You may have heard of Velvet Chain due to their appearance on the hit cult show, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", in which they played the Bronze in the first season (as well as being featured on the Buffy album.) Lead singer Erika Amato has a brilliant stage presence that is recognised in most live reviews of the band, and also has a blooming acting career. I got the chance to interview bassist Jeff Stacy, who is the primary composer and creative founder of Velvet Chain.

What has been the highlight of 2003 for you?

Highlight of 2003 is finishing the Asteroid Belt album. It took me about 3 years to make this album, and it's completion is somewhat of a milestone for me.

What is the band currently up to?

The band is currently in "marketing mode," which is necessary, especially when you have a new album out. Since we are an indie band, we do a lot of our own PR and promotion work. We're not worried about playing local gigs at the moment, because our fan base is more internet based (worldwide) rather than locally based. I am also constantly working on new music, and constantly, sampling, writing, and recording.

Many people know you for your appearance on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', as well as your track 'Strong' being included on the Buffy soundtrack. How did this exposure affect the band?

The Buffy exposure was HUGE for Velvet Chain, and constitutes our biggest break to date. Well over half of our fan database (12,000) came either directly or indirectly from Buffy. We are quite grateful.

How would you describe your experience of playing the Bronze club on the Buffy show way back in its first season?

The experience of taping the Buffy show and playing in the Bronze was a good one. It was a lot of fun, and everybody on the set was really cool. It was a bit of a weird experience because we were "fake -playing" to our own recording. It's hard to pretend to be playing, and make it look natural.

You also released "The Buffy EP". Why did you decide to do this? Are you all big fans of the show?

The Buffy EP was a direct response to all of the Buffy fans that hit our site and started buying stuff. We were active on the Bronze posting board and it seemed like putting out a release directly associated with Buffy would be a cool thing. We did it just in time for the Bronze party -- I think it was the second one. (We performed at two of them). And yes... we are still fans of the show.

Your new album "Asteroid Belt" is out now. For people not familiar with Velvet Chain, how would you describe your music?

Space-age pop music with atmospheres and Jazz and stuff.

How do you decide on things such as album names and covers? Do you get much input with the art work?

I do all of the artwork myself, because I am also a graphic artist (to some degree). Most of our artwork is photograph-based. I collect certain images and like abstract stuff. Asteroid Belt has a space-age, sci-fi kind of theme. I used a lot of photos from NASA taken by the Hubble telescope.

What music did you listen to when you were growing up? Have there been any bands or artists that have particularly influenced you?

I listened to a very wide variety of music growing up. Everything from Neil Diamond, to the Doors, to Cat Stevens, to Credence, to Cream, to Black Sabbath, etc. My favorite artists of all time are Bowie, Roxy Music, and Radiohead. As far as musical influence, Roxy Music and Radiohead top the list.

What kind of music are you listening to at the moment?

I listen to Radiohead the most. I like some other things, of course, but in my opinion, everything else is pretty much inferior. I also listen to some pretty obscure, ambient-type music. As far as pop music goes, I don't like much. Can't stand any hip hop at all. I think it's all fully lame.

Do you have any heroes or idols?

Heroes or idols? I don't know. As far as playing on stage, it's pretty hard to be cooler than Keith Richards. As far a stage presence, Bowie is unbelievable. Personally, I'm most into writing, and believe it or not, a big idol of mine is Burt Bacharach. His compositions are incredibly unique and inventive. And, of course, the Beatles, who must have been aliens to have written so many amazingly good songs.

What has the band got planned for 2004?

Looks like we might do a couple of Buffy-oriented convention gigs. We have a song coming out on a tribute album for the band "Art of Noise." We're already working on the next album.

Thanks to Jeff for taking the time out to answer my questions. You can find out more about Velvet chain at their site, www.velvetchain.com.