THE BAND
Velvet Water is a blues/bluegrass/rock inspired jam band from Winchester, KY. Forming in 1991 the fellas in Velvet Water (VW) have tons of playing experience and stories to tell through their songs. VW is known for performing with a high level of energy and great interaction with their family of fans.
As recording artists Velvet Water has taken steps to create original material that showcases a smooth and refreshing sound. Velvet Water has released two independent albums "Boots" and "Red Barn Radio Live". With setlists that consist of primarily original material, VW also throws in a mix of cover songs ranging from Traditional Bluegrass tunes to Folk/Funk/Americana/Blues and all other genres of music.
Velvet Water has performed at major music festivals, some of which include The Goose on The Lake Music Festival, The Terrapin Hill Harvest Festival, The Poppy Mountain Music Festival and The Gateway Music & Arts Festival. VW also tours many music venues throughout the land. Some of the nationally renowned artists that they have shared lineups with include: The Goose Creek Symphony, Keller Williams, Tea Leaf Green, Mike Mavridoglou, The Benevento / Russo Duo, Todd Snider, Cornmeal, Justin Townes Earl, Trampled By Turtles, Monte Montgomery, Greensky Bluegrass, Weber, Corduroy Road, Moon Taxi, David Gans, The Nappy Roots, Seven Mary Three, The Blind Corn Liquor Pickers, Green Genes, The Farewell Drifters, Webb Wilder and Barefoot Jerry.
A VW show includes lots of raw energy, driving guitars, solid bass lines, mandolin chops and great harmony.
Guitar ~ Electric Guitar ~ Banjitar ~ Vocals
Wes is an outstanding flat pick guitar player with a passion for music. Kentucky Bluegrass is in Wes' blood and he showcases that every time he is on stage. His style, range and flat picking creativity are the driving forces in the Velvet Water repertoire. Wes grew up as a legacy to bluegrass music, he has been performing bluegrass since a very early age and has been involved with many successful traditional bluegrass groups including Driving Rain, The New Kentucky Harvest Band and others. Wes uses his knowledge and love for hard driving Kentucky bluegrass, Blues and his free form musical expression to really create a strong presence with a guitar in his hand.
Guitar ~ Harmonica ~ Vocals
Jason (AKA J or Howie) is an entertainer and can be counted on to bring a high level of energy, enthusiasm and a heartfelt voice to the stage every time. J enjoys many styles of music and has a great creative talent for writing many of VW's original songs. With experience as a lead singer with Velvet Water and years spent as a singer/songwriter, Jason enjoys the opportunity to combine his talents and musical expressions with those of his band brothers. J has a very aggressive style of guitar strumming and is known for breaking many strings during a set, this ritual is actually beginning to become part of the experience and strings broken may soon be a notation on future show set lists.
Bass ~ Guitar ~ Banjo ~ Harmonica ~ Vocals
Collin Wallace has a love for music that is unlike any other. He is well versed on many styles of music & enjoys mixing it up. Collin has played bass in several rock bands including The Debellefeuille Brothers Band (DB3), Red River Ambush, Dog D' Jour and others. Collin has a style that is his own, he enjoys the deepest end of the tune and creates many great melodic paths. Collin has a Funky and Fresh approach to playing the Bass and uses an electric bass in order to add his flavor to the sound.