Representative Albums: "Teenage Symphonies to God," "Soft Sounds," "Free Expression"
Representative Songs: "Hold Me Up," "Time Wraps Around You," "Goin' to My Head"
Biography
A classic power-pop band in the tradition of the Raspberries and Big Star, Velvet Crush formed in Rhode Island in 1989, although their roots actually extended west to Champaign, Illinois, where vocalist/bassist Paul Chastain and drummer Ric Menck first met and began performing together. There Menck founded his own small label, Picture Book, on which he and Chastain recorded solo material as well as singles under various group names like the Springfields, Choo Choo Train, the Paint Set and Bag O'Shells. Picture Book also released records by the Milwaukee-based White Sisters, led by guitarist Jeffrey Borchardt, with whom Menck struck up a friendship. When Borchardt eventually moved to Providence, Rhode Island in 1988, he encouraged Menck and Chastain to follow; they did, and Velvet Crush soon began performing their first shows. In 1991, longtime friend Matthew Sweet produced their debut, In the Presence of Greatness; a hit with the British music press, the record earned the group a deal with the influential U.K. label Creation. For 1994's Teenage Symphonies to God (the title taken from Brian Wilson's description of the music intended for the Beach Boys' legendary Smile LP), Velvet Crush enlisted producer Mitch Easter, known for his work with R.E.M. and as the leader of Let's Active. The members of the group also continued working on solo projects, with Menck issuing the solo collection The Ballad of Ric Menck in 1996. The long-awaited third Velvet Crush LP, Heavy Changes, finally appeared on the band's own Action Musik imprint in 1998. Minus Borchardt, the group resurfaced in 1999 with Free Expression. Rock Concert was issued in fall 2000. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
Velvet Crush is a power pop band from Rhode Island that achieved prominence in indie-rock circles in the early- and mid-1990s. The band broke up in 1996 but re-formed in 1998 and have continued to record, releasing their most recent album in 2004. Vocalist/bassist Paul Chastain and drummer Ric Menck are the band's core members, having previously worked together as Choo Choo Train, Bag-O-Shells, and The Springfields, and they share singing and songwriting duties. Guitarist Jeffrey Borchardt (of Honeybunch) played on the band's first three albums, In the Presence of Greatness, Teenage Symphonies to God, and Heavy Changes, which were produced by Matthew Sweet and Mitch Easter, respectively.
Chastain had recorded in the mid-1980s as a solo artist and as a member of The Stupid Cupids, while Menck had been a member of The Reverbs.[2][3] The long association between Chastain and Menck began in 1987 with the indie pop band Choo Choo Train, who released two singles and an EP and were signed to the British indie label The Subway Organization.[2] The duo also recorded for Sarah Records as The Springfields, and for Bus Stop as Bag-O-Shells.[2] Opting for a more rock-oriented power pop sound, the duo formed Velvet Crush in 1989, with Jeffery Borchardt of Honeybunch.[2] After three singles on Bus Stop Records, the band released a cover version of Teenage Fanclub's "Everything Flows", leading them to be signed by Creation Records in the UK, who issued the band's debut album, In the Presence of Greatness, in 1991.[2] The band stayed with Creation for a second album, Teenage Symphonies to God, released in 1994 (on Sony Records in the US).[2] The group members spent the next few years acting as Stephen Duffy's backing band, recording two albums with the singer.[2] Velvet Crush returned in 1998 with the Heavy Changes album, now on the Action Musik label. Another album, Free Expression, followed in 1999, by which time the band was reduced to a duo of Chastain and Menck. Soft Sounds followed in 2002, and Stereo Blues in 2004.
Discography
Choo Choo Train
Singles
"This Perfect Day" (1987) Picture Book
The Briar Rose EP (1988) The Subway Organization
"High" (1988) The Subway Organization
Albums
Briar High (The 1988 Singles) (1992) The Subway Organization