Pop Of The Heap

It's not easy being a pop band in Canada.

Just ask Vancouver's Velour3, whose Beatles, Blur and Beck-inspired sound is a bit of an anomaly in this country compared to the whiny rock angst of bands like Moist and Our Lady Peace. "The idea was to get a band together that was different from everyone else," says Velour 3 drummer Flavio Monopoli.  However, he admits the band and their groove-driven, psychedelic guitar-pop has been struggling to find a niche in the saturated West Coast music scene.

"There's a core of pop fans," says Jonathan Schubert, the band's vocalist and bass player. "But there's not a lot of successful pop bands coming out of Vancouver right now."  The Brit-pop-style combo - who play the Unicorn Pub tomorrow and Saturday night with local group Shiver - formed in January of '96 in the hopes of following in the footsteps of musical heroes Ween, Soft Machine and early Pink Floyd.  They wasted no time before recording their independently produced self-titled debut CD, which went to Number 1 on the indie chart.

"We've got a good response from the CD," says Schubert. "The whole album isn't Brit-pop... Some songs are a little more jazzy. Those who don't like Britpop have other songs they can listen to."  Guitarist and singer Paul Marcotte agrees and adds: "The album is kind of a smorgasbord really, not just a meat and potatoes meal. There are a lot of different sounds you can taste."

Winding down a tour which took them as far as Toronto - where they appeared on MuchMusic to promote their new video, Not The One, which cost a mere $100 to film - the threesome are optimistic their animated and danceable live show has won over new fans.  "The reaction has been really positive," says Monopoli. "The tour's been a little trying because it's new to us... but it's been fun." - Lisa Wilton, Calgary Sun, 31 July 1997.