National Velvet are a Canadian goth rock band, popular in the 1980s and 1990s. They took their name from the 1944 movie starring Elizabeth Taylor.
The band members have included vocalist Maria Del Mar, guitarist Mark Crossley, guitarist Mich Gzowski, drummer Ken Sinclair, guitarist Tim Welch, bassist Mark Storm (born Mark Erickson), saxophonist Chris Reis, and drummer Garry Flint.
The band came together after a chance meeting between Del Mar and Storm in an alley during a party in Toronto, Ontario; Mark introduced Maria to some friends that were looking to start a band. Maria Del Mar worked the coat check at Toronto nightclub The Diamond, while Tim Welch was the lighting technician there. They began playing the local Toronto circuit, they used the money they made to record a 4-track demo. They shopped the demos around to record labels, but grew impatient. Six months after forming, they released a self-titled independent EP, and spawned the radio single "Flesh Under Skin". and was released in 1990. Guitarist Tim Welch (formerly of Images In Vogue) was added as a full time band member. The album was supported by a cross-Canada tour, "Sex Gorilla" and "Shine On" were played in heavy rotation on Much Music and MTV. Courage was certified gold. A third single, "A Place Called Hysteria" was released off the album but received little push from the record label. The band continued to tour for the next few years, mainly in smaller clubs around Ontario, Canada.
The band subsequently left Capitol Records, and released their third and final album Wildseed in 1995 on the independent label Iron Music. To further confusion, Maria Del Mar (singer) has done some acting, including the 1991 Toronto indie film The Events Leading Up to My Death, directed by Bill Robertson.
Maria continued to work in the Toronto music scene into the early 2000's, including gigs with Classic Albums Live and with the Rolling Stones tribute band Midnight Ramblers.
Storm was reported missing in November 2002. The following June, his body was found in Lake Ontario. The band got together in 2003 for a benefit concert to help Mark's family during the difficult time.
The band has performed periodically, including shows at Toronto's Bovine Sex Club in 2011 and 2012, and continue to perform at select venues.
Discography
- National Velvet (EP, 1986)
- National Velvet (1988)
- Courage (1990)
- Wildseed (1995)
See also
- Toronto goth scene