Lyme Aid 5 a great night out

Well I know it was a few days ago now, but I'm on Island Time here :) Victoria Events Centre was the stage for a great fundraiser helping support Jean-Luc Giroux, a Victoria local, and his battle with Lyme Disease. The bands and the venue were both fantastic, and it was a night that did not disappoint.

Ellisa Hartman started off the night with her super catchy tune "Smitten". It was a good crowd right from the get go, and Hartman made everyone realize in a hurry they had made a great choice for their night out. It was good to see her play, as the day before I helped Cyler Parent out on a photo shoot with Ellisa. She was just playing a few songs for the camera, but she was so awesome that I couldn't wait for the show! She is a great act to get out and see, and a fantastic way to start the night.

Next up was Christopher Arruda. I was extremely excited to see the man play live, and he exceeded my expectations in a big way. He played his keyboard the same way a mad scientist would concoct some sort of test tube Armageddon. He really commands attention and has a great voice. The show was only half over and I think we were ready to call it a winner.

Here is a surprise, Steph Macpherson was on the bill (We just can't seem to get enough of her!).  Katie Schaan and Vince Vaccaro accompanied her on stage, as well as Flugelhorn (I most certainly had to ask what type of horn it was) player known simply as Olivier.  It was yet another fantastic performance. I don't know what to say any more to be honest. Schaan and Macpherson were absolutely brilliant throughout the set, and Vaccaro added that perfect touch. It was the set of the night for sure.

A 50/50 winner was announced before Lindsay Bryan closed the evening with her set. In the true spirit of the fundraiser, the winner of the $58 dollars was kind enough to donate it back to the cause. A class act.

It was my first time really hearing about Lindsay Bryan. She has a great voice, and she had some great support on stage. She was funny and dropped a few F-bombs, which I always find humourous. I would have liked to see Lindsay play somewhere else in the line-up. Not to take anything away from the Victoria talent, but after a set like Macpherson's, you could really see the experience gap in Bryan's. Definitely a raw talent to keep an eye on.

It was obviously a very successful event. It showcased a lot of local talent, and raised some funds for a good cause. Another shining Example of local music doing good in the community.

Vaccaro preaches it softly at St. Ann's

(The Chapel at St. Ann's Academy in Victoria, BC)

Well that was one of the coolest sets I have witnessed.  Vince Vaccaro played to a capacity crowd in the chapel at St. Ann's Academy in Victoria, BC.

Now, in my typical fashion, I didn't bother grabbing a program when I got to the BC Day celebrations.  I lied on the grass outside, listened to a wonderful set by Ellisa Hartman, and was just generally enjoying life.  I noticed people with programs, but thought "why would I need one of those".  The next set was announced, and it wasn't Vince.  Alright now I need help.  Luckily, and with some assistance from some very friendly volunteers, I made my way into the back of the chapel about 20 minutes into the set.

It was fantastic.  Armed with nothing more than an acoustic guitar and the microphone, Vince kept the rooms attention the entire time.  Using the mic only when needed, the rooms natural acoustics were perfect.  Even during Little Candle, the room seemed to bounce his foot stomping perfectly through its walls.

It was fun to watch people watching the set.  With the environment being what it was, it seemed people were more focused on the performance, but reserved in their behaviour.  Some heads bobbed here and there, and I saw a mouth or two moving, but most just watched and listened.

In the 40 minutes I saw, Vaccaro played some stuff from his album, as well as some new stuff.  It was great to hear it all in such a raw form.  There is one thing that stands out through all of it though, and that is just how talented this guy is.  I mean he had the room glued, and mostly wasn't even using a microphone.   A class act, playing a free set to celebrate the province.  Happy BC Day everyone, now send Vince a thank you ;)

Visit his main page and listen to his new single Catch a Fire here.
If you dig it, vote for it on the Zone 91.3 Modern Rock Inbox here.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Vince Vaccaro

Vince Vaccaro is loving life right now. It’s evident upon meeting the man, and why wouldn’t he be? He just finished playing the inaugural Tall Tree Festival in Port Renfrew, has shows lined up for the summer, and is a finalist in the Peak FM Performance Project. More important than all of that though, is how he got there.
Music has always been a big part of Vaccaros’ life, until about five and a half years ago, when he stopped chasing that dream, and took off for Australia. Who knew that’s all it would take? Spending only months in the Southern Hemisphere, Vince headed back to the Provincial Capital with fire.

“The day I came back, I had come back from a place of not wanting to continue, you know? I mean when you try for so long on something, it is discouraging, you take little steps, but then you also take so many steps back, you know time holds you up, or something doesn’t work out, or whatever it is.
When I came home, it was like “Go, go, go, this is what we’re doing, and this is how I’m gonna do it” just like go, go, go really hard, that was the only thing I had going on. Where as now I’m doing various things, and it’s a little more manageable, a little less stressful.
It’s been 5 years since I’ve come home, so in a way, I feel like this is a completely different place I’m in now where I’m just happy to be. I make music at home, I record in my living room, and I’m happy to be doing that right now again, it feels more like a balanced equation.” Vaccaro told me recently on a hike at Thetis Lake.

