Meet Laveda

Alright friends. We had the immense pleasure of discovering this Albany-based duo many months ago, and have been big fans ever since. 

Drawing influence from all that shoegaze, lo-fi goodness, Laveda is like a bright pink smoothie of nutritious nostalgic noises topped off with a dollop of dreamy, whip creamy pop-y sweetness. These pals are causing a ruckus with their lush tones and sonic vocals, so get ‘em while they’re HOT. 

(Yes, I know smoothies are cold. Just go with it.)

We reviewed Laveda’s debut single here  and we recorded a few live sessions with them here.  Recently, we made them put up with our nonsense some more (sorry) and answer our burning questions. 

Below, we discuss vampires and cowboys and werewolves and knights (oh my!), namesakes, and familial musical influence. 

Do yourself a favor and read on, young grasshopper. 

Julius Caesar: A Mad Lib By Laveda

Julius Caesar was born in 102 B. A. He was a SNOOTY.general, and between 49 and 58 B.C. he defeated the Gauls, the Goths, and the TOASTERS. After that, he POSITIVELY became more famous and defeated Pompey at the battle of FIJI.at Pharsala. The Romans then elected him permanent GUITAR CENTER, and he used to walk around wearing a circlet of ivy leaves on his BIG TOE. Then Caesar went to Egypt, where he met Cleopatra, the teenage BURGER KING FOOT LETTUCE . When he conquered the Syrians in 46 B.C., he sent back a message saying, "Veni, vedi, RAVIOLI." In 44 B.C., a soothsayer told Caesar to "Beware the WATERFALL," but he ignored the warning and in March he was stabbed in the POUTINE.by a group of senators. His last words were, "Et tu MUSSOLINI?"

Would You Rather…

be a vampire cowboy in the old west or a werewolf knight in medieval times? Please tell us why.

Vampire Cowboy in the old west for both of us (Ali and Jake). Literally both of those things combined into one can pretty much do whatever they hell they want and that'd be totally sick. I (Ali) personally have always vibed hard with vampires and old-timey western movies just get me goin so basically it's a no brainer.

Some Questions with Laveda

What was the best music video of all time?

Neither of us watch a lot of music vids but “Say Can You Hear” by Men I Trust would be our pick.

What is the music scene in Albany like versus NYC?

Jake: It's definitely different. The scene up here in Albany thrives in basements in my humble opinion. It's so fun to walk over to my friends house and catch either a new band from the area playing their first show ever, a touring band that's TIGHT and I've never seen before or my friends killing it. The music coming out of here is honestly dope. You should check out Bruiser and Bicycle, Lone Phone Booth (our roommate), The Age, the list goes on. It's also really easy to tour and play weekender's from Albany. Rent is cheap and we are 3 hours away from a big city in every direction. Not a bad home base at all. NYC on the other hand has something happening everyday of the week. There's a lot of networking you can do and awesome bands doing their thing down there. We are trying to come down as often as we possibly can to play shows.

What drew you to the shoegaze genre?

Jake: Coldplay has this b-side called "Chinese Sleep Chant. I loved loved loved Coldplay as a kid. When I heard that b-side it literally blew my mind. I had heard nothing like it before. The vocals were drenched in verb (couldn't understand a word Chris was singing), the guitar was LOUD and the drums were fast and energetic. Fast forward 5 years and I listened to Slowdive for the very first time. It brought me back to that Coldplay b-side I loved as a kid. I knew immediately this was a genre I wanted to use as inspiration for our own sound. It's beautiful, introspective and most importantly LOUD!

Ali: I think the reason I started to really get into it was because of the music my parents raised me on. I would listen to their collection of CDs including The Sundays, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure, all bands that sort of hint at shoegaze and are just not afraid to be loud.

How do you stay creatively fulfilled?

Jake: I try to absorb a lot of music and go to a lot of shows (big or basement). It keeps the creative part of my brain moving.

Ali: Definitely going to shows, writing songs, I also love collaborations and organizing events like photo shoots with friends, just trying to bring people together to make art in as many forms as I possibly can!

What is your best advice for someone starting to write their own music?

Jake: Don't be afraid to write a lot. You’ll make stuff you like and probably the majority will be stuff you really don't like. It’s all part of the process of getting to the really good stuff.

What is the meaning behind your name, "Laveda"?

Jake: It was actually my grandma's on my dad's side name.

Your release, "Dream.Sleep" was a big success. Is there a full album in the works?

Jake: Yes we are finishing it up as we speak! We’ll be releasing in Spring 2020!!

What was your first email address and or AIM username?

Jake: love2rock@roadrunner.com ... feel free to send me weird emails

Ali: eatsleepballet@gmail.com was my second one (my first one is mad lame agenevich@nycap.rr.com)

What has been your biggest "pinch me" moment since you started making music together?

Jake: When Ali first came up with her melody for "Serity". I was taken aback by her dopeness. There's actually a recording of me laughing in the background because the melody was so surprisingly awesome. It's on our soundcloud if you wanna check it out.

Did your parents taste in music influence your own?

Ali: I don't think I'd be a musician if it weren't for my parents taste in music. I was basically raised on their collection of CDs which included The Sundays, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure.

Jake: My parents raised me on 90's dance music so you could relate that to my love / use of electronic drums and beat making.

Who is your musical crush?

Jake: Gotye

Ali: Mazzy Star (:

What was your best hiding spot in hide-and-go-seek?

Ali: I'd crouch on the window sill behind the upright piano at my parent's house. I'd have to move the piano to get in and then move it back. Sometimes it would be 2 hours before anyone ever found me!

What is your go-to late night snack?

Popcorn!!

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

We have a show at Muchmore's on October 25th and our album + upcoming singles are COMING SOON. We are very excited to share our hard work with the world!!