doubleVee
Interview conducted on July 03, 2022
By Dan Locke
doubleVee was put into motion in 2012 when it became clear how Allan Vest and Barb [Hendrickson] Vest’s musical backgrounds complemented each other and how well the two worked together in the studio. The pair married in October of 2015 and went on to release their debut album in 2017.
doubleVee is Allan Vest (formerly of Starlight Mints) & Barb Vest. New album “Treat Her Strangely” will be released July 15th! Singles “When Dawn Comes Tonight” and “Matador Bell” are out now.
What is your upbringing?
ALLAN: I was born in Houston, Texas and adopted as an infant to a very non-musical family.
Luckily, we did have a very old upright piano that I picked out melodies on when I was around six years old. I took some piano lessons a year or so later, then took up viola and cello in middle school before finally getting an electric guitar when I was 13 years old. I never thought of making a career out of music until after a few years of college, where I met some interesting people in the art department at the University of Oklahoma. One of my last college courses was Engineering Calculus 2, before I finally told my parents that I planned to switch my focus to music. Within the last few years, I’ve located my biological parents via DNA testing sites, after earlier only having some redacted information from my adoption agency to go on, that told me my father owned music stores and my mother was an artist and musician.
BARB: I’m the younger of a pair of sisters born into a musical family, with my mother and sister and I gathering around the piano starting from very young ages, listening to my mother play and singing songs from musicals like The Sound of Music and Fiddler on the Roof. My grandmother was a composer and playwright, singing original songs and covers at her piano, with a cassette recorder alongside. I was a pretty eccentric child and lucky to be part of a family that encouraged that kind of individuality.
How did you discover music?
ALLAN: Before the days of Spotify and mp3s you had MTV’s 120 Minutes. That was a big stepping stone to finding unique music. Honestly, I discovered so much interesting music through friends in college and years living in Norman. I think it is amazing how much there is to discover these days with streaming. I have these huge playlists of recently discovered songs and I can’t imagine not having that access now.
BARB: I’m certain I’ve never really known a time without music, knowing my mother was singing to me before my ears had even fully formed. Our house was always filled with music, either from our piano or the record player or radio, with The Beatles, Queen, The Beach Boys, The Mamas and The Papas and other irreplaceable bands filling the air. My tastes expanded as I aged, but I’ll always have a soft spot for songs introduced to me during childhood.
How did you start to write music?
ALLAN: I really started writing using a cassette tape machine. I would keep playing a song (with guitar/bass/piano) and make minor changes and listen back, and make more changes and repeat. Then I bought a Tascam four track recorder and stepped up my game. Then an eight track Tascam in my mid-twenties. Looking back, I realize I was a late bloomer and really wish I had started writing songs in my teens.
BARB: I wrote simple songs in my staff books when I took piano lessons as a child and have written poetry off-and-on throughout my life, but didn’t really start to work on intensive song composition until Allan and I started working together in our studio. Bouncing ideas off of each other as we come up with melodies, harmonies, bridges and other twists for our songs, we’ve really fine-tuned our process over the years.
How did you get your first guitar and do you still have it?
ALLAN: Christmas when I was twelve years old. Peavey T-15 with the amp in the case. I wish I still had it. I traded it in for an amp, I think?
What is your guitar of choice now? Year, make and model?
ALLAN: Black Gibson ES-135 2003. I had a prized red 1993 ES-135 stolen in Minneapolis in 2007. I tracked it down via the serial number on a music shop’s website years later called American Guitar Boutique, but it had been sold to someone in Canada via Ebay. We’re still trying to track it down. I put a lot of work into that guitar, it’s worth at least ten times what I bought it for and meant a lot to me.
How did you get your band’s name?
BARB: We started to talk about forming a production company called doubleVee not long after Allan and I started dating, then decided to use it as our band name when we started working on music together, a few years before we made our shared last name official.
Describe your music.
ALLAN: Our music touches on several styles. I think we can be quirky, but this latest album has a more serious tone and vibe at times.
