A Few More Steps - Muziek

A Few More Steps by Vince & The Viceroys

Vince & The Viceroys

Biografie van de kunstenaar Vince & The Viceroys

Vince And The Viceroys Are A Forward Moving Rockin' Rhythm And Blues Band With A Unique Sound Fresh And Attractive Big And Beefy Always With A Seductive Groove The Lyrics Finding Both The Serious And The Humorous Sides Of Life! At The Center Of Course Is Vince On Lead Vocals And Guitar Pincus Scutari On Bass And Backing Vocals And William Baker On Drums. The Winning Combination Of Just The Right Ingredients! The Florida Times-Union
jacksonville.Com
Published Wednesday April 7 2004 Vince And The Viceroys Keep True To Blues Music Repertoire
By Mark Faulkner
Shorelines Correspondent There's Not Much Difference Between Hearing Vince Jeffs Sing A Blues Tune And Listening To Him Talk About How That Song Was Developed. On Stage And In The Recording Studio Jeffs Is Vince Of Vince And The Viceroys An 8-Year-Old Rocking Rhythm-And-Blues Band From St. Augustine. Off-Stage The 55-Year-Old Talks Just As He Performs He Delivers His Words In A Matter-Of-Fact Honest Fashion. He Starts Out Slow Then Hits This Melodic Groove That Builds Up To The Occasional Crescendo -- A Fiery Slide Riff On The CD Or A Powerfully Delivered Point Of Conversation. Jeffs Has Played The Blues For About 40 Years. He's Seen Blues' Popularity Rise Up From The Underground To The Pop Scene And Drop Off Again. Yet Still Hears Echoes Of The Music In Other Styles Today. If You Go Vince And The Viceroys Play At 8 P.M. Thursdayat C-C's Hideaway 1110 Florida A1A In Ponte Vedra Beach. For More Information Call 273-4288 Or Visit Www.Vinceandtheviceroys.Com. "People Are Still Hearing The Echo Of Blues In Every Music That They Listen To That Comes Out Of North America " Jeffs Said. "It's Somewhere At The Heart Or Near The Heart Of Just About Every Music Whether We're Talking Jazz Pop Country Hillbilly Cajun Or Whatever There's Blues In There Somewhere Beneath The Surface. So When People Actually Hear Something That Gets Closer And Closer To Blues Itself They Somehow Kind Of Recognize It You Know? It's The Center Of Our Psyche." Vince And The Viceroys Will Perform Thursday At C-C's Hideaway In Ponte Vedra Beach. Jeffs And His Band Including Bassist Doug Kohl And Drummer William Baker Survived The Hard Times When Club Owners Passed Over Blues Performers In Favor Of The New Hip Party Music Of The Week. Appeasing Club Owners Has Never Been One Of Jeffs' Goals. More Than 60 Percent Of The Trio's Sets Are Original Music. Jeffs Knows It's Hard To Find Work As An Original Musician In Northeast Florida. Yet He's Managed To Find Hip Rooms With Owners That Will Indulge His Bluesy Creations. The Group Has Released Two Albums Goin' Out Tonight! And Trouble Walked By! Of His Most Recent Songs Jeffs Said Audiences Respond To Cold Cold World The Best. It Has The Ever-Growing Groove Jeffs' Unvarnished Vocals And Sharp Guitar Work. "It's The Kind Of Music That Has A Personal Quality To It And That Endeavors To Connect On A Personal Level With The Audience " He Said. It's Connecting With Critics Too. Curtis Hays Of Florida Jam Magazine Said Of The Group "Vince's Plucky Guitar Riffs Lead This Powerhouse Group. He Has A Warm Smooth Tone And Playing Style. The Songwriting Is Mature And Up-Tempo ... A Rootsy Fiery Tight Outfit." Although The Rest Of The Band's Sets Are Filled With Covers Playing All Covers Isn't An Option. Jeffs Said His Band Could Play Virtually Anywhere It Wants If He And Kohl And Baker Start Playing The Standard Blues Covers. They Will Play Them As A Request Or If Someone Wants To Sit In With The Group And Perform One Of The Often-Repeated Songs. Even After So Many Years As A Professional Musician Jeffs Can't Understand The Attraction. To Him Writing And Playing Original Music Is Being An Artist And Playing Covers Is Like Being A Craftsman. Artists Pursue Their Work Regardless Of The Pay Or Prestige. It Fills A Need Nothing Else Can. "There's A Standard List Of Blues Songs That People Sometimes Think Of Such As Stormy Monday Blues The Thrill Is Gone Statesboro Blues And Sweet Home Chicago. We Don't Do Any Of Those " Jeffs Said. "It's Deliberate. It's Not That We Don't Think Those Are Good Songs It's That They've Been Played Enough For Two Or Three Lifetimes." Although You Might Expect A Surge In Interest In Blues Music Following Last Weekend's George's Music Springing The Blues Festival Jeffs Said He Hasn't Seen A Jump In The Number Of Blues Fans At His Shows After The Three-Day Event. However He Believes The Festivals And Producers Like Springing The Blues Executive Director Sam Veal Have Kept The Blues Going During Its Leanest Years. Jeffs Is Happy Where Blues Is Right Now Just Skirting The Mainstream But Still Underground Maybe Ready To Produce A Few Crossover Acts But Also Filled With Genuine Blues Players. He's Not Worried About The Music Dying Off Regardless Of Its Pop Culture Quotient. "Ultimately Blues Is A Fun Music " He Said. "It's Based On Concepts That Are Easy For Anyone To Grasp It's Not Esoteric It Doesn't Require A College Degree. It Was Designed For Fun In The First Place That's How It Operates And That's The Deal. That's Why The Blues Always Comes Back. It Always Works."