The Velcro Leaves

From the depths of sweaty church basements to redeemed ghetto structures come the two that comprise the innovative experimental band The Velcro Leaves. And innovative is a term that is often thrown around lightly, but Jonathan and Andrew Shadel take innovation seriously. Their inventive music is a collaborative experiment that many have found hard to verbally describe. “Atypical is probably a proper word to define the music,” says J. Shadel, eccentric vocalist of the two-man band. “We feel that music should be art, and in every project we involve ourselves in, we attempt to make art that breaks ground.”

And breaking ground is something that The Velcro Leaves have become known for. With instrumentation that defies convention and a diverse sonic palette, their sounds reach places many musicians have feared to tread. It is minimalism contrasting collage. It is synthesized contrasting organic. It is melody contrasting noise. It escapes what words can define—and that is the ways it is intended to be received. Yet the music is only a part of the equation; the poetry of J. Shadel is often noted for its depth and scope, far removed from the stale conversations of modern culture. With a poetic voice and a constantly experimental perspective, the words tend to delve to the darkened depths of human emotion. “Words are such an abstract canvas that can accommodate the vast spectrums of surrealism to realism. I don't like to trap myself in either, but just create word art that defies conventions,” explains J. Shadel.

It is against such a verbal canvas of phrases and diverse imagery that the music flourishes with an independent sense of collaboration. Defying the communism of popular arts and the socialized forms of creativity, these two blood brothers try to collaboratively find new social depth in varying levels of the artistic community. Perhaps they are idealists and dreamers, but The Velcro Leaves believe that music can bring people together to cause real change. And bringing people together is something they long for. The live setting is where all these pieces come together—and their innovative live show is something that must be experienced. “The live set is constantly pushing boundaries and evolving in new directions—it is where we want to strike conversations and make friends,” J. Shadel says in hopes that people will choose to experience their show. With an innovative perspective on arts and music, The Velcro Leaves are looking to use words and music to experimentally further the communities they find themselves in.