Gregory M. Genovese of VESAN A little Q&A with Gregory M. Genovese. The singer-songwriter and multi instrumentalist behind VESAN. Leicester Bangs: Tell us a little about yourself. Gregory: Grew up near the beach at the very bottom of New Jersey. Hanging around Philadelphia since 2003. I'm thirty years into this life. VESAN is the name of the project I've been working on since 2001 where I'm recording all the stuff I wrote between 1995-2001 (between the ages of fifteen and twenty-one, roughly). Attempts have been made to group the songs on albums according to similarities in overall sound and theme. Ideas are filled out when needed. LB: How did you start out making music? Gregory: I started out making music not long after I started playing guitar at fifteen. The creative thing was an inevitable, unavoidable element. The well is far from dry. LB: Who did you grow up listening to and how do they influence what you’re doing now? Gregory: Of what I've released acoustically-based under VESAN, I'd offer that much was probably inspired in part by Neil Young, Beck, David Bowie, U2, and LSD (the drug) for starters. Every VESAN album pulls from different sources. There's a "punk" album and another that's a soundtrack to a short film comedy with music inspired by early 80s martial arts films, Spaghetti Westerns, and the "Rocky" series (the only music written after the 1995-2001 period, done in the same spirit). LB: Tell us about your latest release. Gregory: HELLBENDER (2009) took me about ten years to get together. It had been in various planning stages since 1999. The songs were all written (like most VESAN songs) between the ages of fifteen and twenty-two. While that might make for a scattershot mess, there is a thematic glue that holds the songs together in a collage. The album is essentially a soundtrack to an unrealized film that, within the context of the storyline, chronicles the maturation and deterioration of an individual's emotional psyche. May be tough to glean that from a passive listen, but it's there. LB: Do you get out and play your music live, and if so, what can an audience expect at one of your shows? Gregory: I have been playing live again recently after about a five year mental break. While many VESAN songs work well played solo, the songs from the latest album were intended (and recorded) to be backed up with a (rather large) band. Overall, an audience can expect to hear fascinating words and music, quite possibly get a bit startled or frightened, occasionally an explanation or warning of what's to come. Never boring, never the same. Not background noise - it'll wrest your attention. LB: What aspects of playing and recording music do you most enjoy? Gregory: Playing? When I'm on - when I'm really into it, it's a feeling better than sex or any drug. I truly relish putting on a show for others no matter the size of the audience. It might just be what I was born to do. Recording? Usually a harrowing experience because I'm never well rehearsed AND an uncompromising perfectionist / idealist. Deadly cocktail. Best part of recording (and I do all my own) is the pride in bringing to fruition (as completely as possible) the visions I have for each song. LB: Where can people find (and buy) your music? Gregory: A lot of links at the main website, plus CD Baby, iTunes and MySpace (links below). www.vesan-sound.com/ www.cdbaby.com/Artist/Vesan iTunes www.myspace.com/vesansound