Exclusive Interview With Veteran Rocker John Vento
Top 20 iTunes chart artist and veteran rocker answered some questions for us:
Hi John! Thanks so much for taking the time to answer some questions. You’re an extremely busy guy! How do you find time to write, record, perform, and have any kind of personal life?
You’re very welcome. Thanks for asking me to answer some questions. Yes, I am indeed a very busy guy, and I find time to write and record by being really good at delegating responsibility to people who can do the jobs I want to get done as well as or even better than I could do it. This allows me the time to focus on the facets of the jobs and projects I enjoy doing most.
Your current single, “Humble Way” is doing very well on some national airplay charts. How did you pick the song as a single, and why do you think it’s catching on with listeners?
Many people posted great comments about its catchiness when we shared progress videos during the recording process, and it’s one of the high energy tunes people loved a lot at shows. It’s a fun song to sing along with and has a powerful positive perspective.
You do a lot of work with various organizations in your area. Can you tell us about some of them?
The purpose of Band Together Pittsburgh (a recognized 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization) is to employ the power of music to engage youth on the autism spectrum and their families. Music has the proven capacity to enhance social interactions, build and develop communication skills, and improve motor/sensory, emotional and academic/cognitive functioning. PLUS it’s FUN!
Music brings us together. Fills our souls. And creates pathways to help those on the autism spectrum to build new skills. The founders of Band Together Pittsburgh, Ron Esser and I, have decades of experience in the music scene and in the non-profit youth development world. Ronny “Moondog” Esser, the proprietor of Moondog’s, a well-known music venue that’s been successful for many decades, has a son that’s on the spectrum, and my nephew and godchild are on the spectrum as well. That experience coupled with a science-based approach provides us with a solid foundation to provide programming.
“When Words Fail, Music Speaks.” For more information, please check out www.BandTogetherPittsburgh.org
Who did you listen to as a kid? How did these artists influence you as an artist?
I listened to a lot of Motown as a kid. The music has such an incredible groove! I was always blown away by the lyrics, especially Temptation songs like “My Girl,” “Ball of Confusion,” and “I Wish It Would Rain.” As an artist, I like to make music with a groove that makes people move and sing lyrics that move people to feel or think deeply sometimes, and other times, embrace a more light-hearted perspective. Because of the impact music had on me, I realize how much of an impact I can have on people who listen to me sing. I don’t take that job lightly.
What is one song that your fans would be surprised to know that you secretly like?
“Calendar Girl” by Neil Sedaka
Let’s talk about your most recent album release, “Love, Lust, and Other Wreckage.” Tell us about the overall concept of the record?
“Love, Lust & Other Wreckage” is a raw and dynamic depiction of the story of my struggles in my love life and how it has been affected by my love for the stage. I spent many hours sharing my story with my long-time songwriter friend Burt Lauble. I decided it was time to share an autobiographical rendition of my life. I was so successful in making my story interesting that playwright Amy Hartman wrote a script for a stage play under the same title. “Love, Lust & Other Wreckage” will be performed on September 13th & 14th at The Oaks Theater in Oakmont, PA. It’s a collaborative multi-genre effort written by playwright Amy Hartman and directed by Robin Walsh, featuring music from my CD, that “tells the story of one man’s struggle to trace back the fracture his life has become. He bounces inside the crooked journey of heartbreak, his own cruelty, and lust for his insatiable compulsion to create music. After losing all, he must climb out from beneath the wreckage he created. This struggle leads him into a dark world of chaos, love, and discovery. But only for the high price of forgiveness. And it’s mostly all true!”
Any plans for a follow-up album yet or other projects? If so, please tell us the direction you’re going in…
Well, I already jumped back into the studio and recorded another song. “Your Kind of Man” is part of my “Love, Lust and Other Wreckage” story. I wrote it to fill in a gap in the timeline, to be added to the Stage Play. I am currently concentrating on “Love, Lust and Other Wreckage” for now, and will think more about what comes next after I hear how I sound after my surgery.
Thanks again, John! Good luck with the upcoming September play performances. Keep us posted!
Record Label, Artist Management, Music Publicity | MTS Management Group
Whiskey and Cigarettes Country Radio Show is happy to announce the airing of their exclusive interview with former Air Force veteran-turned-country singer and #1 Inside Country chart artist, Corinne Cook. Ms. Cook joined award-winning host, Nik Bernitz Pizzigoni, to talk about her burgeoning career, including her latest album, Yes I Can featuring the single, “Mr. Mechanic.”
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