Verisimilitude is a group of three best friends who never cared much for vocals. We grabbed a beer with bassist & keyboardist Dakota Appelbaum to talk band life, real life and Austin Instrumental Music Festival (returning early 2018).
WHAT IS THE MEANING BEHIND YOUR LATEST EP, BEXAR HUGS?
It’s a reference to Bexar [bear] County in San Antonio. Receiving the love from our city and our support, then trying to give it back.
‘Biscuit Bitch’ from Bexar Hugs is a great song name. As an instrumental group, how much of a relation is there between the song title and what’s been recorded?
It’s often just randomly selected, but ‘Biscuit Bitch’ came from a time Zach [guitar] and I were working together in Fredericksburg, and having a bite after work at Whataburger. We overheard the banter of someone calling another a ‘buttered biscuit bitch’, and it just stayed with us as we wrote the song. So titles can be random, but there can be a connection to what was going on in our lives at the time. In a way lyrics can put you in a box. You have songs that already have a story, mostly about love, or hardship—whereas with instrumental music, you make the story.
You have songs that already have a story, mostly about love, or hardship—whereas with instrumental music, you make the story.
IS THERE A BEST LOCATION TO LISTEN TO V-TUDE? BLASTIN’ ON A ROAD TRIP AT NIGHT?
It’s where you’re driving to work or doing a workout, something active, that’s the feedback from a lot of people. It’s not something you want to put on at a party at 11 o’clock at night. Most parties at least.
DO YOU THINK THAT IT’S POSSIBLE TO USE INSTRUMENTS TO RECALL CERTAIN MEMORIES?
Of course. With music it’s when you hear those certain notes, certain songs, the shit you grew up on; the nostalgia hits you. The feelings of where you were at the time, and how you interpreted those songs when you first listened. When I was young I listened to Rage Against The Machine for the pure energy, I didn’t know what they were talking about, but it was purely the sound and ”Fuck you I won’t do what you tell me!” that I embodied.
VERISIMILITUDE MEANS ‘THE APPEARANCE OF BEING TRUE AND REAL’. DO YOU TRY TO ACHIEVE THAT?
There’s really no significance to the name and the music. We picked that name because literally my mom found it in the dictionary for us in 2006. So if anything I would say it relates more to our own personal truths that we’re portraying through our lives, and finding connections to how we are resembling these truths.
HOW’S AUSTIN INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC FEST?
So I’ve produced AIM Fest with Ty Thompson since 2015 and its been so great. We bring instrumental musicians together from all over the world and I work so hard to make sure it’s amazing. So yeah, I’m excited to dive in for an even better fest next year!
Stay tuned for their winter singles and next release in early 2018 at v-tude.bandcamp.com, facebook.com/vtude and aimfest.com
