John Ran Smith on vocals and guitar; Sarah Gleason on vocals and the occasional tambourine; Paul Pearce on lead guitar and vocals; Jorge Santamaria on drums, percussion, vocals and band life support. Mike Skiffington on bass and comic relief.
Influences
The Jayhawks, Johnny Cash, Gram Parsons, The Beat Farmers, The Clash, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, John Prine, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Band, CCR, The Rolling Stones, Little Feat, Southern Culture on the Skids and a cast of a million more...
Emerging from the famed meat-packing district of Bon Air, VA in 2007, the Velvet Marias continue to strike a chord with audiences throughout the Richmond area. A five piece band of diverse influences, the Velvet Marias deliver a wide range of soulful music, from the down home twang of The Band to the sultry, smoky power of Janis Joplin and Otis Redding. Vocalists Sarah Gleason and John Ran Smith seamlessly and powerfully meld these styles together, along with guitarist Paul Pearce. Michael Skiffington [aka Nino Pinto] on bass and Jorge Santamaria on drums hold the rhythm down and provide the danceable grooves that make the Velvet Marias a band that must be heard to be believed.
MySpace Layouts - Virgin Mary Portrait myspace layouts
Hey guys, love to have as many fellow musicians and local bands as possible come and hang with us on thursday (we all know getting crowds on a Thursday can be dicey sometimes) at Cary Street Cafe. Definitely dig the music, and hope you can come. Hope all is well and keep rockin. Matt
Just some great stuff Velvet Marias. I am glad I actually came in to listen, because it was indeed an experience I truly enjoyed. Thanks again for putting on a hullva show.
Thanks for the add and for checkin us out here on myspace! Please be sure to check out our new cd "Best Friends For Never" and "Seven Unreturned Phone Calls", both now available on Smartpunk. com and iTunes (just type in dropout year). Thanks a lot and please say hey on our myspace or let some friends know about us. It would be a huge help!
PS. We have a new blog posted regarding out forthcoming acoustic Ep! Check it out!
You guys were awesome tonight!! Anybody that sings Dave Alvin/X's Fourth of July is it in my book!! Not to mention the great cover of Melissa Ethridge's best song, and the killer Lucinda. Great stuff, and look forward to see you guys again soon.
MyHotComments HEY JUST STOPPED BY AND GIVE SOME LOVE!! STOP ON BY AND ChECK OUT THE FEATURED ARTIST OF THE WEEK!! BANDS PREMOTE ON MY SITE IN COMMENTS!! HAVE A KICK ASS JAMIN' DAY!!! THANKS KIM ~ " THE ONLY HOME FOR ROCK & ROLL!!"
thanks for the support and coming out here Saturday night.......hope you'll have a great gig this coming Saturday. will catch you guys onyour next gig. jt
I just wanted to say thanks for dropping by to check us out... If one of us hasn't already sent you a big thanks... well,,, THANKS for the add. lol ;) Please keep in touch... See ya
.....and talent to match! He's the reason I make my little stabs at writng a song. He has no equal. Now, the job is to pry him out of obscurity ! It's one of my missions! soul power, Kahlil
Thank you for putting me on! I'm @ wk right now, but I plan to give you a listen. I figure since you've got Harry as a friend and you rep da RVA, it's all good. Take care and tell Rob Lytle I said hey! soul power, Kahlil a.k.a. Otha Brotha
so when and where are you guys performing next ? i come to richmond periodically and i was thinking about coming either this weekend or next weekend..........
SARA G. ???? Is it really true! I'm so excited to hear from you and what's even more exciting is that you're in a band!!!!! where in the world did that come from ? I didn't know you had it in you? I'm going to have to make a special trip to Richmond soon so I can see you perform! Miss you bunches!
New song "Glory To The Failure" now available! Don't forget to check out our brand new layout as well, a bunch of tour dates are coming up soon, stay tuned for that! Oh, and news about a videoclip and tour as well!
