When Gina Zo came back into the industry in 2020, she saw the need for a change in how women in the music industry were being treated, not only from behind the velvet curtains you see but the moments that you never get to witness within the darkness. When the band gathered together on a Tuesday night in May, the discussion began about what it really meant to be a rock-n-roll band in Philly. Specifically, what it meant to be spokespeople for young artists who were trying to make it in the industry. Raging against the machine that holds them back, they could only think of one thing - the color red.



Imagine someone you loved turned their back on you. Or the moment you thought someone you trusted was honest with you, you find out they lied. Imagine a secret of yours got leaked. Or a person you just met doesn’t tell you who they really are. That makes you mad. It makes you feel things you’ve never wanted to feel. It makes you… well. Velvet Rouge: the color you exude when you are betrayed by someone you trusted.



The music of Velvet Rouge brings about a sense of red. In every word, phrase, and beat, you can hear a sense of rage - from a whisper… a kick drum, a bass drop, or a guitar lick. Synesthesia describes the visual of hearing music or words and seeing colors in return. From the very early stages of Velvet Rouge, the band has stuck with this core feeling and vision: to show the world what it means to be in a state of Velvet Rouge.



THE STORY BEHIND THE GROUP, VELVET ROUGE, AND THEIR LEADING LADY, GINA ZO.



In 2016, Gina Castanzo was featured on NBC’s The Voice, where she sang Andrew McMahon’s Cecilia and the Satellite. Only seventeen years old at the time, her performance granted her a spot on Team Blake for the show’s tenth season. After The Voice, Gina set off on a journey with the local label Raw Life Records under her new name, Gina Zo. She released two albums: My Weakness and Free Your Soul.



Gina is currently the lead singer of the band Velvet Rouge and has performed at an eclectic mix of Philly’s music venues including a sold-out show at Kung Fu Necktie, MilkBoy, World Café Live, Bourbon and Branch, The Fire, and Voltage Lounge. Joining Gina on stage are Buddy Mazzenga, Joe McEnany, and introducing Andrew Amado. Mazzenga, a veteran Philly drummer, has circulated the Northeast music scene over the past 15 years with The National Rifle, Bondage & Discipline, and Sad Heaven. Amado, a Philly bassist played in local band,The Cultour. McEnany, originally found on Craigslist by Zo, can always be seen with a guitar in his hands - influenced by Led Zepplin, he has brought a new edge to the band with his groovy guitar runs and as he likes to call it… “sprinkles”.



Velvet Rouge's debut EP Dark Hallways was released in October of 2021 (under their previous alias, Zo) amassing over 30,000 plays on Spotify. WXPN has played rotations of Cry and Never Meant, calling the tunes "seductive" and "slamming".



The rest of the year is jam-packed for the Philly Gypsy Soul Rock n' Roll band as they work on their next set of singles with Brian McTear and Amy Morrissey (War On Drugs, Sharon Van Etten, and Dr. Dog) at Miner Street Recording.