Cecilia

Cecilia The Band hailing from New York City, is following the tradition of great touring bands that have also had a strong radio presence featuring awesome harmony, a dynamic rhythm section, a mesmerizing stage performance, infectious pop-sensible songs and a very intriguing story.

The Band, equipped with individual and collective talent reminiscent of past eras in music, and songs from the heart and from the hip, fans say the Cecilia experience is nothing short of life-altering. Five of the six members of Cecilia are the Veltz family, a recording, touring, pop/rock and roll family, predictably compared to a real life Partidge family but one that actually writes their own music and plays their own instruments with excellence and a refreshing diversity. The 6th member, NYC bassist Kevin Jacoby, born in South Africa, completes the unlikely union that is Cecilia The Band.

The Veltz family never intended on becoming a band but through a complicated set of circumstances, the five became Cecilia in 1999. In 2000, Kevin Jacoby joined while the band was in the process of finalizing a record deal with Blackbird Records, an affiliate of Atlantic Records. Moments before the pens hit the paper, the AOL / Time Warner merger was approved and Blackbird was severed from Atlantic. Instead of being severed with it, Cecilia was offered an opportunity to perform a private showcase for Atlantic Records and was signed to a major record deal in early 2001. September 11th happened and derailed the world for a while. AOL budget and performance demands on Atlantic and the climate of the music industry caused a frantic processed pop makeover and Cecilia would not submit. By the end of 2002, Cecilia welcomed being dropped by Atlantic.

Unlike the typical cases of bands being dropped because albums sales and public response is less than label expectations, Cecilia never recorded an album during the 18 months of contractual association and negotiation. There is absolutely no animosity from the Cecilia camp toward Atlantic and on the contrary, the band has great understanding for the plight of those in power at the time who were simply trying to satisfy the demands of the new guard. After the final ultimatum, Cecilia chose to walk from the status of being signed by a major label and in so doing, was able to retain the very reason Atlantic Records signed them in the first place.

Determined to stay afloat, Cecilia independently released Live @ The Source, recorded at a venue in the West Village, NYC, and accomplished a four month national tour. In early 2004, initiated through a unique partnership with a group of Cecilia fans, the band began production on This, their latest and long-awaited studio record project. This, entirely financed by Cecilians around the country, is currently available in pre-release form with the official release set for fall of 2004.

Cecilia - a new chapter of pop music history in the making.