No one has ever asked me this question but with a new record just released (or about to be released if you didn’t contribute via Kickstarter) I was recently thinking about it.  And so I pose the following question to myself.

Q: Hey Val, are there any songs you’ve written that you thought would be more popular amongst your fans but for whatever reason, weren’t?  Like, you thought a song would get a bigger reaction or that you’d get more feedback about a song but didn’t?  And conversely, have there been songs that you’ve written that you didn’t expect many people to like and were then surprised that they became fan favorites?

A: Thanks for the question Val.  No one has ever asked me that and it’s a good question.  I’ll take the last part first.  I was shocked by how big “Shock” became (how ‘bout that pun!).  It doesn’t have much of a chorus and there are a bunch of different parts and it’s real short.  It doesn’t fit the bill in my mind of what a popular song would be but I guess the relatable factor prevails.  I never thought it would be a single but from the first time I played it people wanted to hear more of it.  I thought “Too Far” from Little Daggers would get a bigger reaction.  I’m really proud of that song, both lyrically, melodically and musically.  I always thought “Glue” would connect with more people.  Perhaps that’s my fault for burying it on a b-sides album.  I think it’s a very solid song, perhaps one of my most mature and it gets me pretty emotional when listening to it.  From that same album “Please Don’t Accept My Apology.”  I love the sentiment and I like the energy and the scratchiness of the vocal performance, but not one person has ever mentioned that song to me.  I put it third in sequence on the album so I must have felt pretty good about it.  Maybe “Last Day.”  Again, perhaps it’s my fault for putting too many songs on Searchparty and burying that one.  But I thought that sentiment would be more relatable.  Lastly, I thought “Gone” would connect with a ton of people and yet I barely hear a word about it.  Bummer.

Now, for the second part, songs that I didn’t expect would get love but did.  I am very surprised by how strong a reaction I’m getting about “Wooly Mammoths” off Aide Memoire.  I’ve always loved it but I didn’t think anyone would get it.  Same with “We Still Bleed” and “Catalyst” from Little Daggers.  More so with the latter.  That’s all I can think of right now.

Q: So what does all that say about you?  Seems to me you don’t know much about what anyone will like or dislike.

A: I guess.

Q: Your intuition is worthless.

A: I wouldn’t say that.

Q: Are you a dickhead?

A: Hardly.

Q: Are you crawling in your skin?

A: Yes, I’m bursting.  

And now…real questions from real, but anonymous, people!

Anonymous asked you: How did you and your band come with the name “The Veeries”?

VE: Not to be coy, but the band and I are planning to release something really cool in which we reveal lots of candid facts about ourselves and the record.  I believe this question will be answered there and so for now I will just tease you a bit and say, be patient, it’s coming.  

Anonymous asked you: What helps you the most when things aren’t going well?

VE: Other people.  My instinct is to isolate myself but I’ve learned that if I can just fight that urge and stick around, the presence of others snaps me out of it.  There are a few key people who really know how to snap me out of those gloomy periods.  There’s an outtake from the new album called “Borrow Your Eyes” that will appear on 7” vinyl and digital download  this fall that deals with that exactly.  Other than that, time.  Eventually, with enough time, things don’t seem so bad anymore.  It’s hard to weather the storm sometimes, it’s like holding your breath.  But if you can hold it long enough, eventually you’re breathing easier and soon you forget what it was that made you so crazy in the first place.  Be like those goldfish, have no memory.

Anonymous asked you: In your song ‘Golashes On A Sunny Day’, are you referring to the shoes called galoshes? Wasn’t too sure if it was a typo or if I’m completely missing the meaning here, haha. Love the new album so much by the way :)

VE: You will never know how much this typo irks me.  That’s one of the risks of releasing an album at such a breakneck speed, some details get overlooked.  The word is galoshes, as in the rain boot, and the correct spelling will appear on the official release this fall.  Feel free to change it yourself in iTunes or whatever program you use.  You’ll make me happy if you do so.  G-a-l-o-s-h-e-s