BIOGRAPHY
Velvet Violet was born in a dark candle-lit basement in Southern California as an artistic musical experiment. Charismatic front man Jason Blades presented his new project in typical enigmatic style, almost daring the audience to follow him into a world of creative exploration. Neither he nor the handful of black clad music lovers in attendance on that rainy evening could have imagined that Velvet Violet would one day gain such a diverse, far reaching and loyal following among the music underground.
For Jason Blades, music was in the blood since the age of seven he had been composing and performing his own songs for anyone who would listen. His theatrical side was cultivated in a stint with the infamous performance art group "The Traveling Nightmare and Poison Medicine Show" Blades found himself among the Goth Industrial underground in and around Hollywood in the early 90's. His very short lived industrial band Chane Lynx, only existed for a moment but it became the spark that led to the creation of Velvet Violet.
Blade's surreal and groundbreaking vision finally escaped the basement performances via demo tapes and soon became part of the underground landscape. Somewhere between Skinny Puppy and Bauhaus, these sonic experiments challenged the conventions of a genre and pushed the boundaries of Goth into uncharted waters.
Rather than try to fit in with an established music scene and adopt the cliche trappings of Goth Rock, Blades vowed to be true to his own creative voice instead. An approach that horrified and offended some self declared music "purists" of the time. Blades was determined to keep the spirit of the music he loved alive even if it meant re-vamping it for a new generation of music lovers. Even if it meant taking chances and redefining a genre from the ground up. Raw emotion, scathing lyrics and experimental sound recording techniques combined to create a swirling texture.
Blades continues to be a cutting edge creative force in the musical and artistic community. By continually challenging himself, he also continues to challenge and fascinate his audience as well.
