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Mystery & Misery(www.mysteryandmisery.com)

Veluxe seemed to be greatly influenced by Bob Mould, and southern indie rock (Chapel Hill, Athens). The singer, and lead guitarist, Darren DeWispelaere, reminded me of Bob Mould, but with hair. He carried the same build and same stage presence. Not to mention his little guitar solos that showed his ability to just play songs but to add a little spice to them. I am not sure why there is not more guitar solos in indie rock, but his were there at the right times and not too long and over the top. These solos added a little blues infusion to the mix. After Veluxe stormed half-way through their set, they exchanged guitarists, and welcomed local musician Greg Paul on to the stage.

I admire Paul’s solo work as well as his albums with the Autumdivers. Paul added a whole new feel to the songs with some spacey, laid back guitar work that gradually changed the atmosphere of the set. I should have seen it coming but, by adding Paul, the band built up to it’s final song which veered way off track to it’s southern indie-rock roots to Ontario Canada space rock. The song was greatly similar to one the band Sianspheric or A Northern Chorus might play live, complete with multiple build ups of sound, reverb and feedback. I was quite impressed by this little nugget of candy but I could tell this was something that the crowd wasn’t ready for. As I stood completely satisfied by this unexpected change of sound, most of the crowd started to get fidgety and seemed ready for the band to end it’s set.

But that is a Rochester crowd for you. People in Rochester just cannot go into a bar and watch a band play. They have to socialize in the stage area, instead of the bar area, and consistently walk in and out of the stage area, as if they are at a high school dance.

*Link to the whole article - Mystery & Misery Show Review

-Jason


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City Newsweekly, Rochester, NY

Veluxe plays excellent indie-type rock with heart, brilliance, and guts, kind of like Guided By Veluxe.

-Frank De Blase


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Torpedo Magazine

Damn this is a super tight band, saw them live at The Bug Jar at a show with Visionstain and The Flashing Astonishers and they were on top of it. On this three song demo, they have some of the good aspects of Foo Fighters with plenty of great tempo shifts and chordal leaps that snag the attention without fail. I am impressed, hooks bite deep. Darren DeWispelaere’s guitar and voice is anything but formulaic and Steve Daniels drums will bring awe from many a less experienced drummer. He is a drumming monster. Adam Porter’s bass solidifies the line-up without stepping on the others toes, a talent in itself. Definitely a band that would have been huge 10 years ago but I hope they can find a market in the dying age of good music.

-Pious Ian


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City Newsweekly, Rochester, NY

It would be nice if indie-rock— if such a term still exists— sounded like Veluxe. This Rochester trio executes a fresh, musical perspective diligently, without being obtuse. Underground rock music’s defining refrains have been played out and become cliché; in order to advance, some bands feel the need to get weird. For all I know, the members of Veluxe are weird, but they still possess a strong sense of creative excitement and pride. They might remind you of a kinder, gentler Pixies. Veluxe’s music is fun and easy to listen to. What more do you want?

-Frank De Blase


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Delusions of Adequacy (an online indie music zine)
www.adequacy.net


First, a geography lesson. Rochester, NY lies in western New York and borders Lake Ontario. Buffalo, NY a bit more well-known and lies about an hour and a half to the west. I've been in Rochester for six months, and I had yet to really hear any good local bands. Everyone was from Buffalo. An hour and a half away lay a stellar indie rock scene, and it proved just too far away at times for me to feel a part. There didn't even seem to be any good shows in Rochester.

So when I talked to Darren DeWispelaere from Veluxe at a rare good show in Rochester, I asked him if there are any good bands in Rochester. He said they're mostly garage-rock. While most garage-rock bands are noisy and obnoxious, it's important to remember that the Pixies started out as a garage-rock band. And that's the first reference point for Veluxe, the first good Rochester band I've found.

Three songs from this trio show their penchant for straight-ahead guitar-rock with a twist that, five years ago, I would have called alternative. Live, I got the sense that the band had a metal background, but on album with nearly perfect production, the band sounds smooth and rocking in a nice, unique sense. The guitars blaze, the vocals go from smooth to edgy, and the rhythm is fast and strong.

"Lion's Face" starts off with a bit of a punk-rock feel. The guitar comes in bursts, driving and quite impressive, but overall, the song has a nice, restrained feel. I can't decide if I like this smoother sound or the more rough, edgy sound of "In Time" more. The rhythm on "In Time" is allowed to take more prominence, and the song has a more edgy, aggressive feel. In fact, something about the chorus makes me think of old grunge, like when it first came out and was all edgy, with bands like Alice in Chains and Screaming Trees making so much interesting music. "St. Pat's" finishes off, and here DeWispelaere sounds quite a bit like Frank Black, and the song is much more up-tempo and driving rock-n-roll. Some great guitar and bass here.

I'm very impressed with this demo EP, even more so than with the band's live show, which was pretty good too. They lead me to think there's hope for the Rochester scene yet.

-Jeff Marsh


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Freetime Magazine, Rochester, NY

The indie-rock sounds of Veluxe swept me away the other day, upon hearing their E.P., 3 Songs for Old Friends. Influenced by some of my favorite bands like Dinosaur Jr. and The Pixies, this trio packs a lot of punch into each song, not bad for a group who's only been playing out in town for the past 6 months. Veluxe have been gigging outside of here as well recently, and hope to have a full-length out by the end of the year. See them at Monty's Krown on Saturday, November lOth.

-Michelle Picardo