Life Without Velocity Girl - Pop 6

Valued readers: Meet Jim Spellman. Aside from having been Velocity Girl's drummer, he has also been a whole ass newscaster for CNN and CCTV America. He is a real person.

Aside from lead singer Sarah Shannon's solo exploits (and brief stint with follow-up band Starry Eyes), there was not much in the post-VG void with which to track the movements of the former members. However, Spellman hit the ground running with a succesful pivot to the world of cable news and a string of musical projects. The one that caught my ear was a Spellman-led band called Foxhall Stacks. It had been about two decades since Velocity Girl's breakup when I first heard Foxall Stacks. While a mature departure from the Shoegaze/C86 influenced experimentation of early VG days, the band sounded solid. Perhaps musical proof that yes, you can trust those over thirty. However, one track on their release stood out. 2020's Half Stack EP featured a beautiful, airy groove called "Surround". Deep in the mix, in the chorus -- you physically have to LOOK UP to hear it -- but it is there: the voice of Sarah Shannon. This would be the first time I have heard her voice with Jim's musical accompaniment since Velocity Girl. New music appearing as a gift from the last project that mattered to me. Sarah's voice called to me like a survivor buried in time rubble assuring proof of life. Magic can still be created in worlds of disappointment and loss. I had more loss to come but surprisingly, more magic as well. Far more than I expected.