First Thursday alum Julian Velard returns to WTMD for a special in-studio performance on Morning Sessions at 9 a.m. Friday.
Velard's piano pop single "Do It Alone" celebrates the freedom of getting out of a failed romance. But it can also be read as his musical mantra.
"If I were to describe my music to anybody, it's kind of like a birthday party for one," he says. "I'm like that sad kid in the corner with his birthday hat and his cake; he's having a good time, but he's lonely!"
Last year Velard ducked out of the major label party early, leaving EMI without releasing an album. His independent "major label" debut, The Planeteer, arrived a few months later on his own terms.
The album's self-effacing piano pop garnered a CD of the Week feature earlier this year--and proved that Velard can certainly do it alone. Brass sections add a bit of showy flair to some tracks. And a a toe-tapping rhythm invokes the pizzazz of contemporaries, such as Jamie Cullum or Harry Connick Jr., while adding a New York state of mind.
Julian Velard opens for Marc Broussard at Rams Head Tavern on June 16 and 17.
Julian Velard opens for Marc Broussard at Rams Head Tavern on June 16 and 17.