Vaccaros’ songs are performed as well as they are written. The live show being such an important part of any musician’s career, Vaccaro has a simple approach.

“People want to connect man, there is so much disconnect. So for me, without getting stupid deep, it’s just a human connection, and the show is the same way. With the show, I lose myself in the songs, like completely. Sometimes there’s some videos out there, where I’m just, eyes closed, hands in the air, just in the moment. You see it later, and you go “I don’t even remember that” cause you’re so lost in it, and I think people crave that, that real connection that musicians have. I love seeing bands that I would call almost spiritual music. You know Ben Harper? When I see him perform, I’ve seen him three times now, all three times it was just, almost like watching Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley mixed up together. You know when you get that real soulful thing? Just really intense, I like that. I like connecting with music like that. That’s where I think the live show is. You can’t download that.”

With an abundance of talent and experience, Vaccaro has to be a favourite in the Peak FM Performance Project. Great songwriting, along with an excellent stage presence make Vince a tough act to go up against, though he’s trying not to look at it that way.

“It is a crazy thing. My truest feeling is, I'm almost uncomfortable what I would say, going up against some of my best friends. I don’t want to compete against Steph, she's like my sister, you know? So you gotta switch your perspective from going up against, to doing the best you can.
But the air of competition is still out here, it’s around. We all want the top prize. We did an orientation, it was the first commitment we had. I just attended the workshop with Tom Jackson, he’s a performance coach, he’s actually the number one performance coach in the world. He coached us on some stuff, and everything he said made complete sense. And I’m the kinda person that doesn’t wanna be told what to do. If someone tells me what to do, right away my defense is up cause I feel like they're changing me. Even if they want the best of out me, or they're suggesting something out of genuine care, I still have my back up. I don’t know what that is, but I’ve always been that way. I don’t want to change for anything, or I don’t want to change my music for anybody at all. Watching him work with bands, he was awesome. He didn’t change them for his liking, he changed them so that he took the best out of them. Like a music producer in the recording studio gets the best take out of the artist, he’s just getting the best live take out of a performing situation. So that was good for me to see.”

It’s been more than a year since his self-titled full length came out, but that doesn’t mean Vince hasn’t been busy writing and recording. In an ever changing industry, artists are looking for new ways to connect with fans. A lighter approach to recorded goods, and more of a push to the live show seems to be the way these days. The Montreal born musician understands this trend and embraces it fully.

“I’ve been recording some new stuff, I’ve spent the last 6 months or more, just writing, writing, writing. Just being really open to anything that I hear. That’s how I feel music comes to me. It’s not like I sit there and go “I wanna write a song about how beautiful I think this is”.  I just hear music in my head. I don’t even know how to explain it, but I just sorta hear everything. I hear all the parts, it’s like a feeling that comes over you or something. Like when your mood changes, you’re just suddenly super happy.  That’s how music comes to me, suddenly I hear music. So I’ve been open to that, I’ve been writing a ton, I have over 50 songs right now, It’s insane. I picked my favourite four. I put them down last week, and I wanted to be able to tell friends and people, not to spread the word, just share what I’m up to. Like a cool photo I’ve taken. I'm not trying to make it the next thing. If you check it out at http://www.fireandsun.com/, there is an explanation of what it is. Those 4 songs, I’ve been focusing a lot on that. I want to release something for free on the internet. That’s kinda what I want to do, because honestly people don’t really buy music anymore man.  I don’t want to create any more garbage in the world, so I’m gonna do a little bit of free download action. It doesn’t cost me anything to write them, they come to me freely. So who am I to say “pay me this for that.”, it’s like no. If I’m gonna be like the person in between whatever’s out there and music, then cool, you can have it all for free you know. Hopefully they come to the live show, and that’s how I can make a living. That’s sort of my vision right now for my future.”

I feel like a broken record sometimes, but it’s that sort of attitude that makes you want success for the man. When an artist puts his fans up front like that, you can’t help but be impressed. The four tracks available at http://www.fireandsun.com/are solid, my personal favourite being “Coco”, where Vaccaro shows off his bi-lingual skills. With a musical style that is “instant classic rock”, Vaccaro is another kick ass Canadian musician with plenty to offer. With all the momentum he has been gaining, there is no better time to show your support. An easy feat for a musician who wants nothing more than to just share his music and his moments.

Here are a few other sites of interest:
http://www.vincevaccaro.com/
http://www.fireandsun.com/
www.myspace.com/vincevaccaro
www.twitter.com/vincevaccaro