Velvetcut

Biography

1.1 Members

Tomi - Vocals & guitars
Topi - Guitars
Sami - Bass
Andy - Drums

1.2 The History

Fall 1999: The band takes its first steps in Seinäjoki, Finland as a project called Trey 13, initiated by the lead singer/songwriter Tomi. The final line-up of the band remains yet uncertain.

2000: The first promo CD, "Jar", is released and circulated around record labels in Europe. Germany begins to show signs of interest in the project and Trey 13 receives an encouraging reception. Two additional tracks, "Paranoid Inc." and "Everyone To Please", are recorded with a new line-up. The band is now called Trevor, and the style has acquired a new edge. Tomi is still the only full time member in the band. Shortly after the new release he starts negotiations with independent German and Finnish record labels. At the same time the song "Jar" is presented as "the best rock band of the week" at the US website artistdirect.com.

2001: The band receives its final name, Velvetcut. Line-up additions: Kisse (also known as a Sara member) takes the vacant bass player spot and Paulus (a.k.a. the twin brother of Sara's singer Jorma) joins the line-up as a six-stringer. The band signs a record deal with a large Finnish indepent record label Megamania and is looking forward to real action. Later, Velvetcut expands their line-up by adding a third guitarist Topi. The line-up finally feels complete and the band is introduced to the live audience. Velvetcut releases their long awaited debut EP "Everyone to please" and signs a contract with the #1 Finnish booking and promotion agency Welldone.

2002: A video for Everyone to Please is shot in Rovaniemi, Lapland. Soon after its completion the band decides not to release the video because of its inadequate production quality. In June 2002 Velvetcut takes the stage in Provinssirock, the #1 festival in Finland, alongside acts like Slayer and Rammstein. A bunch of new material gets written during the second half of 2002.

2003: The band is forced to enter a line-up reform as Paulus and Kisse decide to focus on their main band Sara. Things are looking up as the replacements - Mikko Salmela on bass and Panu Kontkanen on guitar - show passion and dedication right from the start. Meanwhile, the town of Seinäjoki is named as Popcity 2003 and Velvetcut becomes one of the six acts involved in the project. As the cooperation with Megamania ends, The band records a two-track single Denial/MMII (released by Moby Disc) and tours Finland with Trigon(now smokesuit) and Kayah. Also, Velvetcut makes its second consecutive appearance in Provinssirock in front of a significantly grown audience.

2004: After the Popcity year the band goes under the radar, doing just one show during the year. Material gets written and plans for the debut album arise. The band spends some time in the studio, but everyone has doubts of the material afterwards. Knowing that the band can do much better, a decision to scrap the material is made. Later, Tomi is in contact with Mikko Herranen (of Velcra and Rust fame) who is more than happy to take the producer's spot.

2005: The album is being worked on in several locations within the Helsinki and Seinäjoki areas. The drums are recorded on the stage of Nosturi, the biggest rock club in Finland. Despite of several frustrating moments with a handful of bad luck involved, the finishing touches are layed on the album in late October 2005. The band is in talks with several labels both in Finland and abroad, but the progress on the business side is annoyingly slow. Mikko Salmela is replaced by a good old friend and partner in crime, Sami Jormanainen (producer of the "Denial/MMII" single and a ton of other recordings) on bass, who made his stage debut with Velvetcut already in December 2004. Also, the lineup is streamlined when Panu jumps out of the Velvet wagon and the band continue as a four-piece. In December 2005 the band is signed to Firebox Records and is preparing to release its yet unnamed debut album in spring 2006.

1.3 The Band

The ideology of the whole band is based on the sweet union of extremes: both the darker and the lighter spheres of life, turmoil and tranquillity, sense and insanity, the ugly and the pretty. This is reflected in the music as a combination of cruel, distorted sounds and tender, atmospheric vocals and catchy melodies. "Deep, atmospheric rock" is probably the best category to describe a band that is on a mission to bind together heavy American rock and the kind of gloom that can only be extracted from a Finnish melancholic mind, and spice it up with a hint of beauty and optimism. In addition to the sound, the band is also aiming to produce a equally strong visual performance.

The line-up has varied, but the solid base of the band remains around Ostrobothnia and in Seinäjoki. They call it the Texas of Finland, a suitable place for melancholy. After four years of action, the irreplaceable core of the band has grown from lead singer Tomi into a quartet of Tomi, six-stringer Topi, Sami on bass and Andy behind the kit, providing a live experience combining true passion and skill.

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