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Band Focus: VISTA (Interview)



VISTA Are Ones To Watch With Their Anthemic Rock Sound!




I caught up with upcoming new band VISTA, an angsty rock trio from New York City. In their short time as a band they have quickly gained media attention and most recently landed a support slot with the trendy rockers, Against The Current. Following their hit debut EP “VERSUS" they are ready to take things to the next level with their new single “Henchmen", including world domination...



Can you tell us a bit about the formation of VISTA?

Greg: We were all abducted by aliens together. Awoke and soon found out we could play music.
Matt: Greg and I joined VISTA at the same time. We had the same audition the same day actually. I originally messaged Hope when I learned that she had lost her drummer. At the time, I had a band that wasn’t going anywhere, so I went to audition, we had Chipotle and then I went home in a new band.

How would you describe your sound to those that aren’t familiar?

Greg: It’s hard to do, but ill just say we like to get big.
Matt: Big choruses, even bigger drums and guitars. Something you may not see and/or hear everyday at a show.
Hope: Big banger apocalyptic-sounding anthems.

What are your main influences both musically and personally?

Greg: Musically I really like all kinds of stuff. The fall of troy is a main influence for me. Been really into a ton of genres tho. Personally I’ve met/gotten to know a few musicians who are really good people altogether. Matt Thiessien from RK is one of them.
Matthew: Growing up I listened to alot of different kinds of music. From concert, jazz, to Underoath, Anberlin, Armor For Sleep and Yellowcard. My all time fave is Angels and Airwaves. They have a positive message and their shows are the best I’ve ever been to. Plus, what other band do you know who does comic books, novels, movies, animated shorts and albums?
Hope: Life, the world, things I see happening on the news, Warped Tour, darkness (as weird as that probably makes me seem).

You have recently released your new single the extremely anthemic, ‘Henchmen’ on the 13th January 2017 and to coincide with that, you had the amazing opportunity to open for Against The Current on the same day, how was the experience for you?

Greg: I want more days like that. It was a great day!
Matthew: The best day of my musical career! It was a bit overwhelming and felt like a dream. I couldn’t believe we were playing that show. It finally hit me when I went on stage to play in front of 1000+.
Hope: Thank you! Yeah, that show was superrr sick. We really hope to grab some more opportunities like that.

Considering you haven’t been going long you have already gained widespread media attention and are securing some great support slots, how does this make you feel? Did you expect this reaction?

Greg: I’m not sure what I expected. I try not to as much. I usually just try to focus on the grind.
Matthew: I don’t have expectations with anything for the sake of protecting myself from disappointment, haha. But It’s been an amazing journey.
Hope: It’s definitely super humbling, but in my eyes we’re just starting. We haven’t really accomplished anything yet. I think we have some killer momentum now that we’re just going to
keep working with.

Can you tell us about the meaning behind the new single ‘Henchmen’?

Greg: As you can tell, lots of people are unhappy with the state of many things in the world right now, especially with politics and civil rights. We wanted to write an anthem to all those who felt oppressed. It’s the least we could do.

What has the response been like to the song so far?

Greg: Pretty awesome. Very thankful.
Matthew: The fans and in the general public have been very supportive and kind. I can’t thank them enough for taking the time to listen to our music!
Hope: I appreciate anyone who’s taken the time to check out some of our music, even if it wasn’t their cup of tea. The response to “Henchmen” has thankfully been nothing but super positive and uplifting, kind of goes hand in hand with the lyrical content.

What was the recording and writing process like when making the song?

Greg: It started from a tiny voice memo from Hope. Then it just evolved from there.
Hope: Yeah, I had the initial idea as a voice memo, I’d written out I think 4-5 different versions of verses to try. We just built on that first concept!

Have you got any other shows or tours planned for 2017?

Greg: Working on stuff right now!
Hope: We’re playing the Stanhope House in NJ on 2/19, The Space in CT on 3/26, and we have some other stuff in the process of being planned and confirmed! Definitely hoping to be out on a tour within the first half of this year.

What can attending fans expect from your live shows?

Greg: To enjoy themselves, hopefully. We like to put a lot of energy into it.
Matthew: A huge energetic show. If you think the songs are bombastic, the live show takes it up a few notches.
Hope: Ah, I love that word bombastic. It’d be cool to put that in a song somewhere. But definitely agree with these guys, we’re all very energetic not only on stage, but also in general. So we just carry our natural energy over to our set and amplify it x10, because we’re working with each other’s energy.

Have you already began work on your next follow up release? If so what can we expect to hear?

Greg: Yes. We are trying to string it all together right now and are sifting through ideas!
Matthew: We’ve been writing new songs, but so far these songs are a nice staple within the VISTA realm.
Hope: Yeah! We’re working on our next EP right now. I think we’ve been working on it for about 2-3 weeks so far.

What else do VISTA have planned for 2017?

Greg: To be seen and heard.
Matthew: Writing, touring, repeat, haha.
Hope: TO TAKE OVER.


Is there anything else you would like to share with us or add?

Greg: Thank you so much for the interview. Thank you to the fans!
Matthew: Thank you to whoever is reading this for taking the time to check us out! We love the fans and can’t wait to see you all on the road soon! Don’t be a stranger...
Hope: Thanks so much for this! We really appreciate your time and for listening to our stuff.




Be sure to check out their music:

https://www.facebook.com/VISTAband/

https://www.youtube.com/VISTAband

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