I'm a fan of the music of both Vera Ellen and Fazerdaze, so this session was on my wishlist from the get-go. The session was an intimate chat between two musicians about creativity, writing songs, producing music, and the ins and outs of surviving as a creative person in Aotearoa. We also got to hear some of Vera's songs - the format of singing with an electric guitar showing that her songs kick ass even when stripped to basics.
Vera works in a record store - Flying Nun - as well being signed to the label. That's worked out well for her as the job leaves her mindspace for creativity, plus she can go on tour. She finds silence is the key to getting ideas and inspiration, as well as walks and insomnia. It's about turning in and listening. Fazerdaze (Amelia Murray) says she's also conscious of what she's reading and consuming when she wants to be creating.
The description of making music is so compelling. Vera is a multi-instrumentalist and producer, so there are instruments everywhere - darting between them in an uncontrollable manic way. The logical brain doesn't work, it's like riding a wave. Neither Vera or Fazerdaze find creating is a linear process. "It's scary not having method to the madness".
How have you learnt making music as a craft, Fazerdaze asks. Trial and error, says Vera, she had songbooks from the age of 10 and she tried things without fear. She got guitar lessons later, but was already writing lyrics. She's a bit wistful about those early efforts - cheesy, sincere, sweet.
They talk about how to manage the music business, and having to see yourself as a "third party entity" when you are your own product, the organisation and spreadsheets and logisitics of touring.
Then, the songs. Vera Ellen tells the story of the song Prayer Ambulance from Ideal Home Noise. Her Mum was in an induced coma, and she tried to convey in the song what that experience was like. "It has created a lot of healing over time" she says. She wrote the second verse from the perspective of her brother and he sings it on the record. Then she sings it, and it's so powerful. She isn't very good at sharing or articulating her emotions, but:
Music is how I say the things I really want to say.
Fazerdaze and Vera Ellen then get into how the songs take shape. For Vera, she'll often hear the music in head first, then lyrics. Sometime the words come through the rhythm. If the words are on the page first, she's not confined. Fazerdaze usually has the melodies first, and it's special when words come first:
It's a mystery, like trying to explain a dream.
The best advice she has was letting the "creative guy" in your brain do their thing before letting the "critic" out. She prefers to get everything out, then leave it for a day. That distance means you don't even feel like you did it. Do the thing, then wait. The space is important.
Vera's next body of work came out of a residency at Greytown. Two weeks working on music, and it's now in the mixing stage. She's also going on a tour in China with another band.
The free flowing conversation about the music business, touring, living in the States, show just what a grind it is being a musician. How can we support your work, asks Fazerdaze? Join the Vera Ellen Fan Club says Vera. For a small amount of money, you support her work and get access to demos and poems and writing.
There are some audience questions and Vera gives out a shoutout to her brother, who has always supported her work and made her feel special. He has music coming out (Albert River) and she recommends we have a listen
It's a special moment hearing Vera Ellen and Fazerdaze singing together. Altiora (the Gym) at the Arts Centre rings with the sound of two voices and an electric guitar.
Photos from Ideal Home Noise
Photos from Ideal Home Noise
More Vera Ellen and Fazerdaze
- Vera Ellen on Bandcamp
- Vera Ellen Flying Nun
- Fazerdaze on Bandcamp
More WORD Christchurch
- WORD Christchurch website
- Follow WORD Christchurch on Instagram, Facebook and X FKA Twitter
- Our WORD Christchurch 2024 page - event reports and books by Festival writers
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