Vedera

Vedera (formerly Veda) was a rock band from Kansas City, Missouri.

History

The band members all grew up the Kansas City suburb of Blue Springs. Kristen May was born into a musical family and her mother introduced her to the work of Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Jim Croce. When May was 17, her father, a drummer, gave her a guitar and she began writing her own songs.

Meanwhile, Brian Little's father gave his son his first guitar at age 13 and Little played in bands throughout high school. Little loved classic guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, and Lindsey Buckingham, whom he cites as someone who "knows how to add melody to a song, but not take away from what the singer is trying to say."

May and Little knew each other in high school and began playing in a band together called, Red Authentic, after May returned home following an aborted stint at college in Nashville. "I didn't want to study music anymore, I just wanted to play it", she says.

In 2003, the band she had formed with her brothers needed a guitarist and they called on Little. However, with her brothers unable to travel and pursue the career musician life that May and Little craved, they asked Little's high-school friend Jason Douglas to join and also recruited Brian's younger brother Drew to play drums. The band was renamed "Veda".

Veda to Vedera

In the summer of 2004, Veda recorded its six-song EP, This Broken City, at Black Lodge with the support of Ed Rose. In 2005, the band released an LP entitled The Weight of an Empty Room.

In early December 2005, Veda's label, Second Nature Recordings, announced that the band had been forced to change its name from "Veda" to "Vedera" to avoid legal complications with another band of "a similar moniker". Though the other band spells their name as Vaeda, it's pronounced exactly the same way and had caused them several instances of confusion in the marketplace.

Since the summer of 2005, the band has been touring at various times with Dredg, MewithoutYou, Communiqué, Thrice, Mae, and Underoath. In early January 2006, Vedera went on a 40 city tour opening for Mutemath, followed by an opening stint for Owen. In the Summer of 2006, Vedera joined a tour with Lucero and Murder By Death. After a month off, they headed back on the road for another tour with Mae and The New Amsterdams. Kristen May and Brian Little subsequently married.

In 2007, Vedera signed to Epic Records and were featured on the hit T.V. show, The Hills. They were also featured on iTunes and played their single "Satisfy" on Ellen. May also sang with the lead singer of The All American Rejects and Jason Mraz while they were touring with them. Vedera opened for Eisley on their Combinations tour in early 2008. In early 2009 Vedera opened for The Fray on their club tour and also performed in the spring with The All-American Rejects on the I Wanna Rock tour.

Stages

Recording of their album Stages began October 17, 2007. It was released online on October 6, 2009.

May suggest Stages is about "our blood, sweat, and tears over the past five years as a band on the road." Vedera recorded Stages with Epic Records A&R executive Mike Flynn, who co-produced the Fray's double-platinum album How to Save A Life and Augustana's 2008 album Can't Love, Can't Hurt, and Producer/Engineer Warren Huart (The Fray, Augustana, Howie Day). "Mike is like our George Martin," Little says. "He has a great sense of melody," May adds.

The songs begin with May and Little, then the pair bring their ideas to Jason and Drew who "take it to the next level," May says. "That's the great thing about being in a band. Brian and I could have been a couple of folk songwriters, but Jason and Drew really make us who we are as a band."

Breakup

In 2011, Vedera disbanded and announced that May and Brian will be working together on May's new solo album.

On October 22, 2012, it was announced that May joined the band Flyleaf as lead vocalist.^[1]

Band members

• Kristen May – vocals, guitar, piano
• Brian Little – lead guitar
• Jason Douglas – bass guitar
• Drew Little – drums

Discography

• 2004: This Broken City
• 2005: The Weight of an Empty Room
• 2009: Stages

References