Royalties never appear like magic. Royalties are only sent to you through work undertaken by a PRO to ensure that their members are getting paid. If you’re not yet signed up to a Performing Right Organization like ASCAP, BMI or SESAC, you may not be receiving all the royalties you deserve. Do you belong to any songwriters’ organizations like the International Singer-Songwriter Association, SESAC, BMI or ASCAP?
BARB: Yes, we are both members of BMI.
What makes a good songwriter?
ALLAN: I think it depends on the type of music. I’m more of a melodic songwriter who likes to find hooks and twist them up a bit. I tend to babble when starting a song, not knowing where the lyrics are exactly heading at first. Some songwriters wear their heart on their sleeves, and I really admire that, but try to steer away from it. I like mystery in songs and lyrics that can be interpreted from different angles.
BARB: I think anyone with a vision for the melody and message of their creation is a good songwriter. Natural talent definitely helps…it’s amazing to listen through Allan’s hours of tapes of old ideas and hear how his songwriting styles have progressed.
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
ALLAN: I believe it was called Filth, for my first band, Burnwagon. It was in drop D tuning and there is probably a recording of it somewhere.
What is the process of writing your music?
ALLAN: Every song has a different process and arc to it. I would say at least half the song ideas come from an ever-changing vault of ideas we have on various hard drives. Once we make a decision on a song like that, we just put in the work (arrangement, expansion, alternations, lyrics…etc.) Sometimes we decide what we want a song to feel like musically and write it from the ground up. In our experience this can be done very quickly or can take weeks of trial and error. Lyrics are usually the last thing we work on, and we keep a recording setup at final mixing in case there are any last-minute ideas/retakes while doing our final mixing with Wes Sharon at 115 Recording.
Tell me about the making of the video for the single Matador Bell?
BARB: We were so thrilled when the fantastic Italian actor and model Ettore Nicoletti agreed when we approached him about working together. He has been very supportive of our music and was happy to collaborate with us. We had come up with a pretty intricate storyline, capitalizing on the beautiful locales in Cesena where he lives, imagining scenes along a pier, at the beach, in a fountain, at a gelato shop and running down a picturesque street, ultimately ending at a train station…before the inventive Ettore came up with an alternate storyline that fit very well and wouldn’t involve so many filming locations! He ended up not only writing the screenplay and co-starring in the video, he decorated and constructed the sets along with the spectacularly creative Sara Suzzi. We are so appreciative the charismatic actress Mara Di Maio co-stars…we love her chemistry with Ettore and how they were able to create tension in a small space, with it being the second doubleVee music video to feature an elevator as a filming location. We really couldn’t have asked for a more talented and wonderful group of people to work with.
How was it to work with Alberto “Adal” Comandini as a director?
BARB: We were grateful for the opportunity to get to work with him as a director and editor. He teamed with Director of Photography Luca Nervegna and Post Production guru Andrea “Mario” Marini to craft an enchanting video to accompany our song. We really wish we could have traveled to Italy for both days of filming, but kept in touch via WhatsApp and couldn’t be happier with the end result.
Tell me about your new album “Treat Her Strangely” which comes out on July 15th?
BARB: When the United States was officially propelled into the turmoil of the pandemic on March 11, 2020, the two of us were out to dinner, celebrating ten years together. We were surprised to see the Thunder versus Jazz basketball game canceled on the big screens and headed home, wondering what exactly was going on. As time went on and the situation continued to worsen, we dug in deeper to the safety of our home studio and began writing and recording our songs that would come to make up Treat Her Strangely, spending the next nine months carefully crafting them.
We took the album title from our lyrics for the opening track and first single, When Dawn Comes Tonight. It has a bit of an 80s throwback feel to it, with jazz chords and slightly askew synthesizers underscoring the tale of a modern woman and how she should be treated strangely, with reverence and magic. The song is accompanied by a film noir-style music video starring Anne K. Hadley and helmed by Dan Brown of Austin, Texas-based Royale Film Company.
Our second single, Matador Bell, is our re-imagining and expansion of Matador from Allan’s former band Starlight Mints’ 2000 debut album The Dream That Stuff Was Made Of. With discordant but melodic electric and acoustic guitar chords, distorted synths and clamorous brass flourishes, our extended version has added melodies and lyrics that supply a new twist to the story of the song. The album includes seven more songs, all with different tones and approaches. We recorded our vocals and main instrumental pieces in our upstairs home studio, with the piano parts recorded in our living room on our upright piano.
