There’s major chord lift and minor scale depth to the pliable, not-too-thin-not-too-thick-crust. Balance, dynamics and harmony to the way the toppings are assembled. These pizzas really are kind of musical.

“I’m a bass player, so I like to stand back and just play,” says Trevar Akins, a member of popular local Beastie Boys cover band the Beastie Goys. “And later if someone says, ‘Good gig,’ I swell with pride, you know?”

After test driving pies from Velocé Pizza, Akins’ new pizza stand inside Huntsville, Alkabama arts center Lowe Mill, I had the food version of bliss a hot show by a tight band in a small room can give you. It’s rare that after eating pizza one day I want another pizza the next. But that’s what Velocé did too me.

After a couple years of doing pop-ups at local bars, birthday parties and catering, Akins decided to push his chips to the middle of the table. And bet it all on Velocé Pizza, which had previous been his mobile-food side-hustle. He cashed in his 401 (k). Put in his notice with his employer of seven years, in a construction career he’d been building for a decade and half, rising from slinging a hammer to management.

Since forming circa 2019, Beastie Goys have grown into one of the biggest local band draws in Huntsville. This spring the band, which performs Beastie Boys classics like “Sabotage” and “Fight For Your Right,” drew a big crowd during their closing set at rising local music festival PorchFest FivePoints. On Aug. 12, the Beastie Goys headline a show at Mars Music Hall, 1,600-capacity venue at Von Braun Center that usually books touring acts like Jason Isbell, Halestorm and Wolfgang Van Halen.

The band name makes sly use of “goy,” a slang term used by Jews to refer to someone who isn’t Jewish. None of these Huntsville musicians are Jewish. The real Beastie Boys, which in addition to Yauch featured Michael Diamond (aka Mike D) and Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock), were Jewish white kids from New York. And regarding Akins’ pizza stand appellation, velocé is Italian for “fast.”

For a while, it had been Akins’ dream to go bigger with his pizza passion. “I’d always thought it was going to be in a food truck form,” he says. “But, you know, life puts opportunities in front of you, and you either seize it or you don’t. Still, I was a little naïve. I have zero restaurant experience — all I can do is just make a pizza, right?”

Experience takes time but talent doesn’t. I’ve tried two of Velocé signature pies and both are headliners. Their “Red Rocket” is red sauce, pepperoni, Conecuh sausage, pepperoni, jalapenos, house cheese blend and siracha (the latter of which I got on the side). Meaty with rural kick from the Alabama-made Conecuh. Cheesy, with a bonus track of cheddar along with the mozzarella and provolone. Rewind-worthy slice after slice. The siracha turns crust bones from sidemen to side-projects.

For veg-heads, Velocé’s “Mean Green” signature pie is tops. Pesto, house cheese blend, artichoke hearts, feta, fresh basil, pecorino Romano. I subbed roasted peppers for jalapenos. Vegetarian pizzas aren’t supposed to be this rad.

Akins debuted Velocé in early July. The patinaed first floor space was formerly home to Happy Tummy and Mountain Valley Pizzeria and Bakery. Akins heard about the open space from Jeff Woods, his percussionist bandmate in Beastie Goys. In anything, it helps to have an inside connection. Woods’ partner is Marcia Freeland, Lowe Mill’s executive director, who was keen on having the pizza void filled at the arts center, a coronary of Huntsville’s creative culture.

Akins came to Lowe Mill and checked out the space. He talked with Happy Tummy proprietor Catherine Shearer, whose business had been serving wraps, pizzas and beyond at Lowe Mill since 2008 or so. Akins says Shearer decided to step away to become primary caregiver for her mom. “She mentored me through the process,” says Akins, who in addition to signing a lease for the space purchased Shearer’s kitchen equipment.

There’s been a learning curve. Akins was used to baking pizzas in his gas-powered brick-oven mobile setup, which cooks at a way hotter temperature. He opened Velocé at Lowe Mill with just a grandma’s-kitchen sized mixer to make his pizza dough. During the business’ soft open, Akins was taking orders, making pies and expediting. Although ingredients are portioned out in mini containers for consistency, he needed more dough (literally) and some help. He purchased a 50-quart commercial mixer, which he’s dubbed Sir Mix-a-Lot in honor of the “Baby Got Back” classic rapper. Friends from the local music and stand-up comedy scenes lent a hand, taking orders and in the kitchen. “It was chaotic,” Akins says of Velocé’s early shifts, “but now it’s a lot more harmonious. But we’ve got a long way to go.”

