yeah. I haven't like publicly announced it, so there you go public announcement so, yeah, that is, that is huge.
Speaker 2:It's for the for the first game of the final four, right?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think it's, it's yeah, it's here in Arizona and I will be Singing the anthem, yeah just think, don't worry about the millions of people. Oh my god stop.
Speaker 2:Plus the you know 90,000 people that will be there okay, Anyway that's my public announcement.
Speaker 1:I'm super stoked about it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, it's your first time singing the anthem, right.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:Okay, quiz who wrote the national anthem? Yeah, come on, it is totally basic.
Speaker 1:Yeah, is her name Betsy.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:Francis Scott.
Speaker 2:Francis Scott keys.
Speaker 1:Oh.
Speaker 2:I'm not editing that out of the podcast either. People are gonna know that your history is Substandard at this point.
Speaker 1:Well, in that math, that math.
Speaker 2:Well, we won't. We won't do any algebra on the podcast.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, so but yeah, that's, that is exciting.
Speaker 2:I remember the day she found out. It was quite a day. It was quite a day.
Speaker 1:I'm pretty sure I was running up and down and screaming through the hallways at my office and people were wondering why I was screaming, if I was dying.
Speaker 2:It took a while for that high to come down. Yeah, so I just know it's just you know what you shouldn't be. It's amazing exposure. You know, just just the experience.
Speaker 1:I Experience alone for me is like just the opportunity. Yeah, right, it's it was.
Speaker 2:It was like when we played for the halftime just for the goofy celebrity flag foot, you know, but it was fun getting out there in front about 10,000 people and and having our 18 minutes. You know, got 18 whole minutes 18 minutes and it was just a lot of fun. And then you know it's not an experience you get to have every day. Joy, that's. Just enjoy those 90 seconds. That's what it is and try not to stumble in the way out.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, that's. My biggest fear is that I'm gonna go to autopilot. I'm just gonna keep singing and then I'm gonna be like who? I've lost my fucking spot in.
Speaker 2:In.
Speaker 1:But no, it's good. I'm really excited, but I've been pretty shy to announce it well, there you go.
Speaker 2:It's out there to the 30 people. Little download this podcast.
Speaker 1:I'm super thankful for our 30 fans like 35. Oh, 35. So sorry, oh, something else exciting, screw on it.
Speaker 2:Um.
Speaker 1:I cannot wait for the record like for us to start videoing these, because it's pretty funny to watch him Deal with my squirrel moments. We are adding merch.
Speaker 2:Oh the merch, oh, in the website, in the website website.
Speaker 1:You guys should be checking out our website at velvet road. Velvet Road music calm squirrel um, and we will be adding some t-shirts. Yeah and I think we got some coasters in there. I'm gonna stickers coming. If you come to live events, I might be handing out some stickers. What else do we have in that? Oh, a mug.
Speaker 2:Yes, we had mugs. Yeah, the thing that it's all. It's all made to order. So if you go out there, it'll be exciting. I I. Fix it.
Speaker 1:I had to fix the cable but at the time at the gig, it was not working. Needless to say, he was in a cold sweat and I didn't know what was going on.
Speaker 2:She did not know because I was not gonna let her know, because sometimes Anna reacts a little bit. Well, it's okay. So, well, I think we're getting close to yeah, what time is it?
Speaker 1:Oh yeah yeah, we gotta get ready to yeah rehearse and Gotta get everything set up. So anyways, thanks for listening.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Yes, if you've made it this far, we appreciate you. Don't forget to follow us on the Facebook. The end on the Facebook and on the Instagram and the tick tock you know, and if you're out there and you really good with some social media, message us, we can do some help. Um, yeah, but yeah, thanks for listening guys.
Speaker 2:Yep, absolutely. Y'all take care and we will see you when the next episode comes about.
