Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with The Valery Trails
The Valery Trails started in 2011 as an intercontinental project, with Andrew Bower (guitar/vocals) in Houston, Texas and Sean Bower (bass) and Dan McNaulty (Drums) in Brisbane, Australia. The band’s forst three albums were recorded with the help of internet file-sharing technology and long plane rides.
In 2020, Andrew moved back to his home town of Brisbane and the band began to operate in a more conventional fashion, playing live shows in Brisbane and Australian cities and adding two more members – Tim Steward (guitar) and Skye Staniford (vocals/percussion). Two more albums have been released during this time, with the most recent being Winter Palace in August 2025.
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
Discovering my parents’ record collection when I was old enough to operate the record player – including Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and other classic country and folk from the 60s and early 70s. Those records, and listening to AM radio on a transistor radio under my pillow as I went to sleep.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
Although I loved listening to music all through childhood, I was a bit of a late starter with regards to actually making music. When I left home at 17 to go to university I took my father’s old nylon string guitar and learned how to play it over the next few years, playing together with friends making up silly songs about people we knew. Things got more serious in my early 20s when I met some people who liked some of the same bands I liked who wanted to start a band.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
After my first band broke up in the mid 90s, I had some songs and a band name that was going to be my next project. Things went on hold when I left Brisbane to work on a 3 month contract which turned into more than 20 years away from my home town.
In 2011, technology had evolved to where it became possible to share song ideas etc. over the internet, and record different parts of a record in different palces, so I decided to revive The Valery Trails concept and finally get the songs recorded and out into the world. The tracks started life in my home studio in Houston, Texas then bass and drums were added in Brisbane. I did some guitar overdubs back at home in Texas, then vocals at a commercial studio in Houston. Then just to add to the international flavour, the tracks were mixed and mastered in New Zealand.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
My standard answer to this is “atmospheric, melodic guitar-based indie rock”. Over the last couple of albums we’ve added more instrumentation (keyboards and occasional horns and strings), but that basic description holds true.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
I don’t think there’s ever been one specific thing that’s made a big change in how I approach things. It’s more been an accumulation of listening to music, playing with great musicians, recording with and having tracks mixed and mastered by great engineers that has shaped my songwriting and understanding of what’s possible when making a record.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
I’m old enough to remember when analog tape (whether cassette 4-track or professional multitrack recorder) was the only option for recording. The rise of digital recording has made it possible to make the records we’ve made. It’s always been a mixed approach, though, with vintage or vintage style instruments and amplifiers being recorded through the ever-evolving digital technology.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
The Beths’ latest album Straight Line Was a Lie – lovely melodies
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
I’ve spent a lot of time traveling and living outside my home country of Australia, and these experiences have seeped into a lot of my songs. Sometimes it’s a very direct influence to the point where a place name is in the title of the song, sometimes it’s more subtle.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
I’m a believer in the old cliche that once you release songs into the world they belong to the listener, and sometimes I’m not even sure what my songs are about at. A lot of my songs have undercurrents of nostalgia and melancholy, but I believe and hope that there is also a positive theme and approach that permeates at least some of the songs on each album to balance out the more bleak offerings.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
The power of collaboration – that people working together and sparking ideas off each other can create something special.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
I’d love to tour Japan, I’ve heard great stories from people who have played shows there and it’s one of my favorite places in the world.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
This is a hard question for me, I don’t really have an obvious answer in mind. Perhaps an artist like Beck or a producer like Brian Eno or Daniel Lanois who would push the band in directions we may not find by ourselves.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music?
https://thevalerytrails.bandcamp.com
https://music.apple.com/dk/artist/the-valery-trails/480868409
https://www.facebook.com/thevalerytrails
https://www.instagram.com/thevalerytrails
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
With the stage of life all the band members are at, and the other commitments we all have, the goal is really just to keep making records and playing live shows.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
Hopefully listeners who are into noisy, melodic guitars will discover us, dig into our back catalog, and come along with us as we keep creating more music.
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