Akins brought in his daughter Zoe Akins, 23, and Xavier Akins, 17, as day-to-day staff. Zoe has years of kitchen experience, at local spots like Rick’s Ristorante and the Von Braun Center’s Rhythm on Monroe. Xavier had been cooking at home a lot and was ready to get involved “because it’s fun making pizzas.” Both of them are adorable, sweet and clearly stoked to be there, helping their dad. Zoe says it’s inspiring” to see her dad go all-in on his dream. “He’s been working on his craft, his pizza, for years,” she says. “At the house, just trying to make perfect recipes, messing with so many different types of dough and ideas, so it’s just really cool to see it happen finally.”

Years before he started doing pop-ups, Akins was cooking pizzas at home. He says at first, “I sucked. I mean, I was really horrible for probably two years.” He kept at it though, fascinated by “the science” that goes into making pizza dough. Today, he lovingly refers to the Velocé Pizza’s Lowe Mill kitchen as “the lab.”

During shifts, music flows from playlists on a computer towards the back. On the day we chatted, it was hip-hop, like Tribe Called Quest. They also do “metal days” heavy on Metallica tracks.

On this day, Akins is clad in a doo-rag and red apron over shorts and a T-shirts emblazoned with graphic depicting Pac-Man in pursuit of row of pizzas. Slinging a melted-softball-sized clump into the air towards its eventually oval form, he says, “You let gravity do its thing.”

Akins grew up in Orono, Maine. He first caught pizza fever when his family would go to Pat’s Pizzas before going to watch hockey games together. Akins’s family moved to Huntsville, where he attended Westlawn Middle School and Butler High School. In adulthood, he also spent time in Huntington Beach and San Diego. SoCal stuck on Akins, who exudes soulful-surfer-ness.

With Velocé, he aspires to carve a new classic Huntsville joint, akin to punk-tinged landmark Bandito Burrito on Governors Drive. In addition to Shearer, he says Forest Wilson, who runs vegan food trailer Chef Will the Palate at Lowe Mill, has given him indie-food-biz counsel and encouragement.

In addition to serving visitors to the arts center, Lowe Mill’s tenants have quickly become Velocé regulars, he says. “To be amongst all these badass creators and makers, real artists,” Akins says, “it’s humbling. It’s really cool. Everyone here has been more than amazing. There’s no competition.” Velocé Pizza has been selling 30 or so pies per shift, often selling out before closing time.

During Velocé shifts, Zoe takes customers’ orders, Xavier helps prep and expedites by-the-slice orders, as Akins tosses each dough into a crust, assembles, bakes, finishes and packages the pies. In addition to ready to go slices, they do made-to-order personal-sized 10-inch pizzas and sharable 14-inch pies. The prices are midrange. The pizza’s are elite.

Velocé Pizza is to-go-centric, although there’s a handful of stools and a bar across from the window if you need pie now. After a pizza’s assembled, baked, finished with herbs and other spells and sliced up, he packed the pie in a plain white box. The pizza inside is anything but. The text you when you’re orders ready, so you can perambulate around the arts center instead of doom scrolling on your phone.

With Akins opening his pizza joint and rocking crowds playing Beasties covers like psych-rap classic “So What’cha Want,” a fave of his two-year-old grandson, Zoe and Xavier and their siblings definitely have my-dad’s-cooler-than-your-dad cred.

Akins, who is 48, shrugs, “I’m a late bloomer. I don’t know if I’ve peaked yet. We’ll see. I’m still trying to be better every day.”

I ask Akins about the possibility of building Velocé into a multi-generation family business. “I’ll get emotional talking about it,” he says. “That’s the best legacy a man can have. Any man can be rich and any man can be poor, but if you leave a good person in this world you’ve accomplished something.”

Velocé Pizza’s menu and hours of operations can be found at facebook.com/velocepizzahsv.

MORE ON HUNTSVILLE FOOD

The underdog story behind Huntsville’s hot new taco truck

This fantastic Huntsville food truck is the American Dream on wheels

Huntsville bistro’s parking lot is always full for good reason

This Huntsville restaurant’s name may be in jest, but their sushi isn’t

Thirsty Turtle, iconic Huntsville bar and lunch spot, has reopened

Love fried chicken? You’ll love this funky little spot in Huntsville

The art of minor league baseball concessions in a Food Network world

A great Huntsville steak joint you can wear a Metallica shirt to and fit right in