Valerie, a brand new ambient dream pop/shoegaze/reverb concoction from Shawn McNally (guitar), Caleb Schriver (bass), Kayla Stevens (guitar), and Ryan Brown (drums) and Palmer Jamieson (guitar and vocals), came together "out of luck." Our luck, really.
"Caleb joined by a recommendation from our pal Dexter. It took a little to convince her, but Kayla joined in the fall," says Jamieson. "Shawn and I have admired Kayla’s style in both
Crossed Wires and
Vulva Culture for so long, so we were super stoked that she joined. Ryan came in to the band in February/March. I’ve gotten to play with him a few times and was really into his approach to drums so it was a no brainer to ask him when we had a vacancy on drums."
"Quit" is propulsive, smooth with a side of grit, and has pleasant shades of Kevin Shields. And thankfully, friends that play together stay together. "Our band is quickly becoming a family, which feels super great and is just as important as the music in my eyes," says Jamieson. "Prior to this band, we were all just friends of friends in different corners of the scene. It’s been really easy going."
See Valerie tonight at Gus’ Pub with
Mauno (fresh from a tour of the UK!) and Montreal's
Inland Island. 10pm, $7.