Simon Rushworth
American punk Vinnie Caruana showed his softer side during last month’s UK solo tour.
Adam Keys caught up with The Movielife/I Am The Avalanche frontman for another RUSHONROCK exclusive!
rushonrock: How was Hit The Deck festival and how was your trip to the UK?
Vinnie Caruana: Hit The Deck was really good. I met a lot of really nice people and had a lot of people singing along. It was great. I got to see a lot of friends from the States who were also playing, so that was a treat. As for the rest of the tour, I feel great about it. I’d never done a solo show in Newcastle and it was interesting. I really like the North East of England. So yeah, I felt really good about it. I started with festivals and I’m ending with festivals, so those dates allowed me to get a little bit of everything – a little bit of variety to my tour.
rushonrock: You released your debut solo EP City In The Sea this year – how has the reaction been from fans?
VC: People are singing along to the new music and that’s always a good sign. Fans are singing along just as loud to these songs as they are to the ones they have known for years, so I’d say the reception has been very good.
rushonrock: With I Am The Avalanche coming back so strongly in 2011 after a six-year hiatus, why have you chosen to release solo material now?
VC: I knew that I had a little bit of time to record and tour a bit because we always planned on recording the new Avalanche record when I got back from this tour. So…. I knew I had this little time period and I thought: ‘This is the time to do it right now’. Not a full length but an EP and get that out of the way and then concentrate on a full length later on after we tour for the Avalanche record. It’s all about juggling my schedule with all the projects I’m doing.
rushonrock: What did it feel like going into the studio by yourself for this EP – having spent the last 15 years working within a band?
VC: It’s different. There’s a lot more responsibility on me but I like it. It definitely gives me confidence to keep writing music. Although I was working solo, the producer, Steve Choi, participated quite a bit on the record in terms of instrumentation with the percussion, keyboards and stuff. So it was kind of two of us in there. But it’s a good feeling when you set out on your own and accomplish what you set out to accomplish.
rushonrock: Does it allow you more freedom, rather that working within a band where everyone has an opinion?
VC: Yeah but I do welcome other opinions on music. I’d say it’s just a nice change. It’s a nice change to say: ‘Well this is how the song goes and I’m not going to ask anyone else’. So yeah, a nice change.
rushonrock: Having released four full length albums in a decade, you’ve suddenly sped up now you’ve reached 30 – what is the reason for this?
VC: I don’t know…my life kind of goes in waves. I was in a wave of just being at home and liking it, – just playing shows here and there and still being a musician. Then, all of a sudden, every bone in my body told me, music, music, music! And there’s been an awful lot of music between Peace’d Out, the solo record and the Avalanche one. There’s been a lot of recording, a lot of touring and that’s really what I want to be doing right now.
rushonrock: Some artists say songwriting improves with age. Do you feel this has become the case with you? Or is it just a case you are enjoying what you are doing and just going along with it?
VC: I am enjoying it but I also feel more confident these days in writing music. There’s a very steady flow coming out of me and it seems to be coming with a lot of momentum and I seem to be playing a lot with much more ease. Music’s just oozing out of me right now and I’m grateful for that but it’s only going to continue. Once I’m back we’re going in to record the Avalanche album and then I hope to get a head start on my solo record so I don’t have to cram it all in or rush it.
rushonrock: As for the full length follow up to the solo EP, have you any plans in place?
VC: I’ll probably use it as a jumping off point – just continue with that vibe and progress. I’m sure there will be some new flavours to it but that general style will continue. I like the way it turned out and I like the way that my slow sound seems to be forming so I intend to carry on that track.
rushonrock: You released a five track solo EP with Peace’d Out in October, then toured it. How did that go and are there plans for a full length follow up?
VC: Steve Choi is currently writing the new Peace’d Out record. It’s not a full time thing for any of us but it is something we do work on when we can. It’s more than a hobby, but less than full time, so somewhere in the middle. Steve keeps sending me demos and I’ll be going to California in August to work on some more Peace’d stuff. We hope to play some shows at this time as well and we definitely want to bring Peace’d Out to the UK.
rushonrock: How far along are you with the IATA album?
VC: We’ve finished most of the demos and this month things have moved on. It will be produced by The Rat – our drummer – who produced Avalanche United and it will be released on I Surrender Records.