VERIDIA – The Beast You Feed

By starrymag | February 1, 2019

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

Deena: Genre wise – alternative with dark pop, electronic, urban vibes… Each song has its own personality musically, especially on this album.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

Brandon: We all come from very different musical backgrounds. I grew up in New Orleans and was definitely influenced by the music that’s woven into the fabric of that city from an early age, but the artists that are most influential for me in the context of VERIDIA tend to be a mix of rock and electronic like Nine Inch Nails and Prodigy.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your recent songs “I’ll Never Be Ready” and “Numb.”

 

Deena: I wrote “I’ll Never Be Ready” when my Dad was really sick. It was a reminder to not lose sight of my moment at the time. He was still there, and I needed to focus on making more irreplaceable memories with him. He passed away a year after that. When it was time to record the album, this song had to be on it and when I reached out to Amy Lee to see if she would play piano. I had no idea she had recently lost her brother. We both played through those emotions together and knew this song and our stories had the power to help encourage others through their losses.

 

“Numb” was the last song we wrote before we went into the studio to record the album. I was in the thick of depression and just wanted to feel nothing. This song was a way to step back and get lost in the music before facing all the emotions I needed to power through in order to find glimpses of joy again.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the songs that fans connect to?

 

Deena: The music draws you in, but I think it’s the personal stories told in the lyrics that connect each person…They were written in a way that I could tell my very personal story, but that anyone listening could attach their experiences to. That’s what has always inspired me from other writers/artists, the ones who told their stories in a way that invited the listener to experience it with them. It reminds you that you’re not alone.

 

Q) How do the videos for the tracks play into the message behind it?

 

Brandon: Visuals are an integral part of everything we do. Even in the earliest stages of writing a song, Deena is usually dreaming up a video treatment that can help convey the meaning and the emotions behind the lyrics and I’m usually thinking of how we can translate the song from the studio to the stage. We love taking those ideas to directors who understand the vision and collaborating with them on bringing it to life. Thus far, we’ve only released live videos of songs from The Beast You Feed, capturing some of the stage show, the lighting, etc. but we have full music videos in the works for a number of songs on the album, so stay tuned for those.

 

Q) You toured with Evanescence, but what does it mean to you to have Amy Lee as a feature on the song?

 

Deena: Having Amy Lee on “I’ll Never Be Ready” not only gave it the emotional intimacy it needed musically, but it was healing for me. She gifted me with hope, one of the first moments I felt joy and purpose again after a great loss.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

Deena: We don’t really have a specific formula. But, no, music is usually secondary to the lyrical process for me. I usually have a lyric, a title, or a short poem start before sitting down to put it to music, but sometimes a musical idea will spark a lyric, too. Some of my most inspiring moments are in the car… I’ll put the radio down just low enough that I can hear the beat but not the melody or lyrics and I’ll sing melody ideas on top of that.

 

Q) How much of a hand do you have in the production of your music?

 

Brandon: We are suuuuper involved in the production. For this album, we were all in the studio every day for six weeks straight, working side-by-side with the producer, experimenting with different sounds and going back to each song until it felt like a finished product.

 

Q) The band released two previous EPs. What made you decide to go with a full-length album this time around?

 

Brandon: The songs chosen for The Beast You Feed all work together to tell a story, following a very personal story of the stages of grief, which Deena has talked about quite a bit. It was important to us to keep the story intact and to deliver it to fans in a complete package. It was honestly difficult enough to narrow it down to 10 songs – we still have quite a few that almost made the cut!

 

Q) What songs off your The Beast You Feed album are you looking forward to performing live?

 

Kyle: I honestly love playing them all. For different reasons. But I think my favorite to play is “Dopamine” and “Cheshire Smile.” “Dopamine” has such a killer feel good groove (imagine that) and “Cheshire” has some really fun intricate parts.

 

Q) What do you hope listeners take away from listening to your new album as a whole?

 

Deena: I hope anyone who hears this album will feel less lonely, knowing that someone has walked through some experiences that they might be dealing with. And I hope they give themselves permission to feel every emotion, to experience them in these songs and in their own stories… We can’t change the past and we can’t foresee the future, but we do have this moment, the good and the bad coexist, but we get to choose The Beast You Feed… To not let anger, guilt, ego, depression or fear suffocate our joy, pleasure, hope, love. I think our negative emotions teach us how to be grateful.

 

Q) What can fans expect from a live VERIDIA performance?

 

Kyle: You can expect an evening full of energy! Nonstop movement. I don’t think any of us know how to sit still. And you’ll get a killer visual experience with the lighting we use. And some fun moments of crowd participation.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

Brandon: It’s always fun to perform in Dallas, which where we first started playing music together. New Orleans is another special place as it’s where we played our first big festival (Voodoo Fest) and always eat way too much crawfish. We honestly love performing everywhere, though! We hope to head back overseas soon for some more shows in Europe and to meet our fans around the world.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

Brandon: Can I reference Nine Inch Nails again and say Trent Reznor? [laughs] I think we would all love to work with Jared Leto and the 30 Seconds To Mars guys, as well. We’ve been honored to collab with friends like Matty Mullins from Memphis May Fire, Amy Lee and Matt Squire in the past and we’re excited to continue exploring opportunities to work with talented people we love. I think it would be fun to have some talented EDM producers remix a few of the songs from the new album, so if anyone wants to dig into that, hit us up!

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?

 

Kyle: Right now, I’m listening to all the stuff I listened to in high school, which is 2000’s alt rock bands such as Cartel, Taking Back Sunday, Acceptance and the like. I love them for many reasons but if nothing else it’s pretty nostalgic.

 

Deena: Yesterday I was jamming Chloe X Halle, Jon Bellion’s new Glory Sound Prep album and Memphis May Fire’s new Broken album.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

Deena: Social media is so important, especially for independent artists like us. We not only get to connect with our fans personally, but receiving their support when we’re off the road keeps our passion burning and allows us to constantly create for them and share it through so many awesome social platforms. We’re new to Patreon, but it’s been a huge help and a really cool way to get even more personal with our fans!

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

Deena: Thank you just doesn’t sound like enough to express the amount of gratitude we have for our fans and supporters! You inspire us, encourage us and gift us with the ability to continue to do what we love. We’re honored to do this with you!