Play

Photos

Velvet Negroni finds freedom in The Current studio

by Andrea Swensson and Cecilia Johnson

September 03, 2019

Play Now [28:11]

Velvet Negroni at The CurrentNate Ryan | MPR

Velvet Negroni - Confetti (Live at The Current)

by MPR

Velvet Negroni - Wine Green (Live at The Current)

by MPR

Velvet Negroni - Kurt Kobain (Live at The Current)

by MPR

Jeremy Nutzman has changed stage names so many times that you could be forgiven for not recognizing his real one. As a veteran of the Twin Cities music scene, his bands and projects have included Go Ask Alex, Germy, Nutz, Black Male and the Extortionist, Spider Baybie Raw Dog, Chelsea Boys, Pony Bwoy, Slapping Purses, and Marijuana Deathsquads — and that's an incomplete list. Another moniker, for example, is Velvet Negroni, the project Nutzman has been building since 2017. As Velvet Negroni, he’s currently on tour supporting Tame Impala, but he took advantage of a break to visit The Current and perform an in-studio session for The Local Show.

In this session, Nutzman performs "Confetti," "Wine Green," and "Kurt Kobain" from Neon Brown, the second album he's released as Velvet Negroni. It's his first project via 4AD, the British label who've signed Big Thief, Grimes, Purity Ring, and Tune-Yards. The music thumps and spins, touched by rock, inertia, hip-hop, and psychedelics.

"What is it about that sound that's really resonating with people?" host Andrea Swensson wonders in her interview with Nutzman. He's not sure how to answer, so he asks her to venture a guess. "It feels like you've been in this pursuit to find creative freedom," she says, "and I think you've found it with this project."

"You know what?" he says. "I concur."

There's a lot more to talk about with Velvet Negroni; in his conversation with Andrea, he expands on his stifled upbringing, CD hustles, and relationship to drugs. Use the audio player above to hear Velvet Negroni's performance in The Current studio and the full interview.