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Bob Weir always said, “The same song on a different day is not the same song.” Improvisation is how local rock band Velvet Daydream flexes its creative muscles, and the members are well aware of their capability to do that.
Kaeden Keys (guitar, vocals), Ryder King (guitar, vocals), Jude Pfanstiel (bass, vocals) and Nick Schwartz (drums, vocals) officially formed Velvet Daydream in 2023, when they were barely out of high school. At the time, the group didn’t realize what it would take to evolve. Not just on stage or in the studio, but online while exposing itself to Gen Z jam-band fans.
Velvet Daydream’s first album, The Velvet Daydream, turned two years old on October 13, and the band has grown significantly since that debut release. “Every single facet of the process has changed,” says Keys. “We went into the studio not really knowing how to get it.” Gaining more experience in the studio and performing live has helped elevate the group’s classic-rock sound. “Over time, as we begin to get more experience, we’ve started to influence each other a lot, and it’s become a collective effort,” the guitarist adds.
Courtesy of Velvet Daydream
As Velvet Daydream performs for more crowds across Colorado, it continues to evolve its stage presence by adapting to different audiences. “We did a lot of parties when school first got started,” King says. “During those sets, we would scrap a song if we needed to. Someone will start a different song and we’ll adapt.”
“At its best,” Keys adds, “rock and roll is very spontaneous.”
Electric Honey, a festival that takes place at the end of September in the desert canyons of Utah, was a special performance for Velvet Daydream for many reasons. The uniqueness of the venue was one, but it also allowed different members of the band to curate two sets that each radiated their own energy. “We wanted to do two very different-feeling sets, breaking away from songs we would typically do during a 45-minute set,” Keys says. “It was another one of those sets that had a different kind of magic. Everyone could breathe versatility into the energy on stage and take those risks without feeling restrained.”
“All of our shows are usually in a theater, so to have people hanging around a canyon watching us was pretty cool,” Schwartz adds. “To be able to create a scene on the stage with candles and have the audience play into that was really cool to see.”
The best rock and jam bands are known for the unique scenes they create on stage, and that’s something Velvet Daydream continues to master. You can see it yourself at the Federal Theatre on Friday, October 17, which will see the band performing along with Doom City Drifters and Mr. Know It All . Doom City Drifters will perform a tribute set to King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, and Mr. Know It All will play a tribute to Primus.
“The openers, along with all of our fans, are going to create an environment that helps us build a unique atmosphere,” Schwartz says. “Lately, we’ve been trying to piece together sets that feel like a blend of what we’ve done before, but we want to deliver a new experience from any other show you could have seen.”
“Federal Theater is a place with identity,” Pfanstiel says. “It puts us in such a unique aesthetic environment, and we’re definitely going to play off of it.”
Velvet Daydream, Friday, October 17, Federal Theatre, 3830 Federal Boulevard. Tickets are $14.19-$37.46.
