Sarah Shannon Demo 98

On the heels of a Velocity Girl reunion, Sarah Shannon releases a fantastic EP of demo tracks.

Good Morning!

Today we’re taking a quick look at Demo ‘98 by Sarah Shannon.

All good things must come to an end eventually. Velocity Girl is no exception. Like many, I was bummed when the band called time on their career in the late 90s. And while the band may have been ready for a change, frontwoman Sarah Shannon still wanted to make music. She would eventually form the short-lived Starry Eyes before going solo and diving into a mellower sound with 2007’s City Morning Song.

But long before either of those was VG’s breakup. A split that left her hungry to get back into the studio.

So she did.

Recruiting fellow DC scene vets Adam Wade (Jawbox, Shudder to Think) and Geoff Turner (Gray Matter, Three), Shannon took some tracks she’d written into the studio and cut a 6-track EP— where it promptly sat for the next 25 years. With the Velocity Girl reuniting for two shows next month, now seemed like the perfect time to dust this off and share it with the world.

Wade & Turner bring considerable talent to the mix and do well to accentuate Shannon’s vocals. The result is a gumbo of genres: indie, alternative, art rock & power pop. It’s all here.

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The record opens with the fantastic Wheel in a Well that will have you feeling like you never left the 90s (in only the best ways). The fuzz & melodies feel like a Velocity Girl track, with Shannon’s voice accentuating each riff.

The trio takes a stab at covering Richard Thompson’s I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight, and acquit themselves well. Charles Bennington adds some texture with a bit of saxophone here. If it’s power pop you want, Marvel’s got you. With its clean riffs and bright sound, it might be the most straightforward power pop-y track on the EP.

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“When Velocity Girl finally ended its wild ride in 1997, I was still eager to make music. In 1998, I gathered my friends Geoff and Adam.  Together, we went into WGNS studios to record some new songs I had written (as well as a cover Adam was bugging me to do). The songs reflected on Velocity Girl while at the same time looked forward to a hopeful future. As is often the case, life has a way of intervening and the tapes got buried on a shelf for 20+ years. Geoff rediscovered them not too long ago and we were thrilled at how good they still sounded.  We decided the songs should finally see the light of day and now here we are with a proper release, 25 years later.”

– Sarah Shannon

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Side B opens with “I Don’t Want to See The Light,” a downtempo number that starts slow and quickly transitions to a much faster tempo…but only for a second before downshifting again. It’s quite a back-and-forth. Shannon hits all the notes here— literally, in this case—as there are high, medium, and low notes.

Learn The Ride sees the three of them dipping a toe into the psych-rock world; this time, it’s Turner’s time to shine. The winding bassline is infectious and is a solid foundation for the delicate guitar jangle.

The EP closes with Gone, a catchy track that evokes the best parts of Velocity Girl. It's the kind of sunny track that makes it really hard not to nod your head or tap your foot.

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Bottom line: 25 years is a long time for anything to sit, let alone a half dozen songs, but the sounds here still are as fresh and catchy as ever.

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Listen:

Sarah Shannon | Demo ‘98, 2023

Click the record to listen on your platform of choice.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the record. Share your thoughts below!

Thanks for being here,

Kevin—