Diandra Interviews VHS Collection: Rising To Your Music Dreams

You ask any artist what their goal is, and they will, probably, say, “To be able to support themselves doing what they love.” VHS Collection are no different, but they are getting closer to living the life they dream and deserve. Becoming a staple band of the New York circuit, they are transitioning into national and even international attention, which has pushed them to reach for higher creative and personal goals. Getting ready for a February/ March tour around the U.S to celebrate their debut, Retrofuturism, I got to talk to the rising band that have maintained their independence and friendship as key to their genius.

Diandra: As a New York Band, how would you describe the quirks of this city? 

VHS Collection: It’s obviously a very vibrant music scene. Living in the lower east side there are so many great small rock clubs within a 5 block radius. From mercury lounge, where we cut our teeth, to rockwood, pianos, arlenes, and bowery electric, I love just going on an off night to see who’s playing. I always get blown away by some of the talent in these small rooms. 

Diandra: Being an independent artist, what have you learned about the music industry as “outsiders of sorts”?

VHS Collection: There are many tools available today that make it possible to reach a lot of people and build a fanbase without the backing of a major label. We built our audience initially through playing shows. Then we started releasing music on soundcloud and the audience grew. Spotify has really been our main driver in terms of reaching new people. They’ve been great to us and we were lucky enough to get good playlist placement, which has enabled us to reach new fans globally. We’ve been able to support and grow the project through streaming revenue, and it keeps feeding itself. We’re not averse to signing with a label eventually, but right now we’re in a good position where each new track has more listeners than the last, and each show is bigger than the last. The plan is maintain a certain level of growth until we need to seek label support. 

 Diandra: Most people stay independent to keep full ownership of their creativity and image. What are the pressures and perks of knowing your success is, literally, derived solely by you?

VHS Collection: It’s very satisfying. There are so many creative decisions that need to be made when building a project; logo design, album art, song choices, sonic choices, who to write with, who to produce with, etc. We get to make all those calls ourselves which keeps the whole thing 100% authentic. 

Diandra: Being the sole force behind your art and identity, how have you seen it grow? 

VHS Collection: It’s really an amalgamation of the creative tastes of three friends. As we grow as people, it’s reflected in the work. We’ve learned an incredible amount in a very short time, and are having a great time exploring new lyrical themes and sonic landscapes in our upcoming tracks. 

Diandra: You have said songs are like emotional escapes. Name some of your songs and where you think they escape you to? 

VHS Collection: ’Sign’ is about that transition phase where your trying to escape a past life into something new. It’s very autobiographical, we feel that we still have one foot in the real world and one foot on the tour bus, and not sure which world we fully live in yet. Also, it just started snowing in nyc so ‘waiting on the summer’ definitely comes to mind. 

Diandra: “Making it” is an ambiguous term. How would you define “making it” as a band?

VHS Collection: We just want to get to the point where we can continue to grow the project and support ourselves individually and we’re very close to that reality. On a larger scale, we have our sights set on MSG. 

Diandra: Having been playing together for so long; how would you define each other as artists and persons?

VHS Collection: It’s been great to watch the other guys grow and improve as musicians. Conors out in France; learning from the best mixing engineers in the world. James is constantly improving his voice and lyrical chops. I’ve been upping my game in terms of production and songwriting. We all take it very seriously, and have gotten much better in our fields over the last 3 years, and I think it’s reflected in the quality of the work.  

Diandra: You have said your sound can be more 90’s than 80’s. What are your favorite things about the 90s? 

VHS Collection: Wow, where to begin! That decade was so focused on the youth, we were so heavily marketed to. There was so much going on culturally and tons of great music, films, to consume growing up. I think you can’t help but be influenced by it. 

Diandra: How was the making of Retrofuturism different as a creative process for you; being your debut album? What are the sounds, styles, and messages you hope this record emanates about VHS Collection?

VHS Collection: Retrofuturism was our first record, so we were learning a lot on the fly. We had a general sense of the sonic landscape we wanted, but were still figuring out how to get there. The 80s vibe of that record wasn’t 100% intentional. We knew we wanted big synths, big drums, and rock guitars. I think those elements combined with James’ vocal style ended in a a very 80s sounding record. I think its great. It’s just not exactly where we were heading when we set out. Thematically, we were mainly writing about what was going on in our lives at the time; excited at the possibility of being able to make music for a living, scared that it might not work out, and walking the edge between success and failure. 

Diandra: So far, what has been the best part of your journey as VHS Collection?

 VHS Collection: Seeing that it’s possible. Having a vision in your mind and working hard until it becomes a reality. Also it’s pretty rad playing in a city you’ve never been to and having total strangers belt out your lyrics. 

For More Information on VHS Collection Click Here.

Retrofuturism Tour
February
12 – Nashville, TN @ High Watt
13 – Charlotte, NC @ Visulite Theatre
15 – Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5
16 – Gainesville, FL @ High Dive
17 – Miami, FL @ III Points
21 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s
22 – Houston, TX @ Bronze Peacock @ HOB
23 – Dallas, TX @ Club DaDa
26 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
28 – Santa Monica, CA @ Constellation Room

March
1 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex
2 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
4 – Portland, OR @ Holocene
5 – Vancouver, BC @ Fox
6 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza
8 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
9 – Denver, CO @ The Globe
13 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
14 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
15 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
16 – Toronto, ON @ Adelaide
21 – Boston, MA @ Sonia’s
22 – Washington, DC @ UHall
23 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza