Today we’d like to introduce you to Marlena Martinez.
Hi Marlena, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I began writing and performing as Velvet Penny when I was about 15 years old. The first few years of this was sharing my music with my close friends, playing at open mics and performing at local DIY spaces.
By the time I was about 20 years old I laid Velvet Penny to rest after a Halloween show where I recreated the scene from Carrie where pigs blood gets poured on her. During that time I was a solo performer using a loop pedal and line 6 amp to layer until feedback became unbearable, octave and reverse being my favorite effects to utilize.
I took about another four years to come back to Velvet Penny & when I did I had found Wolf Kroeger and Shachar Boussani who helped me to actualize the music I had locked away during that break from Velvet Penny. It was with their help that I saw into the world of professionals in music and was able to create ‘All the Flowers.’ Before I met them, I hadn’t had any exposure to the world of full time musicians, and it was through their synthesis I made the decision within myself to fully go after my ambition as an artist.
Since releasing ‘All the Flowers’ I’ve assembled a band to perform with and have been working on assembling a team to make the most of our coming releases. Ultimately we want to go on sustainable tours and have been slowly working our way into new territories with short run tours.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It is not a smooth road. There are a lot of challenges that come up, but the most challenging is preserving a mindset that helps you to overcome the various challenges. There’s no straight path to finding your way as an artists, as a result we have to continuously push ourselves to move into new territory and try different things to get to where we’re going. It’s important to have a clear mind and be aware of what your intentions are otherwise all of the challenges that present themselves will topple over on you.
I’ve had to learn a lot about myself as an artist, and who I am as I navigate that landscape. I am definitely a songwriter, so learning how to communicate my ideas and be clear on what type of dynamic works for me when collaborating has helped me to grow a ton.
Taking the DIY approach to booking, merchandise, and promotion has taught me about how much work goes into the backend of making tours and releases happen. Observing the release schedules of artists that I really admire has helped me to see the big picture around releases. There’s still a lot to learn and I know there will be new challenges that arise, but every time we do it, it gets easier and more manageable.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a singer/songwriter playing in the genre of psych rock. I haven’t found a ton of other female led psych rock groups, let alone brown women. In this way I feel like I am able to add a different take on the genre, as my experiences are inherently different from those commonly in this space.
What are your plans for the future?
We’re currently touring through the Southwest with Swing Auditorium, which as been working out really well and has been a load of fun. Before taking off we released out new single, ‘Hot Air Balloon’ and passed the footage for the music video off to our friend Jamie to edit. We plan to release the video by the end of the Summer.
We also spent the beginning of the year tracking for the next full length release, which is exciting, since more of these songs have been built out in the band dynamic, rather than in studio sessions. I’m currently looking into what it will take to press this record on 12” vinyl and shoot videos for two of the songs. My dream is to go on a national tour with this record next year <3
Contact Info:
- Website: https://velvetpenny.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/velvetpennymusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Velvet-Penny-100082136272068/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@VelvetPennyMusic
- Other: https://velvet-penny.bandcamp.com/music
Image Credits
Domenica Contreras (Pink Dress Photo)
Fanny Chu (Yellow Skirt Photo)
‘All the Flowers’ Music video shoot DP Kishan Patel
Emily Bolka Behind the Scenes ‘All the Flowers’ Music Video Shoot
