Our featured stream for the month of August is a demo from Sarah Shannon, recorded after the culmination of Velocity Girl, 25 years in the making. Well, more accurately, it sat in the archives for a while before rediscovery.
Check out the oral history interview with Shannon, Snappy Little Numbers Quality Audio Recordings label, and the musicians involved to get the full scoop below.
What you need to know first is that while the songs on this 6-song record aren’t new, they are timeless. You’re pick up on some ‘90s tinges but Sarah Shannon’s songs on Demo 98 feel vibrant and alive in 2023.
Demo 98 released on 12” black vinyl on July 28, as well as digital formats. It is a co-release between Snappy Little Numbers and Minty Fresh Records.
Sarah Shannon Demo 98: Uncovering and (Briefly) Exploring an Indie Rock Time Capsule
Introduction and interview conducted by Chuck Coffey (aka Charlie Continental- Snappy Little Numbers/SPELLS)
Sarah Shannon is best known as the lead singer for the Washington, DC-based indie rock band, Velocity Girl. They ran from 1989-1997 and are about to do some reunion shows this September. After Velocity Girl disbanded, Sarah recorded a solo demo in 1998 at WGNS Studios in Washington, DC with Adam Wade (Jawbox, Shudder To Think) on drums and Geoff Turner (Gray Matter, Three) on guitar, bass and engineering duties. Soon after, Sarah moved to Seattle, WA and the demo was all but forgotten. Then in 2021 I got a text from Adam Wade, who I had never met or talked to before. We did have a mutual friend in Jim Spellman, who just so happened to have played drums in Velocity Girl. I did know who Adam was, being a fan of a few of his bands, so it was an unexpected surprise when he had an idea for a project that he wanted to talk to me about. What follows is the brief oral history of how Sarah Shannon Demo 98 became a Snappy Little Numbers release in the year 2023, in partnership with Minty Fresh Records. It begins with Jim and centers around Adam’s efforts behind the scenes. Sarah shares some highlights of this snapshot in time as well. Enjoy the read and put the record on during or soon after!
Jim Spellman: I met you, Chuck, when I was living in Denver. I actually read a review of one of your bands in the paper and said to myself “This is a guy I should meet,” and I tracked you down. We worked on a band together that didn’t come together, but I knew I had met a lifelong friend and ally. Adam and I have known each other for a million years and actually played for a time in a band called Starry Eyes with me and Sarah right before this the Demo 98 material was recorded. Fast forward a few years and SLN put out the Foxhall Stacks records which went really well, so when Adam mentioned to me that this tape had surfaced I immediately suggested he get in touch with you, and I’m so happy he did!
Chuck Coffey: Adam, what was the timeline like from Geoff’s discovery of the original tapes to when you and I started talking?
Adam Wade: It was pretty quick. After I dug up the cassette tape of the recordings, I digitized and shared it with Sarah, Geoff and Jim. Once Geoff confirmed he still had the masters, a vinyl release became the idea. Jim suggested SLN and that just made the most sense. That and SLN was the first label to say yes.
Chuck Coffey: Adam and Jim, the timing of this coincides nicely with the Velocity Girl reunions. Was that on anyone’s radar when this project began?
Adam Wade: It was not, as this was well underway before any VG reunion was an idea. But I did happen to notice an uptick on the web of VG nostalgia percolating in 2021.
Jim Spellman: Definitely not. From time to time over the last 25 years VG has gotten offers to play shows but we never took it seriously. Then earlier this summer Archie brought up doing some remixes and there seemed to be a different vibe amongst us. As a group I would say we seemed more open to revisiting the songs and our creative relationships. Then things just started happening. Dante, the owner of the Black Cat here in DC, asked us to play the clubs 30th anniversary show and then the Bowery Ballroom in New York reached out and offered us a show in late September and we are toiling away behind the scenes on remixes and maybe a compilation.
With all that happening, it’s been really great to have Demo 98 coming out. I think people are really going to connect with it. After VG broke up, Sarah and I did Starry Eyes along with Kelly from VG. We did one EP with our friend Nick Pelliocciotto on drums and then Adam took the drum seat. In that band, Sarah and I were writing together a lot and she had a batch of great songs she had written on guitar but, to be honest, I was pretty spent at the time and couldn’t really figure out how to collaborate with her on the tunes. It was really hard to stop working with her. She’s a great singer and great collaborator, but I think she would agree that it was time for new things and it was so great to hear her working on these songs with Geoff and Adam. I heard the recordings at the time and was blown away, but then, as can happen, the songs faded from mind, my cassette copy or janky burned CD got lost and everyone moved on. When Adam sent me the tracks recently, I was really floored by how Geoff, Sarah and Adam brought the songs to life. It’s really good.
Chuck Coffey: Adam, how did Minty Fresh get involved?
Adam Wade: Sarah’s last two solo efforts were released on Minty Fresh so it made sense to involve them. I asked and they were happy to tag along. They’ve put out so many great bands over the years. It’s really cool that they’re involved.
Chuck Coffey: Sarah and Adam…are there any memories that stick out from the demo sessions? Was there ever a band assembled and/or any live performances of the material?
Sarah Shannon: The genius of Geoff. He is such an amazing musician and producer...and engineer. The studio was right next to The Black Cat. A blessing and a curse. Lots of fun was had. Maybe too much. I played a show at The Black Cat. I played guitar. I was not proficient. It was rather stressful. Shoulda just sang!
We also played a few shows on the West Coast. Adam, Geoff and Joe Bass from The Posies (all the best of the best, lucky me).
Adam Wade: Needless to say we were all very comfortable at WGNS. It was a really fun, easy session. I don’t think we did many takes. It was great to make music with good friends. A lineup was put together to play The Crocodile in Seattle with the late great Joe Skyward on bass.
Chuck Coffey: Does anyone have any parting wisdom? Like, for example, how fortuitous it can be to wait a quarter of a century before releasing fantastically executed indie rock/power pop that stands up and stands out from any person or band you could possibly think of both then and now? Like, just for example.
Sarah Shannon: It would be non-fortuitous to wait a quarter century before another release. As it turns out I have about 14 new songs. I want to release them in early to mid 2024. Not in 2050.
Adam Wade: I’m probably the last person that should be dispensing wisdom but I am really happy this is finally seeing the light of day.
Jim Spellman: Three highly talented musicians, from a close-knit musical community hitting on all cylinders. What’s not to love?
Velocity Girl reunion shows:
9/8/23 Velocity Girl @ Black Cat in Washington, DC.
9/30/23 Velocity Girl @ Bowery Ballroom in New York, NY
