National Velvet (band)
Encyclopedia
National Velvet were a Canadian goth rock band in the 1980s and 1990s. The band took its name from the 1944 Elizabeth Taylor
movie National Velvet
.
The band members were vocalist Maria Del Mar, guitarist Mark Crossley, guitarist Tim Welch (also a member of Images in Vogue
), bassist Mark Storm (real name Mark Erickson) and drummer Garry Flint. They came together after a chance meeting between Del Mar and Storm in an alley during a party in Toronto
, Ontario
. Six months later, they released an independent, self-titled EP
with original drummer Ken Sinclair and saxophonist Chris Reis. Second guitarist and keyboardist Mick Gzowski joined the line up soon after. Storm, Del Mar and Sinclair lived together and ran a rehearsal space at 50 Carroll Street called the 'Jam Factory' used by many Canadian, and International act, Jeff Healey, Lisa Del Belo, Paris, Aneon Rome,Honeymoon Suite, And Mott the Hoople with Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson The Tragically Hip
spent a months in this space before recording their first album. 50 Carroll space also hosted some legendary after hours parties, the band members staffing them and the profits being used to support recordings for the group.
Mick Gzowski sent the band's demo to then-Capitol Records president Dean Cameron, who assigned an A&R scout to see the band in performance in Toronto. A record and management contract resulted. Sinclair, Reis and Gzowski were then replaced by Welch and Flint. The self-titled debut album was released in 1988, and spawned the radio hit "Flesh Under Skin". In 1989, their single and video for "68 Hours" garnered them a CASBY Award.
Their follow-up album, Courage was released in 1990. The album was recorded in England with producer Zeus B. Held
, and gave the band hits with "Shine On" and "Sex Gorilla". (The latter title was a band in-joke. The song had actually been written as "Sasparilla", but the fans kept misunderstanding
the lyrics, so the band relented and retitled the song.)
The band subsequently left Capitol Records, and released their third album Wildseed in 1995 on the independent label Iron Music. By this time their audience had largely faded, and the band subsequently broke up.
Despite frequent confusion, Del Mar is not the same person as television actress Maria del Mar
. She has continued to work in the Toronto music scene, including gigs with Classic Albums Live
.
Storm was reported missing in November 2002. The following June, his body was found in Lake Ontario
.
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
movie National Velvet
National Velvet (film)
National Velvet is a 1944 drama film, in Technicolor, based on the novel by Enid Bagnold, published in 1935. It stars Mickey Rooney, Donald Crisp and a young Elizabeth Taylor....
.
The band members were vocalist Maria Del Mar, guitarist Mark Crossley, guitarist Tim Welch (also a member of Images in Vogue
Images in Vogue
Images in Vogue was a Canadian New Wave group in the 1980s.The band was formed in 1981 in Vancouver, and originally consisted of vocalist Dale Martindale, guitarist Don Gordon , synth players Joe Vizvary and Glen Nelson, bassist Gary Smith and percussionist Kevin Crompton...
), bassist Mark Storm (real name Mark Erickson) and drummer Garry Flint. They came together after a chance meeting between Del Mar and Storm in an alley during a party in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. Six months later, they released an independent, self-titled EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
with original drummer Ken Sinclair and saxophonist Chris Reis. Second guitarist and keyboardist Mick Gzowski joined the line up soon after. Storm, Del Mar and Sinclair lived together and ran a rehearsal space at 50 Carroll Street called the 'Jam Factory' used by many Canadian, and International act, Jeff Healey, Lisa Del Belo, Paris, Aneon Rome,Honeymoon Suite, And Mott the Hoople with Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as The Hip, is a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie , Paul Langlois , Rob Baker , Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay . Since their formation in 1983 they have released 12 studio albums, two live albums, and 46 singles...
spent a months in this space before recording their first album. 50 Carroll space also hosted some legendary after hours parties, the band members staffing them and the profits being used to support recordings for the group.
Mick Gzowski sent the band's demo to then-Capitol Records president Dean Cameron, who assigned an A&R scout to see the band in performance in Toronto. A record and management contract resulted. Sinclair, Reis and Gzowski were then replaced by Welch and Flint. The self-titled debut album was released in 1988, and spawned the radio hit "Flesh Under Skin". In 1989, their single and video for "68 Hours" garnered them a CASBY Award.
Their follow-up album, Courage was released in 1990. The album was recorded in England with producer Zeus B. Held
Zeus B. Held
Zeus B. Held is a German music producer and musician, known for his work in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. He was involved with several artists of the Krautrock, Disco and New Wave era, such as Birth Control, Rockets, Gina X Performance, Dead Or Alive, John Foxx, Fashion and Men Without Hats on their...
, and gave the band hits with "Shine On" and "Sex Gorilla". (The latter title was a band in-joke. The song had actually been written as "Sasparilla", but the fans kept misunderstanding
Mondegreen
A mondegreen is the mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase as a result of near homophony, in a way that gives it a new meaning. It most commonly is applied to a line in a poem or a lyric in a song...
the lyrics, so the band relented and retitled the song.)
The band subsequently left Capitol Records, and released their third album Wildseed in 1995 on the independent label Iron Music. By this time their audience had largely faded, and the band subsequently broke up.
Despite frequent confusion, Del Mar is not the same person as television actress Maria del Mar
Maria del Mar (actress)
Maria del Mar del Castillo is a Canadian television actress, who has starred in series such as Street Legal, Tek War, Relativity, Mercy Point, Terminal City and Blue Murder....
. She has continued to work in the Toronto music scene, including gigs with Classic Albums Live
Classic Albums Live
Classic Albums Live is a concert series based in Toronto, Ontario, in which musicians perform a classic rock album in its entirety. The series was founded in 2003 by Craig Martin, a musician who had previously produced a series of boutique cabaret shows as well as composed music for television and...
.
Storm was reported missing in November 2002. The following June, his body was found in Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
.
External links
- National Velvet at Jam!Jam!Jam! is a Canadian website, which covers entertainment news. It is part of the CANOE online portal, owned and operated by Quebecor through its Sun Media division....
Music - Pop Encyclopedia