The Velveteers :: Girl Tones :: Julez & The Rollerz

I'm pretty sure my soul left my body the second The Velveteers started performing.  Before their set even began, I was informed by multiple audience members that I was not prepared for how much they rock.  An audience member I met told me she came back after seeing them open at the Troubadour, and that they blew the headliner out of the water.  Someone else said they went to the same show, so it was clear to me that they were going to be just that good.  Having only listened to their newest album, the Dan Auerbach-produced A Million Knives and loving their song “Charmer And The Snake,” off of their older album, “Nightmare Daydream,” I didn't know what to expect besides simply to hear some good music.  I got a lot more than that.

Their sound is something you can't get anywhere else.  The band, while comprised of three people (Demi Demitro, Baby Pottersmith and Jonny Fig) did not stop at three instruments.  There was TWO drumsets, bass, guitar, and a keyboard, not to mention vocals from all three members and additional percussion.  It was immediately apparent to me that attending a Velveteers concert means readily falling victim to hypnotism for the hour they're on stage.  One of the first things bandmember Baby Pottersmith did to submerse the audience was jump out from their drumset and hand the person next to me a snare drum, throw some water on us and start playing.  I've never felt so honored to be drenched, and I found that the water was something Baby incorporated with their drums throughout the show.  They would throw some water over their set and then fellow drummer Jonny Fig would join them in creating their own water show.  They played hard with an energy perfectly matched by each other.  I remember seeing a broken in half drumstick on the floor and no memory of when it got there, but I was not surprised considering the force with which they played.  Jonny took some time off of drums and keyboard to join lead vocalist Demi Demitro on guitar upstage, and he was fun to see no matter where he was on the stage.  Most of the time, Demi primarily took the front of the stage singing lead vocals and interchangeably shredding guitar and bass.  Her head to toe cheetah print perfectly suited the the taste of 70s/80s rock their music is reminiscent of.  They played a lot of songs from their newest album, since this was a stop on their “A Million Knives” tour (songs like “Suck The Cherry” and “Bound In Leather”), but they also played some other fan favorites, like “Dark Horse” and “Charmer And The Snake”.  Having seen them live, I need to give their whole discography more attention, because everything I heard at The Echo is something I need to hear again.  They still have a handful of dates left of their tour, so catch them while you can!  You can truly tell each member of The Velveteers gives it their all, and it really makes them a band you don't wanna miss.