Artist description VELVETEEN BLUE is an alternative 3-piece lounge act based in Ann Arbor Michigan. The band writes, records, & performs slap-sappy originals, along with their own twisted arrangements of 20th century jazz-pop standards. True Ultra-Romance with a touch of smoked ham. They play karaoke style to original prerecorded backing tracks. On stage you will find them dressed to the 99's, with "live" manikins on either side in vintage 40's attire. Surreal & comical, VELVET CRUSH has been known to pull off a perfectly sober set, leaving their audience stunned & helpless. How cool is that?

Music Style Alternative Lounge - Ultra Romance (with a touch of smoked ham)

Musical Influences Nat King Cole, David Bowie, Elvis Presley, and Velveteen Blue...

Similar Artists Our sound is too eclectic to put a finger on... a mix of original material - slightly comic & surreal - along with popular & not-so-popular Jazz standards

Artist History The group was originaly formed back in the spring of 1996, under the moniker of MEZZANINE. We began as a prefabricated opening act for our "then much missunderstood" avant-guarde maniacal Glam-Rock band LARYNX ZILLION'S NOVELTY SHOP. Yes, that's correct -- we haven't always been Lounge. Promoters had the darndest time pairing The Novelty Shop up with other local performing groups, as we were just too wierd. So sad. Well, one night we found ourselves without an opening act and at the last minute threw together our own opener -- VELVETEEN BLUE (then called MEZZANINE)! We liked it so much that we continued to perform for another two years before it became painfully apparent that we too were no more understood than our "Novelty Shop". I called it short, and began moonlighting as vocalist in a local 15-piece Jazz band, II V I Orchestra. Wedding gigs were one thing, but performing at such national act venues as Clutch Cargo's kept me on my toes. But as much as I "truly" enjoyed my time with the band, I felt artisticly cramped, and left the group in 1999. (It was at this time I switched gears and began writing original children's songs & stories, entering the world of family entertainment - see link below.)

Group Members Yours Truly (that's me, Laurence Miller); Vocals, Synthesizer, Bb Clarinet & Contrabass Clarinet (and all pre-recorded music -- programmed drums, additionla keyboards, accordion, backing vocals, SFX, etcetera) B. Deluxe (Brian Delani); Electric Guitar Slice Homes (Erik Bernrighter); Slide Trombone

Instruments ...see above...

Albums Our first CD will be released tyhe first of next year (2004).

Press Reviews None to date (as we have only just reformed), however a friend of ours after seeing us perform under the new line up claimed we sounded like Roxy Music with Stan Freburg as musical director.

Additional Info We're far more plyable this time around -- seeking management and distribution..

Location Ann Arbor, Michigan - USA

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