So it makes a lot of sense that Free Whenever founding members Neil Guleria and Trevor LaVecchia landed on that moniker to represent their art. That level of conscious surrender, letting the stars take the wheel. They believe it was fate that their paths crossed during a chance encounter where they were both independently performing at a wedding a few years back. Since then the Brooklyn NY based duo's bond has been unbreakable and their mind-bending blend of stoner/psychedelic music has been leaving listeners breathless. Destiny indeed may be playing a role in their journey.
Leaning into an array of influences including vintage psychedelia, dub reggae, eastern modality, African rhythmic tradition, it’s clear that if it speaks to them, Free Whenever will weave it into their multi-layered musical identity. Kings County (aka Brooklyn), is a cultural crossroads where every block, every corner is like its own planet, bursting with its own sound and swing, flavor and flow — and it's all there in the band’s music.
(Photo Credit: Taylor Weinberg)
How did the band form and what does the band name mean?
NEIL: Trevor and I first met back in 2018 over a wedding gig in Vermont. It was one of those situations where afriend had an opportunity to play Dead and Beatles covers to an older crowd for some cash, so he put a few friends together and that’s basically how we met. But Trevor and I honestly barely spoke that day..
TREVOR: And then randomly two years later I heard some of the music Neil was working on through the grapevine, and I was impressed. I got in touch and came to his apartment studio setup in Brooklyn. We clicked instantly and I just started going over to his place all the time to jam and make music.
NEIL: The name was the natural result of that — it was something we both found ourselves texting each other throughout that summer and the words started to mean something more to us than what they probably do to most people..
Previous musical projects? How'd you first get into music?
TREVOR: We both played music as kids, had bands in high school, and experimented with self-recording here and there. Music has been a constant for me. An obsession really.
NEIL: I picked up guitar and drums together as a kid. Spent a lot of time jamming with my brother and friends, but also recording almost daily with my $30 mixer and GarageBand. I never really liked my singing voice, so I have pretty much been self-recording instrumental rock tracks since I was 12. Not a far cry from what we do today
First concert that you ever went to? (Locally and National acts)
NEIL: Technically my first was an ABBA cover band and then 38 Special shortly after. But I was fortunate enough to also have seen bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Chili Peppers, and Stone Temple Pilots at an early age too.
TREVOR: The first shows I remember seeing were Lynyrd Skynyrd/Kid Rock in Hartford, CT and AC/DC at Giants Stadium. The AC/DC show in particular is what inspired me to start practicing my instruments. Seeing Angus roll around on a revolving stage while soloing is a memorable moment.
What's your writing process like?
Trevor: We’re constantly in a cyclic process of honing on a process and then abandoning it for a new one. Having been at it for a few years, we now have a variety of paths we can choose to take when developing an idea depending on what’s needed.
NEIL: We tend to start with the rhythm section — either a drum loop from some previous recording session or a percussion loop I’ll come up with on the fly. Then as I pack up the percussion gear and play the loop on in the background, Trevor is usually sitting with the bass crafting a melody. Once he has a basic starting idea, we hit record and the two of us jam to a loop for 30, 45, even 60 minutes until we pretty much lose ourselves multiple times over.
TREVOR: Sometimes we’ll play without speaking for hours and go back into the recording and just listen. Listening is a big part of our process. We're like miners searching for the gold we created. We’ll listen through long jam recordings in our free time, going on walks, heading to work, etc. and eventually starting chipping away until we find the gold. It’s a unique part of our process and a lot of people really don’t get it. When you’re an hour deep in jam, you are totally gone. In a different realm.
NEIL: We really believe in removing thought from the process of making music. The second you start thinking and contriving, the idea becomes possessed by the ego. Detachment is at the root of our process.
What other artists or songs inspire your music?
TREVOR: Some of our contemporary influences include Surprise Chef, Khruangbin, Skinshape, and early Tame Impala, but we have deep classic psych rock roots with bands like Hendrix, Pink Floyd, and The Doors.
NEIL: Honestly the both of us — Trevor more so than I — have fairly eclectic taste. As instrumental artists, we’ve continued to gravitate towards folkloric music and traditional instrumental music coming from all over the world. But then another day we might be listening to disco or roots reggae. Ultimately our project is at its best when it combines distant influences to create something truly universal.
What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be its own thing?
TREVOR: We started playing live before we had any songs. Literally we would organize these roof top shows and just get up there as a trio or 4-piece and improv, eventually realizing that we needed songs for the audience or ourselves even to really grab onto it. But we have always been comfortable doing improv sets from our inception.
NEIL: As time has gone on, we’ve gotten more specific and certain about the songwriting and tried our best to replicate those nuances in our live sets. But the element of surprise and improvisation has always and will always be a staple of our live sets, and we’re never afraid to deviate from the recordings.
TREVOR: Because Neil and I do all the recording, a really interesting thing happens when we bring an idea to the live band. It’s like the song gets a new life. To me that is the role of the artist. To channel and express everyday.
Has the band toured? What has the touring experience been, best shows?worst shows?
TREVOR: Not yet! We’ve been approached by a lot of fans from around the country and abroad petitioning us to come visit. We have some possible dates to take a trip down the east coast and in the South, but we’ve definitely been focused on growing our presence here in NYC.
NEIL: That said we’ve played all around the city from the streets of Manhattan to bigger venues to Brooklyn roof and loft parties. Our flexibility and ability to set up and play wherever has really helped us feel more comfortable as individual musicians and as a group.
What's up next for the band?
TREVOR: Expect a lot more recorded music, live shows, and videos to drop this year. connecting with fans. We just released The Movement, and are currently putting the finishing touches on the next album, which should start coming out at the end of the summer.
NEIL: We also have some really cool collaborations in the works with a variety of musical creators — hip hop vocalists, classically-trained world musicians, and much more. We’re all very proud and excited about the music we’ve been making and we know our fans will be too!