Hello there good people. Before we begin I just want to send prayers to Peshawar, Pakistan where uniformed militants attacked a school, killing at least 126 people and taking hostages on Tuesday. There is so much good in the world, but we must recognize & be ready for evil as well. Onto to some music news today, Nettwerk Music Group’s publishing division, Nettwerk One Music (NW1) announces this morning a 50% acquisition and a go-forward publishing joint venture with Nashville-based independent publishing company Ten Ten Music Group. Nettwerk has been doing amazing things in music lately and this is another example. In other news here is another M&A story, BMG Chrysalis US has announced the acquisition of X-Ray Dog Music. The Burbank based independent production music library led by owners Mitch Lijewski and Tim Stithem contains over 4,000 tracks, covering a broad collection of high quality music. Now lets get to my guests today who have blown me away with their new album ‘This Beautiful Ride’ and their background story. These 5 musicians from Jersey and making rock music that is genuine, real, and contagious. Join us today as Phil and Gerald speak on the new album, Phil and his situation with Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita, holiday songs, and so much more!
Stoli: Where are we talking from today and how is your holiday shopping going?
Phil: I’m actually taking a break at work currently, looking for anything to distract my attention for even just a few minutes. I work in Asbury Park, NJ. My holiday shopping is done. At least I think it is. I guess I’ll find out soon enough!
Gerald: Same Here, just taking a break from a hectic day. Holiday shopping is long done as I try to get to it early. There’s always last minute items that pop up though.
Stoli: Do you guys plan on putting out a holiday song this year and if you did which one would it be?
Gerald: We actually haven’t really talked about doing a holiday song this year. It’s definitely something to consider in the future. Jason and I used to cover Trans Siberian Orchestra’s “Carol of the Bells” in a previous band and we thought about possibly doing that again at a live show. It was alot of fun, we’ll just have to see!
Stoli: Give us a brief history on how you five came together and why did you choose the name Corevalay?
Phil: Corevalay was formed by our guitarist and vocalist Gerald Vitale back in 2012. Gerald had a bunch of songs he’d been writing and wasn’t really doing anything with. After a jam and recording session with our drummer Mike Dawson, who Gerald had been friends with for a while, he challenged himself to try and put together a professional and functioning band. This is what led him to finding me through an online ad of all places. Jay is a real good friend of Gerald’s and they have a diverse musical background together. He was also helping Gerald out with some of the song writing before I joined the band. When Gerald and I got together we finished up the songs he had and also wrote a bunch of new ones. It was great because there was an instant chemistry. We recorded the entire album, This Beautiful Ride, within months of getting together. When we decided to take our performance to the stage Gerald immediately contacted AJ, who he had known for quite some time and knew would be a perfect fit.
Gerald: I came up with the name way before the band even came together. It’s a nod to the TV show Seinfeld which I am a huge fan of. I always thought it was something fun rather than a real serious name. Everyone else was cool with it, so it stuck. Pretty simple process actually!
Stoli: When you first got together what was your vision for the music you wanted to make that the scene was missing?
Gerald: I can honestly say that I really just wrote whatever came to me at the time. I’d like to think I have a pretty wide range of musical influences, and they all seem to shine through. As long as we liked what I had written, I’m cool with playing it regardless of the “style” that it might fit into. Obviously, in the end, we’re a hard rock band and stick to that, but it’s not just one set sound for us. Hopefully we’re bringing a bit of originality in what we’re doing.
Phil: I’ve always wanted to make music that I was into. I didn’t just want to write music, I wanted to write music I would listen to as a fan. Growing up I was always a huge fan of rock music, so naturally, every band I’ve played with through the years has had very strong rock roots. I think the scene is missing the really dynamic live bands I remember when I was first getting into bands. I want to be blown away when I’m out seeing completely new artists and bands, and that’s what were trying to do each and every time we get on stage.
Stoli: Your debut album ‘This Beautiful Ride’ is out now. How does it feel to have accomplished that and how long were you writing & recording?
