Getting Loud: STS9 Drummer Zach Velmer Discusses Band’s New LD, Upcoming Tour, Vinyl Releases & More

Words by: Jaimie Siegle

It’s been an eventful year so far for electronic-infused jam band STS9, who kick off their Spring 2017 Get Loud Tour at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas this weekend in support of their latest album The Universe Inside. In January, just a few days prior to STS9’s two-night runs in Austin and Chicago, the band announced via Facebook that longtime lighting designer Saxton Waller would be “stepping away from live shows to pursue new creative opportunities.”

While this news came as a shock to many fans, drummer Zach Velmer set the record straight about Saxton’s involvement with STS9 when he spoke to JamBase from the band’s new studio in Santa Cruz, California. He also shared some insight about vinyl releases for The Universe Inside and the band’s classic album Artifact and discussed how their sound continues to evolve.

Read on to find out what fans can expect from the Get Loud Tour, which wraps up in New Orleans during Jazz Fest with an acoustic Axe The Cables set on April 30, and look out for STS9 this summer at High Sierra Music Festival, the inaugural Oregon Eclipse festival and Ohio’s Resonance Music and Arts Festival in September.

JAMBASE: We saw a new LD at work in Austin and Chicago. Who will be in charge of lighting/production on the upcoming tour and what will be different or new about it?

Zach Velmer: The new production we’re bringing out on tour, Tiberius [Benson] will man that. But having said that, Saxton is still 100 percent part of the team! He’s still helping with the programming, but it’s just a different take on how we’ve been doing things. It’s part of this evolution where Saxton’s learning a whole bunch of new stuff. Now, we can take his art and use him to his full ability. Saxton’s definitely been somewhat of a mentor for Tiberius, but it’s a whole symbiotic thing. We are kind of delving into some new technology and a new look for this tour, so that’s also exciting.

JAMBASE: Who makes the setlists for each show? Do you guys collaborate, rotate, or do it the day of the show before rehearsing?

ZV: It’s definitely a collaborative process. It’s sort of the same way we write songs. Let’s say [guitarist] Hunter [Brown] has an idea for a song. He’ll bring something to the table, but it’s not done until we all add to it. I pretty much write the setlists, but it’s in a document that anyone can add to, write notes or switch things around.

It would be too crazy for all of us to try to do it at once, so I take that out of equation and think about what we played the last time there, what we played [at other shows] close to Dallas. It’s pretty chaotic because we have so many songs – then there’s what people want to hear, what we have time to rehearse – so all that stuff taken into consideration, but in the end we try to look at the setlist as one whole piece.

It’s pretty crazy and it’s a lot of work, I’m not gonna lie. Sometimes you get a little hurt when people don’t like it, but we’re out there doing our best to make shows super fun for everybody. We love playing the new stuff and we love playing the old stuff. It’s a balance.

JAMBASE: You guys recently released 800 more copies of Artifact on vinyl. Do you have plans to release any more (this year or ever), or press The Universe Inside to vinyl?

ZV: Yes and yes.

JAMBASE: That’s great news! Any other details you might be able to share about when either might be released?

ZV: Unfortunately because of the nature of what vinyl is, it’s not that easy. It’s a tedious process, and there’s also the fact that vinyl has become more popular than it’s ever been. Things get backed up, so it doesn’t have the easiest turnaround time.

JAMBASE: The announcement of the Houston show is exciting. Were y’all wanting to show Houston some love, or was it because it’s kind of on the way to New Orleans?

ZV: It was part of a strategic plan. Since we just played Austin, and then we’d be able to hit Dallas and Houston on the spring tour, but we also listen to our fans, and they’ve been saying “Dude, you have to come to Houston!” Being so involved and connected with fans you realize that stuff, so the band also has a pulse on doing meet-and-greets or hangouts, and we relay that to the people who help with our booking/scheduling.

JAMBASE: STS9 has been around for 20 years. How will the sound continue to evolve? Where do you see the band, or the type of music you’ll be making, in another 10 years?

ZV: I don’t know! I have no idea. Great question. Let’s just say best years aren’t behind us – they’re ahead of us. We’re still incredibly inspired with each other, with the music, with how fun it is, and with creating music together. As long as that’s happening, we’re going to create. We don’t sit down and try to come up with what or who we want to sound like. The music comes through us. If we try to “force” the music it doesn’t work, because [the music] doesn’t want to be forced.

So, we let the music speak for itself. This last record [The Universe Inside] was a good example of that: it was divinity. It was the magic of how it all came together – writing songs together, feeling the vibe, feeling the funk, all that stuff.

If I could look into a crystal ball or see the future I’d say we’re still excited to create together and see what the music wants to do, and to be humble, stay true to that – to not force what the fans are asking for, or force the kind of music we want to make. I don’t think that’s really what art is, or what music is. It comes from your heart, from nature, and from so much inspiration.

JAMBASE: How have you evolved as a drummer/musician over your career with STS9?

ZV: The ebb and flow and evolution of being an artist, growing through experience, I’ve learned huge life lessons. I’m getting older – and hopefully getting wiser – which is what you hope to gain, wisdom from past experiences that can be applied in a way that perpetuates being more creative, and allows you to do things you couldn’t do before and have bigger aspirations.

It’s never-ending. As an artist, there’s never a point to where you’re like, “I think I’m good.” There’s a drive that you can’t let go of. I think about drums constantly. I hear beats, I want to play beats.

JAMBASE: Are there other newer or up-and-coming artists or bands today you see who are pushing the envelope in a similar way that you’d recommend to STS9 fans?

ZV: Well, on this tour we’ve got 1320 Records artists Modern Measure, Jaw Gems and City Of The Sun. The 1320 label is still in full swing, and we’re excited to link up with all these guys, watch them come up under us and see what they’re doing. And then just to be honest, a lot of the people out there we’ve been playing with for years – Big Gigantic, Pretty Lights – have created careers for themselves, and we love all those guys.