Velvet's beginnings:
In 1985, Jane Francis and Jay Manley met hanging out in the punk and alternative music scene of downtown Wilmington, NC. Cronies and Front Street News were popular clubs that showcased innovative local music. Jane was the bassist and a vocalist in Manic Union, a stellar trio with strong reggae and new wave roots. Jay was the frontman of the frenetic art rock band The Interpreters with Larry Long (Magically Delicious) and Peter Gottovi (Pandora's Lunchbox, The Cogs). In the winter of that year, Francis and Manley converged and played a party or two with Gottovi as a new band. The material was a mix of originals and college chart hits of the early 80's. The group was considered a temporary side project and never got off the ground before the members moved on.
Almost ten years and a few bands later, Manley and Francis bumped into each other in a downtown nightspot and decided to try playing together. Manley's group Velvet was in need of a bassist. This band was the remnants of Baby, a diverse trio featuring Eugenia Lee (Blackgirls) on bass and vocals, Kevin Rhodes(Lamont Skylark) on drums and Jay Manley on guitar and vocals.
Initially in 1994, Velvet was Manley's vision of a new fusion of jazz and alternative rock as if performed by a British 1960's power trio such as Cream or The Experience. This idea has remained the thread of continuity with the band. Velvet was a nickname for Jay started by local musicians around Wilmington, NC. During a session at Coastal Carolina Recording Studio, Paul Johnson, the engineer, described the guitar sound as "velvet" and the name stuck. This became Jay's stage name while performing with Tamber, Seeds and Stems and Shannon Wyatt.
Several drummers have been in the Velvet chair. When the band parted ways with Rhodes, Rob Hay was the drummer for a few years followed by Jeff Hahaj, Richard Arp, Chad Coward, Doug Edmunds, and Zsolt David. The trio became a quartet with the addition of Kevin Campbell on guitar, vocals and songwriting. This was a great period of growth and experimentation for the group.
The rock music heyday of Wilmington in the mid 90's was drawing to a close, revealing the gentrification of the downtown district where Velvet often performed. Nightclubs closed due to strict new noise ordinances and condominiums were erected in their shadows. The band had to get out of town if it expected to achieve greater success. In 2001, Velvet relocated to Chapel Hill/Carrboro North Carolina.
