 VEE
- AN INTERVIEW WITH LEAD SINGER VERONICA LASHER
by Lorie Mundorf
These transplants to Wilmington, NC are firmly established in the local
music scene. This southern/indie/pop rock band has been branching out
regionally with their live and acoustic shows, steadily building their
fan base. With their debut album, Reaching You, getting good reviews,
Vee is preparing to release their second album "Skin" by the fall of
this year. Vee's lead singer, Veronica Lasher's vocals and lyrics stand
apart from the current onslaught of female singer-songwriters with a
confidence and talent that is delightfully refreshing. Meeting up with
drummer Joe Paris when working together in Nashville, the two of them
decided to check out Wilmington's growing music scene. After playing
some acoustic gigs at local coffee houses, they added bassist Marc Bynum
who brings his jazz roots to the mix and guitarist Marc Killian from
the Detroit City Rock Community. With Killian getting married soon, the
rest of the band is planning on returning to Nashville to continue their
ever growing success. Despite all of these plans in the works, and ever
busy schedules, I managed to get lead singer Veronica to slow done her
pace long enough to answer a few questions about her recent honor award,
the upcoming album, and the future of VEE.....
CHT: First of all, congratulations on winning an Honor Award in The
Great American Song Contest. Tell us more about "Threaded" and your
friendship with Matthew that led to this song's creation.
VERONICA: Thank you. "Threaded" was written after my friend, Matt
Gangemi, passed away last year. Matt and I met two years ago when he
introduced himself at a show and offered to help carry equipment. I
turned him down because he had a cast on his arm. Matt was an avid
music lover who supported, volunteered, and did anything he could to
help support local music. He would come by my work during lunch and
talk about the shows he saw, who was playing in town, and we'd discuss
life. He was a real charmer. Unfortunately, our friendship was cut
short by his sudden passing. It hit me very hard and I had no way to
cope with it other than write down my feelings. That's when "Threaded"
was written. During rehearsal, Marc started playing a haunting chord
that captured the feeling I was looking for and that's when the song was
born.
CHT: Where do you get the inspiration for your other songs?
VERONICA: Inspiration for my songs comes from life experiences,
friendships, love, and an inner need to tell a story with the hope of
inspiring others.
CHT: What is your personal favorite on the "Reaching You" album?
VERONICA: My personal favorite on "Reaching You" is "Almost Easy".
CHT: Tell us about the new album "Skin". What is the release date and
where can we get it?
VERONICA: "Skin" is the tentative title for our upcoming CD. If it is
released, it will be available at live shows, on our website at
www.veeband.com, and CDBaby. The
actual date is not secured yet but we expect it to be sometime in the
Fall.
CHT: What are the band's plans for the summer?
VERONICA: Our summer revolves around playing acoustic shows, quitting
our day jobs, wrapping up the CD, and preparing to move in the Fall.
CHT: Move in the Fall?! It was our hope that you decided to put roots
down permanently in Wilmington.
VERONICA: Although our home is here in Wilmington, we will be moving
back to Nashville to try our hand at the music scene. Ideally, we'd like
to live both here and there.
CHT: It sounds like your
life will be incredibly busy in the music department. Besides splitting
your time between the music business in Wilmington and Nashville, what
do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
VERONICA: In my spare time, I enjoy painting, riding the ol'
motorcycle, and golf. There's a sort of meditation involved in those
activities and it's liberating to be able to go outside the lines every
now and then.
CHT: I'm sure listening to music is entwined in those activities. What
are you listening to these days?
VERONICA: Currently, I am listening to Alana Davis' new CD, "Surrender
Dorothy" and Butch Walker.
CHT: Who are the female singer-songwriters you admire most?
VERONICA: Of all of the female singer-songwriters, I am consistently
amazed by Shawn Colvin's work. Annie Lennox, Sheryl Crow, Jewel, Alana
Davis, Bonnie Raitt, Amy Grant are all exceptional songwriters and
performers too. There are thousands of women who are out there making
music "real" again.
