About Velvet Violet

Heavily influenced by bands like The Legendary Pink Dots and Bauhaus, but also invoking the more experimental recording aspects of Tom Waits and even some electronic elements of Depeche Mode, Velvet Violet forges a unique creative voice and original sound. This project clearly favors creativity, originality, and sonic experimentation over showy displays of technical prowess. The antidote to the familiar overproduced, glossy studio sound. Deconstructing and re-imagining song structures as a protest to the polished, soulless, formula music available today. Musician J. Blades has stated that he is more Andy Warhol than Justin Timberlake. Closer to the anti-establishment spirit of punk than the corporate blitz of Beyonce.

Velvet Violet is a Hollywood California based Gothic Rock project founded in 1994 by Los Angeles musician J. Blades. Through various personnel changes and incarnations he has remained at the creative center of the project. Velvet Violet made its stage debut in October 1994 as part of a Halloween show at the now defunct Natural Fudge Company, a Hollywood club known for launching the careers of many notable music and comedy acts. Since then, the project has gained a loyal following not only in Blade’s native California but world wide as well. Today, Velvet Violet fans can be found in Europe, South America, Australia and Asia.

The Velvet Violet project began one rainy evening in a dark candle-lit basement in Southern California as an artistic musical experiment. The new project was presented in typical enigmatic style, daring the audience to follow into a world of creative exploration. None of the handful of black clad music lovers in attendance that evening could have imagined that Velvet Violet would one day gain such a diverse, far reaching and loyal following among the music underground. Velvet Violet's surreal and ground breaking vision finally escaped those basement performances via demo tapes and soon became part of the Hollywood underground landscape, eventually finding a world wide audience

The first demo "Theatre' De Emotion" (1994) which spawned the EP "Flame" soon became highly sought after and quickly spread throughout the underground. The release of the second demo " Valley Of Shadows" (1999), a darkly personal musical journey gave birth to the instrumental track "Griddle's Lament" and created an unexpected sensation on underground radio. Then came "The Beautiful Atrocity" a ground breaking and critically acclaimed concept album that challenged the boundaries of Goth/Alternative inspired music.

By 1996 J. Blades was featured along with Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath on an episode of the LA Rock Scene radio program, and appeared on an episode of Metalblitz on KLSX 97.1 FM in Los Angeles. In 2004, the first official release, The Beautiful Atrocity found world wide attention via the internet. Later that year, the album was discovered by Los Angeles DJ Jeff Duran (X103.9 FM) and Velvet Violet found a wider audience via terrestrial radio. This level of exposure was quite an accomplishment and remains very unusual for an independent artist not affiliated with a major record label. After the initial radio appearances, Velvet Violet was registered with the American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).

Experimentation is encouraged even if it means taking chances and redefining a genre from the ground up. Raw emotion, scathingly personal lyrics, and experimental sound recording techniques combine to create a swirling texture. Velvet Violet continues to be a cutting edge creative force in the musical and artistic community. By continually challenging itself, Velvet Violet also continues to challenge and fascinate their audience as well.