Music Matters Magazine interviews Vittorio….

[Interviews] V² Talks Balancing Homework, Music, and Performing

MUSICMATTERSMAGAZINE
AUGUST 5, 2016
#AMANDAKNIGHT, #MUSICMATTERSMAGAZINE, #V2, #VINCENZO, #VITTORIO

Angus and Malcom Young. Ray and Dave Davies. Noel and Liam Gallagher. Justin and Dan Hawkins. What do they have in common? They are all brothers who have managed to turn their musical passions into successful careers. Vittorio and Vincenzo of V² (pronounced V Squared) may be going back to school shopping but they will likely pick up a new set of Ernie Ball’s and Vic Firth’s after having swiped the last of the notebook paper! Vittorio, who provides vocals and plays guitar, and Vincenzo, who lends vocals and plays drums prove that their riffs and solos are serious and their dedication to making music leaves all the school talent shows in the dust!

Q: Hey Vittorio! First of all, thank you for your time this morning! You and Vincenzo are brothers and you are twins, correct? And you’re older by one minute?

A: Yes. Yes, that’s right!

Q: You are a big AC/DC fan. Tell me about your favorite AC/DC album?

A: Well, I would have to say High Voltage is my favorite. I like it because that was the first album my dad introduced to me.

Q: Your guitar resembles Angus Young’s Gibson SG. Tell me about your equipment?

A: When I was younger we actually had a custom SG made. It was smaller because I was smaller but the Gibson that I have now came straight from the Guitar Center in San Francisco. It was in the older section. We bought it because I needed a bigger guitar.

Q: Currently, your lineup consists of you and your brother, Vincenzo. Who provides additional vocals and instrumentation on your album?

A: We have back up vocalists but it’s mostly us. It’s straight track [when recorded].

Q: You started playing guitar when you were seven. What made you decide you wanted to learn to play?

A: Yes, I did. We were driving in the car and dad was playing the AC/DC album. We [Vittorio and his Vincenzo] thought that the music was really cool and we wanted to do that. The funny thing is that our mom wanted us to play like, popular guitar or jazz. We really like rock and didn’t really care for the jazz. There are really great types of all music but we are definitely more into rock-and-roll.

Q: Tell me about the songwriting on your album. Who is the writer?

A: It’s Vincenzo and I who do the writing.

Q: Vittorio, how do you balance the demands of school and your musical endeavors?

A: We do a lot more in the summer but we go to school for about six hours and then come home to do homework for an hour to two hours. We then have music for two to two and a half hours. We go to our lessons and part of our lessons is creating our music.

Q: Does it get stressful trying to be a full time student and a full time musician?

A: It gets hectic because our days are so scheduled and we don’t really have time to do different things. It’s still fun!

Q: How do you and your brother resolve any arguments that may arise pertaining to your music?

A: We don’t really have any arguments about the music. We have arguments outside the music.

Q: Tell me about some musical influences you have?

A: We like Led Zeppelin and Van Halen. We like a lot of 80s bands. I like Blues also. B.B. King, Albert King, and Buddy Guy. I try to keep my music in a wide variety because you pick up on more. We only really listen to the radio.

Q: How many shows do you and Vincenzo typically get to perform each month?

A: Last month we were opening for bands. Once a year we play our own concert at Rockstar University. We’re not super scheduled. If someone calls us saying, “Hey, we need you to open.” We will say, “Yeah, we can do that.”

Q: What are some challenges you and your brother face in the music business?

A: Well, there’s a lot of practice that goes into what we do. There’s a lot because we need to get better and since we’re younger, we need to practice more and have our minds on the music. It does get hectic and boring sometimes, but we need to keep doing it because that’s our challenge: wanting to keep doing it.

Q: When you aren’t making music, what do you enjoy doing?

A: Vincenzo and I play a lot of baseball, and our favorite team is the Giants. When we aren’t playing baseball, we’re reading or learning, and watching YouTube videos.

Q: What’s next for V²?

A: We will be in the studio working on a project we’re pretty excited about!

Q: Anything else our readers should know, Vittorio?

A: I really want people to take V² seriously. People are like, “Oh, they’re kids.” I think we have proven that we can do a lot more than regular kids!

Stay caught up with V² and check out their Official Website!

Photo By: Pat Johnson

Writer: Amanda Knight