Page 28 - ION Indie Magazine MarchApril 2021
P. 28
Marty Haviik: Thanks guys for sharing to our ION MH: Which bands or artists have inspired you to
Indie Magazine audience. Tell us a little about make music as a band and as individuals?
VEER. Where does the name come from and what
does it mean? RM: We've got eclectic influences. Growing up, I
listened to everything from 50’s rock,
Ronald Malfi: We are a four-piece hard rock group alternative/grunge, orchestral soundtracks, you
out of Maryland, and we've been playing together name it. We all still listen to a wide variety of music.
as VEER since, I believe, December 2016. We've
all played music with different bands in the past, Christian Mathis: Too many to list here. Earlier on,
but a few of us took a hiatus that, at least in my bands like Nirvana, HUM, and countless other
case, lasted about 15 years…you know, getting nineties bands. Nowadays, I'm exposed to so
married, having kids…I didn't think I'd get back to many different genres.
performing again like I did in my late teens and
early twenties. Then Jon (drums) and I (lead JM: I listened to a lot of the same music as the
vocals/guitar) got together and jammed on some other guys did, but I was really into a lot of heavier
tunes I'd written. Jon's my brother and we would stuff. I was and still am a huge Marilyn Mason fan,
occasionally still jam, and after a while, we Gwar, Killswitch, etc. I like a lot of different types
decided to piece together an actual band. We hit of music depending on my mood, but I am a metal
up Ryan Fowler, a close friend of ours, who had head at heart. Recently, I have been looking into
been holding down lead guitar duties for the Kelly a lot of independent bands, researching them for
Bell Band for the past several years. Somehow, myself. Radio these days is horrible and they
he managed to find the time to commit to our continue to play the same old washed-up crap. I
project as well. He reached out to Christian, who like to discover new artists that are out there
played bass, and everything just fit like a glove making a name for themselves.
from that first rehearsal. The band's name comes
from the fact that we'd all veered off to follow MH: How would you describe the music?
different paths but then reunited to play music
once again. RM: I mean, it's hard rock, especially our first
album -- just straight-ahead guitar-driven modern
MH: How long has VEER been together and what rock music.
first got you guys into music?
Ryan Fowler: I guess you would call us a modern
RM: VEER has only been around since late 2016, rock band if you were using generic terms, but our
but we've all been playing music for many years. influences stretch from all corners. We all grew up
Jon and I used to play all the time in our parents' listening to a wide variety of music from Jerry Lee
basement growing up, and Ryan was the guitarist Lewis to Van Halen to Prince, with a healthy dose
in a previous band with me, Nellie Blide. There is of 80s and 90s rock tossed in. We try to look for
a certain intuitiveness that comes with playing new sounds while keeping things familiar for a
music with people you're close to, people you've rock audience.
been playing music with for years…an organic
chemistry or something. JM: We play what we like and what we think
sounds good. Sometimes it is straightforward
Jon Malfi: Our father played guitar and drums in cause it works, and other times, it is unexpected.
bands when he was in his early teens. As long as If we enjoy playing it, that is all that matters. But
I can remember, music has always been a big part yeah, hard rock, modern rock…LOL.
of our lives. I was introduced to all the greats at a
very young age: The Beatles, Cream, Buddy MH: What is your creative process like? Writing
Holly…and it just left this awesome mystique lyrics? Music arranging?
about music and what it all encompassed. Ronald
even had an old four track tape deck recorder, and
we would work on making music all the time. It felt
like we never left the basement.
