BIO
Velvet Caravan is a musical “mutt.” One that’s stylistically ebullient with members from varied backgrounds.
As a band that brings the Gypsy sentiment to stages far and wide, Velvet Caravan was originally conceived in the 2010s in Savannah, Georgia, as an outlet to play Manouche music, in the style of Django Reinhardt & Stéphane Grappelli, European folk music and Latin American music. Venezuelan born violinist Ricardo Ochoa, and Ex-Yugoslav born guitarist Sasha Strunjas, initiated the group, gradually bringing in bassist Eric Dunn from Savannah, Georgia, keyboardist/accordionist Jared Hall from Des Moines, Iowa and the New York percussionist, Jesse Monkman. Once the lineup was complete, the band had become a velvety outfit of gipsy, swing, honky-tonk, and Latin colors.
After an energetic and nerve-wracking show case at the renowned SXSW music festival, in Austin, Texas, the band had only 15 minutes to show their all. To their disbelief, they beat out hundreds of bands at the competitive festival and were invited to join the artist roster of Kosson Talent, a booking agency headed by Larry Kosson and Robin Spielberg. Guitarist Sasha Strunjas, left the band after a few years and was replaced by Jimmy Grant from California. Grant’s contribution revitalized the band, not only in performances, but by incorporating several pieces of original music that the group have enjoyed playing throughout their duration.
Varying schedules required the California-based guitarist to occasionally be replaced by New York native, Tim Clement. At times, the band had even incorporated vocal numbers into their live performances, calling up vocalists such as Jessica Best, Gretchen Stelzer, and Annie Sellick. Changes to the group’s format continued with the departure of percussionist, Jesse Monkman.
The band made a unanimous decision to remain true to the Gypsy sentiment, but decided to employ the talents of Serbian-American drummer/percussionist Vuk Pavlovic, to help update the Velvet Caravan sound. During the final stretch of the band’s active tenure, Kentucky-based guitarist, Ken Allday, was added to the lineup. Allday helped to navigate the evolution of the group’s sound. Having traversed the United States, Velvet Caravan has performed sold out performances to audiences from Los Angeles, CA to New Paltz, NY and Tapron Springs, FL to Lincoln, NE. Although another tour was planned for Spring of 2020, the pandemic threw a proverbial wrench into the machine, sending the bear head wearing quintet into a 5-year hibernation.
During that period, the band’s loyal following had eagerly awaited a potential reunion. After a few ill-fated attempts, Velvet Caravan graced the stage once more in late September of 2025 to a sold out crowd at the Tybee Post Theater on Tybee Island, Georgia. The band’s future is unwritten, but the resurgence of interest in the group’s existence and musical growth displayed by each member, may still carry some surprises in the back of the caravan.