Our album explores a range of musical soundscapes including the hypnotic tango of Walk Away, the spaghetti western-meets-disco of The Fever Is You, the rhythmic orchestral elements of The Middle Side of Me alternating with plaintive piano, and the violin and synth in The Question’s Closed, complemented by heavy distorted guitars on top of a layered background with resolute lyrics. There’s also the rollicking rhythms of No More Nickels and Dimes and the dark, harmonic ballads Your Love Is It Real? and We’ll Meet Again.
We finished the final mixing and mastering with the amazing Wes Sharon of 115 Recording in Norman, Oklahoma. We spent the better part of six days together going over every element of our songs, completing the process in early June of 2021. It was a thrill to have finished our album after having put so much of our time and ourselves into it, but we hesitated to make release plans as we faced cancer battles with several of our family members and uncertainty over how the pandemic was going to continue to progress.
Several months later, we pulled the trigger and made plans to self-release our third-born and were very happy to collaborate for a third time with Salt Lake City-based artist Grant Fuhst on our album art. We feel so grateful for our album to be on the verge of release, knowing how long a journey it was to get to this point and how fortunate we are to create music during such turbulent times.
How was it to work with Brent Williams, Christi Wans and Kevin Webb?
ALLAN: Fantastic! We were glad to get to replace our sampled instruments with their expert live performances. It was my third time working with Brent (violins/violas) and second time with Kevin (trombone.) I have known them for years as we taught music lessons at the same company in Norman. We found Christi online and really enjoyed working with her!
What are your feelings about streaming music?
ALLAN: As a user of streaming services, I think they’re great. As a musician, I’m let down by how little is paid to the artists.
BARB: My feelings echo Allan’s. On one hand, it’s amazing to have huge libraries of music at our fingertips, on the other the payout system isn’t weighed in artists’ favor.
Digital vs. vinyl?
ALLAN: While I appreciate vinyl and sometimes play records with Barb, I will go with digital. I grew up owning a lot of vinyl but had a horrible incident one hot summer day in Oklahoma while transporting my vinyl from a friend’s house. CD’s would have not melted. Digital versus tape? That’s a tougher choice.
BARB: If I had to choose one, I’d pick digital simply for the ease of access, but do love the warmth of the analog format. We have several crates full of records scattered around the house that I’ve always looked forward to organizing and alphabetizing when we’re able to move on to somewhere with a bit more room, with a separate section for movie soundtracks and film scores.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
ALLAN: L’amour Est Bleu (Love is Blue.) The Paul Mauriat instrumental version. This song has always been in the back of my mind since childhood. I recall it being played on some “elevator music” station that my mom listened to while driving us to swimming practice. I also recall my friends and I feeling queasy when that station was on, but that was one of the songs they would play regularly for a period. Honestly, I hardly ever seek it out, but the verses are amazing and catchy with the harpsichord acting as the original vocal melody. The song just stays with me like a ghost.
BARB: The 1963 anthem “You Don’t Own Me” by Lesley Gore has been ringing in my ears lately, with the Supreme Court’s recent dangerous decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade. Lesley was only 17 years old when she recorded it. It’s shocking that so many years later women are still having to fight for control over their own bodies.
How was Costa Rica? Did you discover any new things about yourself?
BARB: We were fortunate to get to spend a few days in Costa Rica in the Monteverde and La Fortuna areas. After spending so much time sequestered away inside, getting to be outdoors in nature, enjoying ridiculously fresh food and wonderful conversations with the people we met there was a much-needed change of pace. I discovered I’m capable of keeping my sunglasses around my neck even when I flip my inner-tube underwater on river rapids, so that was something new!
How did you stay healthy during the lockdown?
ALLAN: We started making wraps in place of sandwiches for our lunches, as we tried to consume fewer carbs. Barb started making homemade salsa verde, too! We started a YouTube workout program, but fell off the bandwagon. When the weather cooperates, we go for walks around town.
