| | | |  | Getting expelled from school is hardly considered to be one of the best things that can happen to you. But with hindsight, Dom Stevenson, lead vocalist and song-writer with Sunshine Coast band VEYA, now realises that without that event he may never have...
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| Interview | Access All Areas.net.au: How would you describe your sound to someone who hasn’t heard your music before?
Dominic: good, bad, loud, soft, dark, bright, appealing, repulsive, exquisite, grotesque... really, just listen.
once you have heard the range of music we play, it gets a bit hard to describe.
Access All Areas.net.au: Tell us about your new single ‘Come Home’?
Dominic: I wrote "Come Home" when i was 16, only just grasping reality and realizing many things about war and society, i felt upset my friend was involved in the war in iraq.
Dominic: "Come Home" is about wishing him home safe and my own observations rotating around the controversy of war.
Access All Areas.net.au: The video clip is unique in the fact that it doesn’t contain any footage of the band… why did you decide to do this?
Dominic: We didnt plan to do it that way, it just kind of happened maybe because of the people we were working with on the video.
Personally im really happy with how it worked out, I know with being in a band comes a certain amount of image you have to sell, but id rather not be drawn into or rely on selling our music through our image, like a stamp or brand.
Maybe next film clip we can be sillouettes..? or dragons?
Access All Areas.net.au: Where did the concept of the video come from?
Dominic: Well we worked together with the two guys who were editing the video, we didnt want to have a war video that could be catagorised with bands like nickleback or green day, trying to pull off some dumb mainstream teenage protest video.
Our video shows the violence of war through the pain of birth of a new born, and how powerful and peaceful new life is.
Access All Areas.net.au: Tell us more about the band, where did the name for the band come about?
Dominic: We get asked that question alot, we really like the word "Veya", its elegant.
Access All Areas.net.au: What can you tell us about the band that people might not know about you?
Dominic: I have crashed 3 cars and lost my licence twice, all in one year... very mature, i know.
Eddy Plays the guitar faster and more originally than anyone i have ever met.
Leon plays bass and looks like he just walked out of the 70's, without even trying.
We dont care for the majority of societies values, we are positive and loving, and need you to hear the music we have been making lately.
Access All Areas.net.au: What’s playing on your iPod?
Dominic: Everything of Elliot Smith & Tom Waits.
Radiohead
The Smiths
Animal Collective
Arcade Fire
Sparklehorse
Mum
early At The Drive In
Minus the Bear
i dont know, my ipod pretty packed.
The other guys probably have different bands to me.
Access All Areas.net.au: What can audiences expect from a live Veya show?
Dominic: We are pretty peaceful people, but once on stage it gets pretty crazy.. hair flying, out of tune guitars, bongos, percussion, loudspeakers, tight jeans and stompy sweaty men.
Access All Areas.net.au: Whats ahead for the band?
Dominic: We want to record more music, and tour everywhere someone wants us to play.
Keep writing and improving our crafts and become respected in what we do and hopefully create something different to the majority of music being listen to by our population. |
| Biography | Getting expelled from school is hardly considered to be one of the best things that can happen to you. But with hindsight, Dom Stevenson, lead vocalist and song-writer with Sunshine Coast band VEYA, now realises that without that event he may never have met lead guitarist and song-writing collaborator, Eddie Thomas.
Having both enrolled on a music course in Nambour, Queensland, the two quickly became friends and realised that they had similar musical tastes, aspirations and influences. Furthermore, impressed with Thomas' guitaring virtuosity and his classical trained piano playing ability, Stevenson quickly set about forming a band. Linking up with the best bass player and drummer at the college was easy and before too long the boys were spending more time in the rehearsal room than the class room. VEYA were born.
Live gigs around the Coast followed and with a few 'Battle of the Bands' wins under their belt, and a growing loyal audience cheering them on at their acclaimed shows, VEYA were nominated by Tsunami magazine for 'the band most likely to make it', even before they had recorded a track!
With influences ranging from At The Drive In and The Mars Volta through the British post punk scene of the early 80's, the songs are pushed first one way and then another as Dom's melodies and hooks are twisted and corrupted by Eddie's searing guitars - unbelievably Eddie was still only 15 when these tracks were recorded. Dom's lyrics then deal with issues such as the Iraq War, girlfriend break-ups, meaningless summer jobs and drink and drugged fuelled nights out, so that every teenager in the country will be able to see some element of their lives in these six songs. This is truly the voice of young Australia.
Their debut EP ‘Slanted City’ was recorded during a manic five days in November 2006 in Eumundi Queensland, and captures the energy and excitement of the band's live performances. Indeed with time running out, the final track 'Narcotic Narcotic' was recorded 'live' in the studio with Dom's screaming vocals and Eddie's searing guitars to the fore, delivering a song filled with feedback and passion emphasising the harsh reality of the drug crazed lyrics.
VEYA will also be touring in shortly giving a wider audience the opportunity to witness the excitement and passion the band brings to their live shows.
Catch the fire! |
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