The Veldt is comprised of two American brothers who got into the shoegaze scene in 1986, having established themselves as members of bands such as My Bloody Valentine, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Cocteau Twins, and Echo and the Bunnymen.
Now being titled shoegaze legends, Danny Chavis, Daniel Chavis, and Hayato Nakao are back with a new EP The Shocking Fuzz of Your Electric Fur: The Drake Equation being released in August. The band is headlining #DIYSPRING, curated by Debaser and Babely Shades this weekend, alongside local bands.
The Charlatan (TC): What inspired you to come up with the name of the band?
Danny Chavis (DC): The name actually changed from Apollo Heights. The Veldt was a story that was a part of the required reading for our junior high school graduation, so that’s where it came from. We’ve been around for a while but this generation has just discovered our music, so the Internet has made it easier for us to get our music out there.
TC: Who writes the music and is there anything specific you write about?
DC: It’s collective. I come up with parts and then the band adds in their own parts. It’s really a group effort when we create music, but pretty much my brother and I do it.
TC: Who are your musical and non-musical influences?
DC: Well, we’re from the south, so traditionally we have a lot of tones of gospel, but in my teens I was raised around stuff like The Clash and cut between The Cure. I also like Broken Social Scene and I like God Speed. In terms of writers, as a lyricist I tend to like people who were pre-recollect writers who were into the romantics. It started with writers who really liked the work of Raphael and his paintings . . . I would say James Baldwin would be a good influence.
TC: What have been your biggest obstacles in the industry so far?
DC: In America, being black and playing rock music. It’s a barrier we have to concur and fight whatever way we can, you won’t find a lot of other people playing our music.
The LP being released this summer has been well in the making featuring collaboration with several other prominent musicians such as members of A.R. Kane. You can see The Veldt alongside Everett on April 8 at Zaphod’s.
