Today we’d like to introduce you to Veronica Young.
Veronica, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
It was probably somewhere around 8 or 9 years ago when the idea came to me to do a show focusing on promoting and uplifting local artists, musicians, anything local really. I grew up in a very musical family and while the musical talent didn’t necessarily come to me naturally I still had a sort of insider line to it. I loved live bands, and solo guitarists, singer/songwriters. It was a big part of my life growing up. Hungover With V was my sort of fun, tongue and cheek idea created to promote the things I love in my city. So, we launched a show on the internet. To our surprise, mostly to mine, the show just worked.
This year, I was asked to nominate and be a judge for the Dallas Music Observer Awards as well as nominate artists for The Ghosty Awards. I’ve hosted the Deep Ellum Arts Festival for going on 5 years now! I am the Emcee for Dedicated: A Local Music Showcase for Gas Monkey Bar & Grill. So many others that I don’t have room to name them all. None of this would be happening if my passion for local arts wasn’t so strong. It is nice to be recognized, and it is certainly nice to be a part of something meant to uplift the music scene around us.
Who knows where we will be in ten years, but whatever it is, music will be the heart and soul.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wouldn’t use the worth smooth to describe the years past for Hungover With V. We hit several bumps. Things like changing outlets, who you worked with, co-hosts coming and going, (until we got Michael Morgen on board, that guy was such a dreamboat), but no matter what happened or what didn’t go right, we always adapted. When the internet show fizzled out, we dove into pre-recorded shows and started doing sketch comedy. When the pre-recorded show sort of fizzled out (mostly all due to financial constraints), we evolved more towards being a social media presence. I started booking events again, starting Emceeing shows and stayed very much involved in the local music scene. The whole premise of the show in the first place was to bring unknown unsigned artists to your ears. So, we just had to adapt and evolve to continue with that goal. Right now I am actually working on a project that will make booking bands a bit more seamless, it’s just one more way to move forward and advance in our industry. You will have to stay tuned for more on that soon!
what should we know about Hungover With V? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The thing I am most proud of is when I have friends and family come to shows because they have to see that band I have been raving about for months. I love when someone who I don’t really know comes up and asks me for my favorite band right now and I get to tell them, and then they go to a show, buy a CD, and become a real fan. It’s the most gratifying part about all of this. If you know me and you know the show then you are fully aware that we don’t just promote fluff artists. I am not promoting my best friends, I am promoting seriously talented musicians and through that, a lot of them to become some of my closest friends and like family to me. Loyal Sally is still my all time favorite band that I have loved since I first met them….everyone always asks if we were friends first because I just cannot stop talking them up. The answer is no, we were not friends before I heard their music. I am, however, lucky to know them. Hungover With V is about just that. We won’t only get you to hear a song, we will get you to feel and truly know the artist.
On that note, here are some of my picks of what you should have on your radar right now: Loyal Sally, The Delzells, Jude Flowers, Northern National, The Unlikely Candidates, Dezi 5, Reinventing Jude, Hen and the Cocks, Joe Gorgeous, Midnight County, 88 Killa, Ducado and Zenya Vi, for more, follow HungoverWithV on all the social media!
Also, please make sure to tune into I.M. Unlocked on Facebook for a live stream in-your-face promotion for new music releases! I am honored to be asked to be a part of this as a host and producer. Thank you to everyone behind this cool new project!
Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
I think the best advice I can give to a young woman starting out is to maintain your primary goal or objective. Be open to evolving and adapting new ways to get to your end goal, but do not lose sight of what that goal is. The entertainment world tends to be male-dominated and at times it just seems easy to just go with what the majority of men in the room are telling you, but easy doesn’t build your name or your brand, it builds someone else’s.
Pricing:
- Emcee/Host: $250/4-5 hours
- Music Booking Fee: 10%
- Social Media Posts: $10 per post/10 posts a month minimum
- Promo Videos: Varies per Project
Contact Info:
- Website: hungoverwithv.com
- Phone: 214-290-4942
- Email: hungoverwithv@gmail.com
- Instagram: @hungoverwithv
- Facebook: @hungoverwithv
- Twitter: @hungoverwithv
Image Credit:
Brad Kirby, Austin Young, Nil Ferrin
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
