Velvet Starlings is fronted by Christian Gisborne, an indie rock & roll singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist & producer based in Los Angeles, known for a powerful 60s era Eric Burdon influenced vocal style and a commanding and dynamic stage presence inviting media & industry insider comparisons to Jack White and Ty Segall. Early musical influences include The Doors, and British Invasion staples: The Beatles, The Who, and The Kinks.
Respected Insights:
“So amazing! My mind is blown! See them live. It's like going to the Cavern Club in the 60s.” -Rodney Bingenheimer, Underground Garage/Sirius
“At last, America has a great, exciting, relevant new guitar band. Who’d have thought it would be led by a 16-year-old musical dynamo. The star Starling - Christian Gisborne - is the real deal. Six weeks ago, I had never heard of Velvet Starlings... now they’re my new favorite American Band. I defy you to listen and not be blown away. This band, are for me, the most exciting thing I've seen in the past couple years...they're led by an absolute powerhouse. He's one of the finest musical experts from America who I have seen in a long, long time." -Billy Sloan, BBC Radio
“I love the music and the message... Christian is channeling the greats... Dylan, Marley, Strummer, etc. with his powers as a musician and songwriter... I am especially inspired by his ability to appeal emotionally and provoke intellectually... " -Shepard Fairey, Artist, Activist, and Founder of OBEY Clothing and Artwork
“Velvet Starlings offers exuberant anthems for any youth interested in guitar bands..., with a bell-bottomed seven songs EP that’ll bring a smile to fans... of legendary artists from the 60s era.” -Kevin Bronson, Buzzbands LA
"VS Delivered live in Sweden... Christian Gisborne is poised to be one of the torch bearers for Rock & Roll into the next decade." -David Silbaugh, Talent Buyer/Summerfest
“I saw VS live at Gibson Showroom in LA and was blown away." -Peter Astedt, Founder of Live at Heart Festival Sweden
“Authentic and fresh... reminds me of the great classic bands. Christian is the real deal.” -Brian Lucey, Grammy Award Winning Mastering Engineer for Cage the Elephant, Royal Blood, The Black Keys
“Although the band’s sound is heavily rooted in the past, its youthful band members give the classic rock genre new life.” -Grimy Goods, LA's Premier Lifestyle and Music Guide
"Christian is a young consummate rocker...a 15 year old phenom." -Tyler Russell, KX 93.5 Laguna Beach Program Director
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"When I first received Velvet Starlings music, the photo on the cover of the CD led me to think two things, first, that they were from the UK and secondly, that the front man was in his early 20s. Wrong on both accounts! First off, the band is from LA and secondly, the front man Christian is 15 years old!?! The kid is mature beyond his years, an old rock n roll soul rebirthed. Great songs, great attitude and a torch bearer for keeping rock n roll music alive! Let's rock!" -Tim Pyles, 91X San Diego
"Velvet Starlings hooky melodies and powerful lyrics are filled with passion that pulls you in right away making the song a standout hit.” -Earmilk, The Latest Music Updates
Christian Gisborne is an independent singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and founder, and lead singer, guitarist and keyboardist of Velvet Starlings. Gisborne is known for a powerful 60s era Eric Burdon influenced vocal style and a commanding and dynamic stage presence inviting media & industry insider comparisons to Jack White and Ty Segall. Early musical influences include artists such as The Beatles, The Who and The Doors.
Gisborne’s self-titled debut EP, Velvet Starlings, was a collaboration with British producer/writer Roger Gisborne (leader of 90s Brit Rock band,Plastiscene) for Sound x 3 / Rock N Rolla Records which was released in late 2018, supported by dates at the Live At Heart Music Festival and SXSW ME in Sweden, where Gisborne’s performances resulted in performance opportunities at Summerfest, Canadian Music Week, The Great Escape and other international festivals.
The single, Sold Down The River, showcases Dylan-esque lyrics, a soulful Hammond B3 organ, gritty guitars and raw blues inspired vocals. The track caught the attention of KROQ and reached #1 (three times) on Kat Corbett’s “Locals Only” show. The official video released in May 2019 features the mural work of Shepard Fairey, world-renowned American contemporary street artist, activist and founder of Obey.
2019 kicked off with a sold-out show supporting Barns Courtney in Los Angeles. In May 2019, Sound x 3 /Rock N Rolla Records released the much anticipated follow up mini-album, Love Everything, Love Everyone. The album was produced and written by Christian Gisborne and Roger Gisborne in Los Angeles, with engineering and mixing by Josiah Mazzaschi (Smashing Pumpkins, The Kills, Jesus & Mary Chain and Deep Valley) and mastering by Brian Lucy (Cage The Elephant, Black Keys, Beck, Arctic Monkeys), who also mastered the self-titled EP.
The mini-album adopts a slightly heavier sound, mirroring the dynamic live performance, and is lyrically and sonically the next step in the evolution of the Velvet Starlings’ sound. The first single, Kids in Droves (released Summer, 2019), speaks to an era where “everyone spends all of their time on devices ‘liking’ and ‘loving’ everything," says Christian Gisborne. Kids in Droves received favorable reviews and airplay in the USA (including influential stations such as KROQ, Sirius XM, 91x and KCSN) as well as BBC Radio in the UK. Legendary BBC Scotland DJ Billy Sloan has been a massive supporter of Gisborne. Other supporters include Shepard Fairey, Dave Davies (The Kinks), Kevin Bronson (KCSN DJ, BuzzbandsLA & former LA Times Music Editor) and legendary tastemakers, DJ Rodney Bingenheimer and DJ/curator Tim Pyles. Both releases charted on FMQB reaching #5 on the Album Chart and #8 on the Singles Chart.
In support of the 2nd release, Velvet Starlings toured across the pond twice with its first full UK tour in May 2019, followed by a US tour sponsored by Acura/Honda, anchored by an emerging artist slot on Summerfest (where Velvet Starlings won best emerging artist and $3,000 worth of gear) and PBS’s Woodsongs in Lexington Kentucky, along with dates in Nashville at The Basement and the Cubby Bear in Chicago.
Velvet Starlings returned to Europe a second time for a very successful Scandinavian tour, which included many sold out dates and key performances at the Live At Heart Music Festival, along with a headline slot at King Tut’s in Glasgow and several dates in England, which included a live radio performance at the BBC and shows at The Dublin Castle and Camden Assembly, where new songs off of Velvet Starlings' third record was debuted.
Velvet Starlings was also invited to showcase at Indie Week in Toronto and will be performing select dates in Brooklyn and New Jersey in November 2019. In 2020, Velvet Starlings will perform at The Great Escape festival and conference in Brighton for Impressive PR’s stage at the request of Mel Brown (Cold Play, Muse). Velvet Starlings will soon be releasing two videos for Bitter Pill and Karmic Lemonade, produced by French director Joseph Calhoun (Lauren Ruth Ward) in support of the mini-album. Christian Gisborne has plans to record his third work in early 2020. Show less
