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The VeeVees return to the Smoke Signals stage

Bassist returns to play his high school Friday

The VeeVees (Photo provided)

If you go…

What: The VeeVees concert

When: Doors open at 9 p.m.; Show at 10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21

Where: Smoke Signals, 2489 Main St., Lake Placid

How much: $5

LAKE PLACID — Artur Novoselsky will return to his old high school Friday, Jan. 20 with The VeeVees to play for and chat with the students.

The band will also jam out at Smoke Signals Saturday for the second time since 2015.

The New York City-based rock-and-roll band includes vocalist Sophie Urista, guitarist Garrett Cillo, drummer Andrea Belfiore and bassist Novoselsky.

The band describes their sound as a mix of the Black Keys meets Tina Turner, and their shows as a crazy, loud, fun experience, Novoselsky said. After the band’s 2015 gig in Lake Placid, he said his past teacher Amy Spicer, who he has kept in contact with, asked him to speak with some of the Lake Placid High School’s students.

“I think she originally wanted me to come in and talk to them for a little bit about music, what life looks like after school, trying to be a musician or what not, but one thing kind of lead to another where I was like, ‘Maybe I can just bring the band up and we can perform for the kids,'” he said. “The school was nice enough to give us two or three periods, so it’s going to be an all-school assembly. We’ll perform and then the kids will get a chance to ask us some questions about whatever it is that they’re interested in.”

He said whenever the band can help out a community in any way, they quickly jump on the opportunity, especially if it involves kids.

“I think that in the band we’re very blessed to be able to do the things that we do,” Novoselsky said. “If we can use some of that, just some of the music to give back to the community, and maybe one or two kids at some point in their life will be kind of inspired like, ‘Oh I saw that band play the high school. They had some cool things to say. I want to be a musician or I want to be in the arts.’ If one kid says they were inspired by what we’re doing, I’d be happy with that.”

For the high school show, Novoselsky said the band will tone down some of its wild antics including language and theatrical elements but the audience coming out to Smoke Signals should expect the whole VeeVees experience.

“They’re definitely going to get some up-tempo, loud, fun, raucous, decadent music,” he said. “The first time, I was a little nervous bringing the band up, just because sometimes the shows can get a little out of control. Our singer is a fiery one. She’s a lot of fun to be around, so it depends on how she’s feeling and what she wants to do with the crowd, but you never know. I’m sure there might be some shirtlessness up there, some screaming, some dancing, a little bit of drinking. It’s always kind of tough to say what’s going to happen, but I’m sure it’s going to be a good time. It’s going to be a good party.

“It’s a way for all of us to just get together, kind of celebrate and enjoy the present moment,” he said. “There’s a lot of crazy and awful stuff happening in the world and I think if you can get a chance for a night to escape some of that stuff and just be with some of the people that you love, letting loose a little bit, I think that’s important.”

Novoselsky said he feels the band will be a lot tighter since the last show they played at the venue and they have some new material to play, touching on themes related to human emotion.

“Enjoying the moment, hanging out with your friends, being a good person, those kind of life lesson type messages are what we try to convey,” he said. “Beyond just the message of the lyrics, the shows that we put on, usually bring a lot of different people together, ages, races and ethnicities.

“By the time the second or third song is done, most of the people are usually screaming and dancing and letting a little bit loose,” he said. “I feel like its a little bit of an escape from the mundane, or you know, the regular day, where you can go out check out some live music and jump around, express yourself, dance with us and let loose a little bit. I think trying to touch on some of those qualities, being uninhibited and a little more free, I think those are some of the things that we really try to do as well with the live show in general.”

Novoselsky said Lake Placid has continuously influenced him through its support and sense of friendship and community.

“It’s such a small community that you get to know everybody, whether it’s my really dear close friends or just acquaintances,” he said. “The sense of the community I’ve found is really powerful up there.

“Seeing the amount of love and support, when push comes to shove, the community can come together and help each other out,” he said. “Living in a place like New York or Brooklyn, where it seems a little bit like every man for himself down here, you don’t have that thing, where I’m walking down the street and I see somebody and it’s like, ‘hey, what’s up?’ Or somebody is driving down the street in Lake Placid and they honk their horn and wave, just that element of friendship and community is really strong up there. I some times miss that. I think that’s been a big influence on me.”

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