I am Erik Paluszak and I am Velvet Crayon.
Velvet Crayon is sometimes a one manned band in a live setting with me playing electric guitar through effects pedals, backed with a drum sequencer, & vocals. Sometimes it is just vocals and ukulele. Other times I am doing some sort of sideshow / burlesque / performance art.
While Velvet Crayon began in 2005, I did not start performing music live until 2006. In 2012 these musical performances expanded to include sideshow and performance art as I joined the Squidling Brothers Circus Sideshow. Within a year I became a touring member of their show, performing both my music as well as whatever performance art popped into my brain.
In 2014, I joined the Squidlings for my first tour coast-to-coast of America, performed the entire summer as a Coney Island Sideshow cast member, and did my first solo Velvet Crayon tour. A year later this expanded to tours all over Europe.
As Velvet Crayon, I have released over 14 albums/eps/samplers/singles of music. In 2017 I released three full length albums (“Ampersand Imperfecta”, “The Lost They Are A Generation”, and “Plays Childrens Songs, Sorta (If Your Kids Drop Acid)”), a music video every month of the year, performed as a special guest at the Coney Island Sideshow in August and toured with the Squidling Brothers throughout the year.
When Covid19 hit the US, I cancelled all tours and started streaming on twitch.tv/velvetcrayon.
Velvet Crayon is sometimes a one manned band in a live setting with me playing electric guitar through effects pedals, backed with a drum sequencer, & vocals. Sometimes it is just vocals and ukulele. Other times I am doing some sort of sideshow / burlesque / performance art.
While Velvet Crayon began in 2005, I did not start performing music live until 2006. In 2012 these musical performances expanded to include sideshow and performance art as I joined the Squidling Brothers Circus Sideshow. Within a year I became a touring member of their show, performing both my music as well as whatever performance art popped into my brain.
In 2014, I joined the Squidlings for my first tour coast-to-coast of America, performed the entire summer as a Coney Island Sideshow cast member, and did my first solo Velvet Crayon tour. A year later this expanded to tours all over Europe.
As Velvet Crayon, I have released over 14 albums/eps/samplers/singles of music. In 2017 I released three full length albums (“Ampersand Imperfecta”, “The Lost They Are A Generation”, and “Plays Childrens Songs, Sorta (If Your Kids Drop Acid)”), a music video every month of the year, performed as a special guest at the Coney Island Sideshow in August and toured with the Squidling Brothers throughout the year.
When Covid19 hit the US, I cancelled all tours and started streaming on twitch.tv/velvetcrayon.
Press:
- "28 Ways to Learn About Disability Culture" by Deborah Leiderman (July 25 2020)
- "The Lost They Are A Generation" Review by John Vettese (Oct 22 2017)
- "Ampersand Imperfecta" French Review by Jocelyn H. (Feb 23 2017)
- "NPR Tiny Desk Contest Fan Pick: One-Person Bands" by Rachel Horn (Feb 26 2016)
- "The REAL Tiny Desk Contest Winners" by Bryce Rudow (Feb 16 2015) (was written for "randomnerds.com" but has since been taken down so the link os from the wayback machine)
- "Sideshow Act Velvet Crayon on Performance Art and ‘American Horror Story’" by Kim Kelly (Jan 14 2015) (was written for wanderingsound.com but has since been taken down so the link is from the wayback machine)
[©2005-2022 velvet crayon]