Cruel Optimism – The story behind the music of Natural Velvet

by Corynne Ostermann of Natural Velvet

Natural Velvet


My name is Corynne Ostermann; I’m a multidisciplinary artist and musician playing bass & providing vocals for the Baltimore-based group Natural Velvet.

Natural Velvet started in 2012, and I’ve been involved since the beginning, as well as with my bandmates Spike Arreaga (guitar), Kim Te (guitar), and Greg Hatem (drums, production). I genuinely feel so lucky to have had my bandmates’ attention for as long as I have had, and as a result, I’m very protective of them and the long-term sustainability of our project.

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Music as Magick. Magick as Music

by Dusty Santamaria

Music as Magick. Magick as Music. by Dusty Santamaria
The Sun looked like a prison break. I woke up in a suburb of Seattle and stared drowsily out of a stranger’s bedroom window. My wife was talking to an admirer of hers around the scattered ashes of a campfire from the night before. There was a mysterious text message from an unknown number on the blue screen of a broken iPhone. It was clear that the veils to what folks call the spirit world were perceptibly thin. Little hints of future memory flickered with mischievous honesty through the cracked wallpaper in the shadows of the room.

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Recording My Album: The Will to Succeed

by Vaughn Edward

Recording My Album: The Will to Succeed by Vaughn Edward
After years of performing in funk, jazz, blues, ska, Top 40 and big bands, I found myself and the voice that I wanted with my music in the world. I realized, after traveling and living in all parts of the country, the music that best represents me, is Pop!

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