The Velvet Grip Release Debut Single, “Red Sky”
Vancouver Island’s The Velvet Grip mixes alt-rock, folk, and a slew of other genres in their sound. The first single, “Red Sky,” was recently released – the song was written and composed by The Velvet Grip’s lead singer after she had stumbled upon an article sharing the psychological effects of war on children in the 21st century.
“When I wrote this song I was thinking about these kids who are, today, experiencing the horrors of war as a way of life. This is something I could never understand due to the privileged life I live. This song came tumbling out of me quickly. It serves as a reminder for myself that there are many people in this world having extremely different experiences than mine, and that I am privileged and have an opportunity to feel grateful for what I have.
– Dani Blond (vocals)
This is also a song about the human experience. The duality of light and dark that we are all immersed in. This is not only within our external worlds but our internal worlds as well. Peace and war, innocence and treacherousness,the light and the dark, this duality connects us all.”
Listen to “Red Sky” below and learn more about The Velvet Grip via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hey guys! We are Dani Blond & The Velvet Grip. We are a four-piece female-fronted band. We are a bit of alternative folk rock with a euphoric element. Our live show pushes emotional edges and, at the same time, invites silliness and play. We are Dani Blond, lead vocals, lead songwriter (at the moment), guitarist, and piano. Jesse McCloy, our lead guitarist. Quin with one N, our fretless bassist who records, mixes, and masters our music, and our drummer Wesley Langelier.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
Dani: I wrote this song after reading an article sharing the psychological effects of war on children in the 21st century. It was and is heartbreaking to work with children ( my job as a Wilderness mentor now) and feel that innocence and joy I feel with them and know a huge amount of children in the world get that taken away on an incomprehensible level.
Where do you tend to pull inspiration from when writing?
Dani: My emotions guide the process. I am usually in a simmering emotional state when I write; if I can tap into that emotion deeply, the song will usually spill out. Tapping into the emotion deeply usually just looks like me crying at my piano, haha.
Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?
After a successful winter season, we hope to tour around BC playing shows for the summer, as we have applied heavily for the summer festival circuit.
What’s your goal for 2023?
Our goals, in a nutshell, are to continue writing, recording, and playing as many shows as we can get our hands on! We want to release an album by the end of 2023 and use it as a vehicle for touring.