CHT: What are your views on the current state of the music business?
VERONICA: In my opinion, the state of the music business is not
particularly stable. It seems like the focus has shifted from long term
to short term artists who are the next "new thing" until they get cold,
the label drops them and no one else will touch them. It's all image
and no heart right now. Change is inevitable and that's what I'm banking
on.
CHT: How do you think that being classically trained and singing with
the church choir has helped you develop your unique sound?
VERONICA: Learning how to read and play music gave me the ability to
build chords and write songs of my own. Strangely enough, I have always
been able to play by ear. My first guitar teacher picked up on that and
in no certain terms said I was wasting his time. After that, I got
serious and came back knowing the notes. I was eight. Having the skill
to understand how music works helps curb the monotony of playing the
same three chords for every song. It also helps me determine what the
mood of the song will be and what direction it will take from verse,
chorus and bridge. My songwriting "sound" is based off of my
fascination with chord progression and position. As far as vocals go,
Amy Grant has always been my influence. I slowly worked my way up from
singing in the choir to singing solos at church. Church was a great
place to start singing because they can't throw tomatoes if you stink.
Later, I started showcasing new material. I wanted people to be
affected by the meaning of the song and not necessarily the delivery. I
guess I was practicing for a career I didn't know I'd have!
CHT: Does anyone else in your family have a musical background?
VERONICA: Musicality runs in my family. My father was in a band in
high school. He plays guitar and sings too. Guitar was the one sure way
I had to connect with him. While my brother went to football games with
him, Dad and I would spend Saturday nights playing "Lying Eyes" in the
living room. That was our time. Both my brother and my sister front
their own bands and write too. My sister's band is, "Musidora" and my
brother's band is, "Bonehead". My mom sings around the house and in the
car. We aren't the VonTrapp's though!
CHT: Is there something about you that would surprise people?
VERONICA: I'm sure there are lots of things about me that would
surprise people but I'm not going to mention them!
CHT: You play a lot of acoustic shows. Do you prefer the closeness of
an acoustic show or the full band effect?
VERONICA: The acoustic shows are played out of necessity. Our lead
guitarist, Marc Killian, is getting married this year and will not be
able to move with us to Nashville. He may be able to join us later. When
I play acoustically, the energy level is very different. It's subdued. I
find that I can get closer to people in that setting and I can sit down
and chat in between songs. The band dynamic is loud and raw. We get up
on
stage and play hard. The energy between the three of us has to be on or
else the show dies. When we are all on, it's the best feeling in the
world. When it's off, we try to work around it and find a way to step
it up. For the past few shows, I've played a few acoustic songs before
the second set. That, to me, is ideal. I get the best of both worlds.
I prefer the full sound but there's something nice about keeping things
simple.
CHT:. I know Vee has expanded to regional venues. What else is planned
after your move to Nashville to further expand the fan base?
VERONICA: Hopefully, we can expand our fan base by traveling and
looking at new marketing platforms. Our website is still the largest
marketing tool we have aside from word of mouth and live shows. We'll
have to see if we can convert a few folks along the way to Tennessee. I
would like to do more showcase work and collaborate with other writers
this year. Getting involved with NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association
International), TAXI (an online A&R firm), our own listing at Apple
iTunes, and vying for airplay on Satellite Radio may open a few more
doors for us.
CHT: What would you see as the defining moment in your career to this
point?
VERONICA: Every moment on stage is defining for me. I never stop
learning how to improve my voice, my playing or writing. Every time I
play, I know I touch someone, even if it's just one, with my songs and
that's the only thing I ever wanted to do.
CHT: Message to the fans?
VERONICA: Our fans are like family to us. There's no "Vee Band" without
them. I don't think I could ever say thank you enough for all of the
times they've shown their support. Their love goes a long way and we
will never forget it started first in Wilmington with them. Keep
checking the website. We will try to update it as soon as we know which
direction we're heading to. |
