Pushing Veronica is a rising Los Angeles-based alternative punk rock band.
They have performed all over the country, from shows at the Rainbow Room and the Whiskey A Go-Go on the Sunset Strip to a national tour with rock band Like A Storm.
The band's most recent single, "Carry The Flame," reflects their unique perspective as young punk revolutionaries. The tune is centered around a father, a son, and their generational differences. "Carry The Flame" confronts tradition and advocates for positive change. With its catchy riffs, dynamic bass lines, witty lyrics, and heavy groove, "Carry The Flame" is the ultimate headbanger.
The epic music video is complete with fire, lively performances, and a boxing ring. The video was created in collaboration with director Paul Boyd, who has worked with Neon Trees, Dead Mau5, Lenny Kravitz, and various other artists.
We spoke with Pushing Veronica band members Julien Silvas (vocals, guitar), Oli Litner (vocals, guitar), Brady Ward (drums), and Noah Rozansky (bass) about their influences, experiences, and new single. Read the full interview and listen to "Carry The Flame" below.
How would you describe your sound?
J: I would say that we’re a punk alternative kind of sound.
O: Our newest single is our full foray into alt rock. We’re inspired by the music we grew up on like Nirvana and Green Day, and all the exciting things happening in Rock right now from bands like Badflower and IRONTOM. If you want anthemic alternative rock songs that will make you want to chant along, then check us out!
Who are your musical influences?
J: My top bands that have influenced me are Nirvana, Foo Fighters, and Queens of the Stone Age.
O: It’s probably Weezer for me. They have a knack for writing such incredible, catchy choruses. They’re so angsty and specific-- I just love Weezer.
N: I listen to a lot of modern alternative rock, indie, pop, that kind of stuff. My favorite bands are The Wrecks, Half Alive, and Friday Pilots Club, but I was originally influenced by a lot of classic rock stuff.
B: I grew up listening to the older Blink 182 stuff, a lot of Foo Fighters, and Rise Against.
What inspired the band name “Pushing Veronica”?
O: We went on a band retreat around the early days of our band. We had this huge brainstorm of names. "Pushing Veronica" was built on this pattern that we had seen, which was bands having a verb and the name of a girl in their title. You have "Asking Alexandria," and there’s a local band we love called "Sitting on Stacy." We’re 18 now, and many of our songs so far have been about our perspective growing up. We like to use characters like Veronica and Chad, who makes an appearance in our upcoming single, to highlight absurdities within our society and push our commentary to the limit. Our purpose is to bring some light and positive energy-- some purpose-- into what we do, and help give a voice to the people that society pushes and pulls around.
"We like to use characters like Veronica and Chad, who makes an appearance in our upcoming single, to highlight absurdities within our society and push our commentary to the limit."
What are some of the funniest experiences you’ve had onstage?
J: We were doing a video at Rock City Studios in Camarillo, and Oli had a wireless guitar system. He ran off the stage, dancing around where the crowd would be, and he jumped back onto the stage from the front, fell flat on his face, and broke his guitar.
O: The song had a ton of swear words, and we were practicing. There was this little kid who came in the room and he seemed cool, but I was worried that we were a bad influence on him because the whole song is just the F-word over and over again. I was trying to close the door or tell him to go outside, so I jumped off the stage, and when I came back I fell flat on my face. My tuner, tuning pegs, everything flew off of the guitar. It was not good.
B: I was just thinking about the time when you (Oli) dropped your guitar on your pedals, picked it up, and dropped it again. When we were starting out we played this gig called the Guitar Merchant, and Oli’s strap dropped and people in the audience were trying to help him put it back on, but then it dropped again.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, which song would it be?
J: Before the interview, we were all talking and I was saying “Baby Shark” all the way. It’s the best song ever. But in all seriousness, I’d pick “My God Is The Sun” by Queens of the Stone Age.
O: The song “Nude” by Radiohead is a masterpiece. I think it’s the greatest vocal performance ever, and I think I could listen to the song forever.
N: “RUNAWAY” by Half Alive is my favorite song of all time. I will never stop liking that song.
B: Maybe “Business Dog” by the Voidz. Julian Casablancas of The Strokes has a side band called The Voidz, and after getting rich and famous from The Strokes, he can do whatever he wants. The Voidz are so out there and so crazy-- this song “Business Dog” is the most insane song you’ve ever heard.
Talk to me about your most recent single ‘Carry The Flame’.
O: This is a song that’s existed for about two years now. We tried so many different versions, and we had this riff-- I heard Jack White talk about the riff for “Seven Nation Army.” He said he had this awesome riff, and he was scared that he would use it in the wrong song. . We put it aside for a little bit and kept working on some other songs, and two years later, with the pandemic, the riots, and social conflicts that illuminated so many parts of society that had been dark for a while, it was like something clicked for us. This song is about being young now and discussing these dilemmas with older people. Julien plays the father in the song, and I play the son. We have two verses discussing ideas with each other, and in the end, the dad wants the son to carry on his legacy. He wants things to stay the same, and he sees a world where you keep your head down, you do your job, be a man, and you are strong. The kid says that there are so many issues around us that are more important than making money or being successful.
N: It’s basically ‘OK, Boomer’ in a song.
J: There’s a lot to it, it’s sort of a coming of age, stand up to your forefathers type of thing. We have a lot of fire in it, obviously, because it’s called “Carry The Flame.” We made these things where you light a piece of steel wool on fire and you can whip it around on chains above your head. I accidentally set my hair on fire; it just happened. But it was super fun to do on set, and a lot of great people were working on it with us.
"It’s basically ‘OK, Boomer’ in a song."
What are your plans post-COVID-19?
J: We have another tour lined up. We don’t have dates yet, but we are going to the U.K. and Europe. We want to tour the U.S. again as soon as possible, definitely go to the Midwest and maybe the East Coast and West Coast. I have a dream of going around the entire United States.
Listen to “Carry The Flame” below and let us know what you think.