The Velvet Underground & Nico: Scepter Studio Sessions

Pittsburgh's Warhol Museum

By: Warhol - Apr 06, 2023

The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground & Nico, 1967, The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.

The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground & Nico, 1967, The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.

The Velvet Underground & Nico: Scepter Studio Sessions highlights the Velvet Underground and the music from their first recording sessions in April 1966 at Scepter Studios in New York City. The exhibition centers on the original tapes of the nine initial tracks recorded by the band, recently identified while processing Andy Warhol’s archive at The Warhol, which became the bedrock of their debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967, Verve Records), one of the most jarring and influential albums in rock music. These monophonic reel-to-reel ¼” tapes feature alternate versions and mixes of songs later issued on the 1967 release which was produced by Warhol, and often referred to as the “banana album”, as it featured a peel-away banana on the cover designed by Warhol.

The Velvet Underground & Nico: Scepter Studio Sessions is curated by Ben Harrison, senior director of performing arts and programming, in collaboration with Matt Gray, director of archives and Greg Pierce, director of film and video.

The Velvet Underground & Nico: Scepter Studio Sessions is made possible through support provided by the Curatorial Vision Fund. Leadership support for the Curatorial Vision Fund is provided by The Fine Foundation.

Exhibition-Related Programs

Richie Unterberger: The Velvet Underground & Nico
Friday, June 2, 2023
6:30 p.m.
The Warhol theater

In connection with the exhibition, The Velvet Underground & Nico: Scepter Studio Sessions, The Warhol welcomes Velvet Underground biographer Richie Unterberger, who will discuss the recording of the band’s classic first album, The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967). With audio and video clips, as well as pictures from the period, the presentation will focus on their April 1966 sessions at New York’s Scepter Studio, mixed-down master tapes of which were recently discovered by The Warhol. Unterberger will highlight the birth of classics from their debut album like “Venus in Furs”, “I’ll Be Your Mirror”, and “All Tomorrow’s Parties”.
Doors open at 6 p.m.
Free with museum admission. Visit warhol.org

Sound Series: Steve Gunn & Friends: The Velvet Underground & Nico Tribute
Saturday, September 9, 2023
8 p.m.
The Warhol entrance space

The Warhol welcomes back guitarist and songwriter Steve Gunn for a special tribute performance celebrating the album The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967), in connection with the exhibition The Velvet Underground & Nico: Scepter Studio Sessions. This special performance will also feature Warhol Screen Tests (silent film portraits) of the Velvets, projected above the band on stage. The band will feature Gunn and Alan Licht on guitar, Ryan Sawyer on drums and Laura Ortman on viola.
Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $20/$15 members & students; Visit warhol.org

You Want to Dance and Blow Your Mind with the Velvet Underground and Andy Warhol!
Friday, September 22, 2023
7 p.m.
The Warhol theater

In connection with the exhibition, The Velvet Underground & Nico: Scepter Studio Sessions, enjoy an evening of unique 16mm film footage featuring New York City’s original Velvet Underground in concert at the Film-Makers’ Cinematheque and in repose at Andy Warhol’s fabled Silver Factory. Witness Superstars Gerard Malanga and Mary Woronov performing their whip dance routine in Kiss the Boot along with over a dozen Screen Test portraits of the band all presented in a double screen format by Greg Pierce, The Warhol’s director of film and video. The program includes “Velvet Underground” and “Gerard Begins”, two reels created for background projection during the Velvet’s live performances at Andy Warhol, Up-Tight and Exploding Plastic Inevitable events, plus a selection of unseen Up-Tight rolls shot by filmmakers Barbara Rubin and Danny Williams.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Free with museum admission; Visit warhol.org