THE VELTEXANS

"Made for anyone with a deeply melodic soul." - Michael Deeds - Washington Post

"...The Veltexans are doing incredible things with 3 minutes! Brooding beats and dark harmonies, jagged guitar and bass pulsing like a scared heart...real rock and roll. It's only a matter of time for these boys."

- Brian Rambur, West Regional A&R, Warner Brothers - Idaho Statesman

"It's Pavement meets Roy Orbison, Nirvana meets Buddy Holly...finally, pop proudly from Heaven AND Hell!" - Big Jeremy Stout - 100.3 the X Mag

Zach Turner has been playing music in Boise for quite awhile. Four years ago Turner was one of the top sellers at the Record Exchange with the excellent band Earnest Orange (which he had formed with his childhood best friend, Jake Florence). Just as things were catching on, Earnest Orange disbanded. Left in its wake was a young musician looking for new challenges. Since Earnest Orange went the way of the Dodo, Turner has gotten married, been the booking agent for one of Boise's best live music venues (the now defunct Pie), learned to tie a tie and hooked up with two of Boise's finest (see Jared Goodpaster and Nate Keezer) to form his new band, The Veltexans. I caught some of his new stuff at Opa. He was playing an acoustic gig with his drummer Keezer who was playing a cajon-basically a tuned wooden box that makes about 4 million different percussive tones. They sounded great. Turner's voice sounds like a mix of Perry Farrell, Willie Nelson and James Mercer, and his guitar playing is rhythmic and attacking. His new songs are markedly different from the stuff he was writing a few years ago. One of my faves is a tune called "For all Exploding Hearts"-a song that details the major label signing of the band Exploding Hearts and subsequent (hours after the signing) van wreck that killed three of the four band members. Haunting stuff. The song has vertical melodies and major/minor key switches that would make Chris Martin go home and write all night. Turner also played a new song called "Modern Belladonna" that was quick-tempoed and cool. The song makes me wonder how much Cars and old Cheap Trick he has been listening to. Though it was mainly a night of creative, original music, there were a few covers. Turner had to contend with a few doe-eyed girls begging him to "play that Shins song" and a couple of others. Get out and see him while you can, because soon he and his bandmates are taking off for California to chase their dreams in earnest. -Ryan Peck - Boise Weekly

Part snotty pop punk, part contemplative indie rock, and part neo-New Wave, The Veltexans’ Everything’s the MatterM is a modern rock deejay’s dream come true. But aside from their laundry list of successful contemporary sound-alikes (We Are Scientists, Kaiser Chiefs, and The Walkmen all come to mind), these gentlemen truly know how to rock. Standout tracks like “Hats Off to (Chad) Harper” and “Brand-Name Pills” combine crashing guitar and cymbals with snarly, tongue-in-cheek lyrics that spews forth from lead vocalist Zach Turner in true pissed-off punk fashion. Meanwhile, the shoegazing sounds of slowed-down tracks like “For All Exploding Hearts” and “In a Wheel” create just enough of a juxtaposition to the band’s hard hitters to keep things interesting. And with a solid live show to back up this slickly mixed debut, there’s little doubt The Veltexans will go unnoticed by the major labels for long. - Santa Barbara Independent

If the Walkmen went off the garage rock deep end, the result would sound something like the Veltexans’ recently released Everything’s the Matter. Taking cues from British invasion purveyors and modern-day indie darlings, their brand of rock is about as infectious as it gets. - Santa Barbara Independent

If the thought of seeing three incredible S.B. bands in one night interests to you, then you’re lucky: Just make thy way to Rocks this Friday. That’s when Boise, Idaho transplants-turned-locals The Veltexans will show off their razor-sharp riffs, smart vocals, and snappy percussion that’s as tight as a virgin’s … drum. They’re in the studio finishing their debut EP, and if their recent three-song demo is any indication, the Vel-T’s are gonna rawk the house first and ask questions later. Joining them are The Hero and The Victor and Springtime Is Wartime, so set phasers to “stun,” lend a lobe, and dig this gig. — Brier Random - Santa Barbara Independent