Velvet Elvis Returns Sept 25th For Their First Louisville Show In Over 35 Years!

Written By: Cary B. Willis

What in the world happened to Velvet Elvis? And why are they back?

Velvet Elvis seemed on the brink of stardom when they were signed to a major label resulting in a lush album of buoyant pop-rock released in 1988. Through no fault of their own, the dream crashed early and one of Kentucky’s most beloved bands packed it in for four decades.

But now they’re back, with a new record in the works and – Sep. 25 at Zanzabar – their first Louisville gig since their first go-round in the spotlight. They’ve played three in Lexington already.

Formed in 1984 in Lexington, Velvet Elvis entered Jeff Carpenter’s Real to Reel studio in Louisville and cut two self-released records in quick succession – a four-song EP, “Fun and Trouble,” and then a full-length album, “What in the World” – attracting a sizable following in Kentucky’s two largest cities.

Its bread and butter was jangly power pop – flavored here and here with traces of country. Strong vocals, melodies that connected immediately and skilled musicianship combined for a can’t-miss formula. No-frills hard rock (“Ambition,” “Back It Up”) were sequenced alongside more nuanced, vaguely Tom Petty-style Americana (“What in the World,” “Back Where I Belong,” “Privilege”), allowing VE’s music to leave a deep imprint on listeners’ memories.

With the confidence and ambition of young people who don’t know any better, band members went the DIY approach after that to see if they could interest a major label in their next record. “We literally went to the library and looked up record labels, and we started sending out our records with a self-addressed, stamped envelope for them to reply,” singer and guitarist Dan Trisko recalled recently. “We were told not to do that, because at best we’d get ignored, and at worst our material could get pirated.”

But conventional wisdom proved wrong, and somewhere along the way, the band’s radio-friendly tunes captured the ear of musician and producer wunderkind Mitch Easter, who had played an important role in the success of acts like R.E.M., Game Theory and others. Easter played Louisville’s legendary alt-rock venue Tewligan’s and asked Velvet Elvis to open for him. Not long after that, he introduced the Kentucky band to Scott Vanderbilt, the A&R head at trendy Enigma Records, whose stable of artists in the 1980s boasted revered names such as the Smithereens, Devo, Flaming Lips. The Cramps, Rain Parade, and Dream Syndicate. Soon Easter was helming VE’s major-label debut, called simply “Velvet Elvis,” for the Enigma imprint in 1988.

What the band didn’t know at the time was that Enigma, despite its visible successes, was in the process of deconstructing. “Enigma was broke,” Trisko said. “So we got no promotion, no money for tour support, and no money for videos.”

While the album did get some national exposure for a brief period, Velvet Elvis disbanded shortly afterward, and the experience left a bitter taste in Trisko’s mouth. “We thought Enigma didn’t like us for some reason,’ he said. “We took it personally.” So the band broke up and went in different directions for many years. Trisko said he didn’t even play guitar for 10 years.

In the spring of 2025, original bassist Scott Stoess, who had sung lead on a few of VE’s songs, was reminiscing and told Trisko that the songs on “What in the World” had aged well. “It was a wonderful moment, and the rest of us took it from here,” Trisko said. Stoess died of cancer earlier this year, but the seeds of a reunion had started to sprout.

Drummer Sherri McGee asked her son, Harlan Cecil, if he’d be interested in taking over on bass, and Cecil – who’s mostly played guitar in more blues-oriented outfits – didn’t hesitate to say yes. The rest of the band is the same as it’s been since the first LP: McGee on drums and vocals, Trisko on guitar and lead vocals, and keyboardist Jeff Yurkoski.

“Right now, we’re just trying to play out live and get everything to jell,” McGee said. “You know, get tight. And have some fun. I think better things happen when you say you’re just doing this for fun.”

Joining Velvet Elvis will be old friends Lemonade Hayride, featuring Eric Stoess, Scott’s brother, as well as the multi-talented Rachel Grimes; and The Char, led by longtime Louisville punk-rock king Chuck Baxter.

Hear Velvet Elvis – with bonus tracks added recently to all three recordings – on streaming platforms including: