Artist description With concert harp, cello, bouzouki, guitar, hand percussion, drums, keyboards, and dark, moody vocals, this unusually distinctive band envelops you in their evocative tangles. In the year and half that Virelie has been together, its members have combined their diverse musical backgrounds to produce inventively nostalgic yet utterly modern original song material. Their promo CD having recently been completed, they are now in the process of recording a full-length CD to be released in the year 2000.

Music Style A sonically unique mixture of ethereal, worldbeat and classical styles with dark undertones

Musical Influences Bela Bartok, Dead Can Dance, Joy Division, Loreena McKinnett, Red House Painters, Maurice Ravel, Simon & Garfunkel, Frank Zappa

Similar Artists Some fans have said that we sound like Loreena McKinnett meets Dead Can Dance.

Artist History In a smoke-filled club (The Castle) in 1998, vocalist Kimberly Sharpe was formulating the idea of putting together a band which would blend old world and modern influences through the use of uncommon instrumentation. This led to a meeting between Kim, Robert Moore and Jim Walker to discuss this possibility. In the beginning there was no drum set, no amplification at all, and cello strings were breaking on a regular basis. From these humble beginnings, they added concert harp, progressed through a series of drum and percussion styles, and became ever more focused in their musical vision. Virelie has evolved to currently using drum machine and guest appearances on percussion for their live shows. During the band's brief existence, Virelie has played numerous shows including: organizing and headlining two Winter Solstice Festivals at the State Theater (St. Petersburg), The Bottom Line (Ft. Myers), The Groove (Ybor City - Tampa), First Night '98 (Tampa), a pagan wedding, opening for Faith & The Muse at The Masquerade (Ybor City), and live on-air performances on 88.5 WMNF "Dark Horizons", and on WFTS Channel 13.

Group Members Kimberly Sharpe - Vocals, Lyrics, Misc. Percussion; Jim Walker - Guitar, Bouzouki, Hammered Dulcimer, Djembe, Doumbek, Misc. Percussion, Lyrics; Deborah Phillips - Concert Harp, Keyboards, Misc. Percussion, Lyrics; Robert Moore - Cello, Rickenbacker Bass, Taurus pedals, Lyrics.

Instruments Concert Harp, Cello, Guitar, Bouzouki, Hammered Dulcimer, Rickenbacker Bass, Djembe, Doumbek, Keyboards, Taurus Pedals, Misc. Percussion

Albums Virelie Promo CD 1999

Press Reviews "With a gothic imprint that's more Elizabethan than Transylvanian, Virelie produce a unique array of sounds from their assortment of stringed instruments - plucking, bowing or softly scraping for just the right effect, while [vocalist] Sharpe unveils her own mystical muse. Fans into the classico-renderings of the Rachel's or Penguin CafÈ Orchestra should definitely take a few moments here for this breathtaking presentation. Everyone else could probably use the culture too." Focus Magazine Feb. 2000 (Issue 141)

Location Tampa, Florida - USA

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