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
ALLAN: We’ve been so focused on the creation of our album, producing of our music videos and working on promoting the release, it hasn’t left us much time for discovering new hobbies.
Barb bought me an acrylic painting kit, but we’ve been so busy I’ve only used it once so far. I bought her a chess board set (with magnetic pieces) so you can hang it on the wall (inspired by The Queen’s Gambit), but have yet to have time to teach her how to play. I haven’t really discovered any new hobbies lately, but I have perfected my wrap-making game.
How was it to be part of the Beyond Blue Soundtrack with your song Last Castaways?
BARB: We’re really proud one of our songs is a part of it. It’s a beautiful immersive educational video game set in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, produced by E-Line Media in partnership with BBC Studios and Blue Planet II. The soundtrack was executive produced by Karyn Rachtman and Otis Rachtman, who handled music supervision duties for the game. Karyn was also responsible for placing the Starlight Mints’ “Popsickle” in the 2006 animated movie Barnyard, so it was really nice getting to work with her again.
What about Holographic concerts in our living room?
BARB: Sure! If the technology is glitch-free, it seems like a great way to bring a more immersive experience to music fans.
In the past if a musician stopped doing music they found a new career. For example David Lee Roth from Van Halen became a licensed EMT in NY for 6 years, San Spitz (guitarist for Anthrax) became a master watchmaker, Dee Snider (Twister Sister) voice over work for SpongeBob SquarePants. If you can’t do music, what would you like to be doing?
BARB: Allan and I pursue alternate streams of income as it is, doing video production work and teaching music lessons among other things, but if it looks like it’s time to dial back our efforts in the music realm, it’s possible I’d consider a return to working in public radio, but creating some sort of travel-focused business might be more likely, since we’ve grown accustomed to working for ourselves, even if it’s not lucrative.
What is your happy place?
ALLAN: Probably swimming in the ocean. We are currently in landlocked Oklahoma, so I’ve only gotten to do this a handful of times. I was on the swim team for several years growing up and got to visit Nassau in the Bahamas as a young teenager. I would go out alone every morning fearlessly snorkeling sometimes what seems like miles away from shore.
BARB: Inside any cave. I first fell in love with them as a child, visiting the Cave of the Winds in Manitou Springs, Colorado. The sudden opening in the earth…the natural artistry of stalactites, stalagmites and other formations….the challenge of descending into and through a wild cave…the quiet isolation from the rest of the world. Years later, Allan and I married in that same cave I’d wandered many years before, in a private self-uniting ceremony.
Red Hot Chili Peppers are about to sell their entire song catalog for $140 million. In the past year a lot of musicians such as Stevie Nicks ($100 million), Bob Dylan (over $400 million), Taylor Swift, Journey, Def Leppard, K.T. Tunstall, and Shakira have sold their catalog rights within the last year. Bob Dylan sold his entire catalog for a reported $300 million. Neil Young sold 50 percent of his worldwide copyright and income interest in his 1,180-song catalogue to Hipnosis Songs Fund limited. Once you get to the age of about 70, publishing is far more lucrative than the mechanical royalties paid to artists based on sales, airplay and streams. A good example of this is Michael Jackson brought the rights to the Beatles catalog in 1985. And in the late 80’s the Beatles Revolution appeared in a Nike commercial. The lump sums being offered by publishing firms are more tax friendly concerning estate planning. Do you think you would be willing to sell your back catalog if someone like Universal is willing to buy everything, such as all the rights to all your songs?
ALLAN: Yeah, gimme that check for 100 million! Seriously, that is a hard call especially for an established artist. Look at how much income Kate Bush is making for Running Up That Hill after its highly effective placement in Stranger Things. She owns her masters, so that funding is going directly to her.
BARB: It is a tough call. I imagine it’s one that we would be open to looking into further down the line, if there’s interest in our music library.
Anything you would like to say in closing?
ALLAN AND BARB: We’d like to thank UnRated Magazine for the interview! As a band that self-releases our music, it’s an uphill battle to get the word out about us. We appreciate your interest and that of anybody inspired to help us spread the word, as we hope that our new songs might catch some ears and warm a few hearts.
