Not too long ago, I had the opportunity to review “Bad Get Some,” the latest album from Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf. The music hits like an EF5 tornado, primarily because of Miss Velvet’s colossal hi-watt voice. So I decided to seek out Miss Velvet to discover more about the band, its origin, and where it’s going next.
This is the part where I explain why my chit-chat with Miss Velvet is being split into two parts. Mostly because what she has to say is interesting and, rather than doing a hatchet job on it, it lent itself to two-parts.
How would you describe the band’s personality?
Ha ha, this is a fun one! First off, everyone is hilarious, so we have a blast. But at the same time everyone is super-committed to their instruments and serious about being the best they can be.
Where did the band’s name come from? And does it refer to anything or anyone in particular?
To get to where I am today, I traveled a road that wound its way through many personal challenges and discoveries. At one point, I lost my voice because I lost who the hell I was, and where I was. When I realized the route I was on was an illusion, I was able to take a turn towards finding my truth. Now, my life journey is directly connected to the development of my truest voice, meaning its metamorphosis into an instrument which conveys my deepest self. I’ve had unconditional love and support from my family and from my incredible music mentor Constance Hauman (who helped me discover what strength my honest voice had). I found self-confidence, inner power and authenticity. All of this led me to discover the concept of Miss Velvet, where I am not a man or a woman—where I am free to express myself with no boundaries. I liked the idea of THE BLUE WOLF for my band name because we roam in a pack (wink), but principally I think of the wolf as strong and protective, spiritual and yet wild —in a musical/artistic context, it means going beyond the safe, a bit dangerous, pushing boundaries. Even though the band is made up of completely different personalities, when we play together, we become one entity, one force. The Blue Wolf is my fuel. I run with them.
How did the band get together?
The full band Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf got together about 3 years ago. The keyboardist Constance Hauman, who I have known for 11-years, is also my vocal coach/producer and founder of the record label I’m signed with, Isotopia Records. Nick Carbone, our drummer and co-producer on this record, I have known for 6 years, so there is some great history there for sure. The guitarist Henry Ott is French and when Constance was living in Paris performing, she met Henry and played with him and became very close. When Henry moved to NYC, he was the perfect fit for The Blue Wolf. The bass player, James Jones, a native New Yorker was also handpicked by Constance for his totally unique bass playing. My horn section came together through a recording session at Avatar Studios in NYC while making a demo: Dan Levine on trombone, Trevor Neumann on trumpet, Jehiah Bray on sax. I’m incredibly lucky to have this kick ass horn section. Musicians like these guys are the real deal! They also play with The Eagles, Bruce Springsteen, Earth Wind and Fire. During the past three years since Constance brought us all together, we have been jamming a lot and playing shows, creating our sound built around my voice. Everyone's individual style of music began to bubble to the surface, gathering force like a can of soda that someone had just shaken—it was ready to erupt.
What about songwriting? Does everyone contribute or what? And what about lyrics?
It happens many different ways actually. I usually come to Constance with an idea and we write together and then we go to the band, show them what we've got and then the collective arranging happens. But then for instance with “Velvet Door,” that was a super magical moment when we literally wrote the song together and quickly. The songwriting process is different for everyone in the band, but really cool to see how the different processes work together.
What musicians influenced you the most?
Well I have to list the singers first: Robert Plant, Janis Joplin, James Brown, Anthony Kedis, Etta James, but then as a band it is definitely: Parliament Funkadelic, Zeppelin, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Earth Wind and Fire , Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin.
Where do you find inspiration for your songs?
I find a lot of inspiration from all the singers and bands I listed above but really I'd say from my wolves. I love them and jamming together leads to a lot.
I really like your album “Bad Get Some.” What inspired the album?
“Bad Get Some” was a vision of mine with Constance, as I mentioned it has been an 11-year journey we have shared together to the voice I have now. A lot of people along the way were telling me that my voice didn't match my looks or I needed to sing pop or 'not sing so big,' that I should NOT sing rock...like really crazy, crazy stuff. I am so lucky because I have had this one person who has totally heard and seen who I really was and where I would arrive even when I couldn't see it. It is really tough when you are hearing a lot of crazy music business negativity to believe that it really can happen.
Tour dates here.