A native New Yorker born and raised in the city, songwriter Julian Velard grew up under the influence of all the cities luminaries - from Martin Scorsese to Cyndi Lauper. His early adult years were spent in an efficiency apartment in Red Hook, Brooklyn, looking out onto the Manhattan skyline as he created the songs for his first three self-released records. . Odd jobs paid the bills while Velard toured the U.S. feverishly, playing shows anywhere he could get a booking, from rock clubs to cabarets to bar-mitzvahs. But when his quirky Pop sensibilities took hold in the U.K. - a major label record exec heard his tracks on MySpace - Velard decided to relocate to England. Now mainly a Londoner, Velard straddles both sides of the Atlantic, writing songs for himself and others, and playing shows alongside Goldfrapp, Shelby Lynne, Marc Broussard, Amy McDonald, Kate Nash, Jose Gonzalez, Sonya Kitchell, Tom Baxter, The Clarks, Horatio Sanz, Ben Kweller, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and others, and is currently working towards the 2010 release of his label debut. Julian will be touring the U.S. this December, and is offering a free download of his album The Planeteer with every advanced ticket purchase. For more information, head to http://www.julianvelard.com.