Phil: It feels amazing when I think back on it. To put time & effort into something you feel so passionately about, and gets well-received, is an exhilarating feeling. The whole process of producing this album took us less than a year. I’d say that the time spent writing and recording was split pretty evenly. We were even writing some smaller parts during the recording process, so a lot of that overlapped.
Gerald: It’s a really great feeling. I’m extremely happy with the way the entire album turned out. I don’t know that there is anything I would change, and that’s very rare for me after recording songs! It’s something that I’m very proud of.
Stoli: You have any plans for a music video what single would you want to feature and what would the theme be?
Phil: We’re actually in the process of pulling that all together. We’re not 100% sure which song it’s going to be, but what we can tell you is it will be awesome.
Stoli: I really am inspired by Phil and his situation with Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (AMC). Can you educate readers on (AMC) and how you have been able to keep rocking?
AMC is a relatively rare condition. In fact, it wasn’t until only a few years ago that I actually met another individual with the same condition. It is a condition that heavily restricts the range of motion and joints of limbs, including hands and feet. AMC has a very wide spectrum of severity, ranging from mild to extremely restricting. I happen to fall somewhere in the middle. Some people with AMC can walk, but in some of the more severe cases, individuals require the use of a power wheelchair and 24 hour assistance from a care-giver. I honestly never thought of it as a set back and to the contrary, it has even opened up opportunities throughout my life and attracted some curious fans. I like to tell people sometimes that it’s a good thing I didn’t decide to become a football player.
Stoli: Being that there are five of you in the band, how many times per week do you get together and do you have work/school/family as well to balance?
Phil: We try to get together as often as it can happen. Some months it’s more rehearsals, some months it’s less. We all have jobs and families to juggle, but up to this point, I really don’t think it’s hindered us at all.
Gerald: What’s really great about Corevalay is we don’t have to get together 2 times a week, every week. Everyone is reliable and makes sure that when we do rehearse or have a show they are prepared and ready to go. It makes the whole experience that much better, and a lot less stressful.
Stoli: Your live show is awesome! Any shows coming up in 2015 and what venues would you like to play in NY & NJ area?
Thank you! That really means a lot to us. We have shows coming up early 2015 already and we are sure to add many more as the year goes on. Right now in 2015 we are booked January 16th at Maxwells in Hoboken, NJ with our friends CIVIC. We also have a show February 6th at Mexicali Live in Teaneck, NJ. Check out our Web site or our Facebook page for any updates to our schedule. We plan on having a busy 2015.
Phil: There’s a good handful of places that I would love to play. I recently went to a show at The Starland Ballroom. I love that place and would be a lot of fun for us to play there. There’s also some great venues in NYC that we’ve got our eyes on.
Stoli: When you are listening to music do you prefer streaming or buying downloads and what sites do you use?
Phil: If I’m at home I will buy and stream song off of iTunes, but when I’m at work lately I’ve been utilizing Pandora.
Gerald: Same here. Streaming has become a really big source of hearing new music for me. Pandora is really great. YouTube has anything you want to hear which is fantastic. iTunes is my go to for buying music. One thing I do miss though is the actual CD. When we pressed our albums and I popped the disc in my CD player I was blown away by the sound. I’m so used to mp3’s and WAV’s that I actually forgot how great a CD sounds!
Stoli: What is coming up for Corevalay and where you @ online?
Gerald: Right now we’re just trying to get our name and music out there. We’re doing a ton of promotional stuff just trying to get our tunes in front of people. Playing is a priority for us right now as we’re very proud of our live show. I’m not sure what the future holds, but you can be assured we’re going to be working out butts of to make the most of Corevalay. We’re hopeful and confident that 2015 will be a big year for us. Time will tell, but if you’d like to follow along our story, we can be found online on multiple Web sites, including:
Our official Web site: http://www.corevalay.com
Twitter – @corevalay
Facebook – www.facebook.com/corevalay
CD Baby – http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/corevalay
Instagram – http://instagram.com/corevalay
Youtube – http://www.youtube.com/corevalay
