Vault

By:Debbie

popYOUlarity:Can you talk a bit about the new album and what it is that you hope to get out of it?
Joe:We have recorded two EP’s. The first one was just with my vocals on it. Then, we decided we wanted to add a something that would bring uniqueness to the band that other rock bands weren’t doing, so we added a girl and recorded another EP with her vocals on it. We hope people get out of our music the sound that we are. We are kind of different than other rock bands out there having the guy-girl vocals. We hope people will see the diversity in our band, and like what we are trying to do with our sound.

popYOUlarity:What did you take from your previous experience in the music business to help you this time around?
Joe:Being in I.D. was an interesting experience. I would never want to take that back, even though it never really was my type of music, the whole pop scene. I have no regrets. It was a great experience for me. It gave me a hunger for wanting more, because it gave me a taste of everything. It gave me a lot of experience. I made a lot of contacts that I still use till this day with Vault. It was a great experience for me overall.

popYOUlarity:Who was one of the greatest people you met throughout your journey?
Joe:The greatest person I have met is probably my friend Gary, who was in I.D. with me. He works for a company called Socan right now. He is always giving me advice about the music business, what to do, what not to do and what other people are doing. He gives me advice on what path I should take, so he is definitely a great person I have met in the industry and he will always be a good friend of mine. I’m always making random contacts with people I keep in touch with when it comes to shows and just general stuff to do in the music business. I’m always trying to not burn any bridges and to always keep people close.

popYOUlarity:Can you talk about: Reflection
Joe:It is written by our bass player. He writes these songs from past experiences that he has had. So, be it a girl he has had in the past, or someone he has lost, and knowing that even though they are not together that they still love each other, and knowing they will never be together. It is kind of a sad thing, but he hopes that people will relate to that in some way or another.

popYOUlarity:What about: Broken
Joe:It is a track our bass player Dave had written a while back before I was even in the band. It is about someone who is down on luck, be it in relationships, or hardships in life, trying to make their way through that and pick up the pieces in their life. They are trying to get themselves back on their feet and trying to work things out for themselves.

popYOUlarity:Do you consider having the track “The Walls” on the soundtrack “The Hills have eyes” Vaults big break, or is it something else… or yet to come?
Joe:I think definitely it is a step closer to what we want to achieve. I think that having a song in a movie and on a soundtrack is a big thing, no matter what way you look at it. I wouldn’t look at it as a big break, but it is definitely going to be a helpful thing for us. It does look good on the resume for Vault when we are trying to get a record deal and whatnot. It is kind of a surreal thing, and one of those connections from I.D. that brought us “The Hills Have Eyes” soundtrack and the song in the movie. It is definitely a real cool thing for us and hopefully we can play off that.

popYOUlarity:Under what Circumstances do you find it almost impossible to hide your true feelings?
Joe:I feel most vulnerable when I am on stage. I try to put myself into the music and feel the words that I am saying so I let my emotions out there and hopefully people are feeling it as much as I am on stage. I feel most comfortable and more vulnerable at the same time on stage.

popYOUlarity:Do you think that most people give up on their dreams without realizing how close they were to success? What is success to you?
Joe:I think a lot of people give up on their dreams because they get side tracked with people telling them that they should give up and try their ordinary life with a 9-5 job because for you to succeed amongst other people who have a better chance of doing it than you do, the odds are against you. People tend to do that because they think that it is unachievable. Success to me is not selling a million records or having to tour around. Success to me is knowing that I have put my full effort into something and if it does stick to the wall, it does. If it doesn’t, at least I know I have tried. That is success to me.

popYOUlarity:What do you think has helped make you stronger than ever?
Joe:I think that being in the previously signed act with I.D. and having that crumble, and having to re-group and start over again has made me realize that I have to pick myself up and if this is something that I really want to do. I really need to put my full self into it. I cannot be in something that I don’t have my full heart into, something that is not really me. I have to be myself. I found that being in Vault is more me. I feel more comfortable in my skin now. I think that if I didn’t fall with I.D., and I.D. had succeeded, that I would be a different person. I don’t think I would have been a person who was genuine and who was true to himself. I’m actually happy that had happened to me because now I know that I needed to go through that in order to be the person that I am now.

popYOUlarity:In Forest Gump, he says “Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.” Are you the type of person who likes to know what is supposed to happen everyday or do you live life looking forward to the unexpected surprises, both good and bad?
Joe:I think that if I knew what life was going to give me every day, I wouldn’t want that. It wouldn’t be fresh and exciting. I definitely want it to be unexpected. That is what I think makes life so great, that everything is so unexpected and unplanned. I’m not really a person for a routine. I like my life to be kind of on the fly and exciting that way.

popYOUlarity:Do you feel pressure, or like you have nothing to lose?
Joe:There is always a pressure, because I’m not getting any younger. I’m going to be 26 years old, but I don’t’ have anything to loose because I know I’ll always be making music even though I may not be this huge, huge success. I will still do it no matter what, be it behind the scenes, or on stage. I will be in the music business in some form or another. I have no worries when it comes to that. There is pressure when it comes to being in a band and being marketable and whatnot, but when it comes to me I know I will always be in music, so that doesn’t bother me.

popYOUlarity:Some people feel success is based on luck and others think it's based on ability. What’s your take on that?
Joe:I believe it is a little bit of both. You need the skill and talent to succeed. I know there are some acts out there that don’t really have that and they have a good marketing company behind them and people working for them to make them this talented person; this mirage of a talented person. I believe a person needs talent to be able to make it, and a little bit of luck. Sometimes it is being in the right place at the right time. It is the people you know sometimes. I think it is a little bit of both.

popYOUlarity:What is it about music that fuels your passion?
Joe:I feel like myself when I am on stage, when I am in the studio, when I am singing the songs because I feel like that is the only time where I am free from society standards, I’m free from what people are telling me, I’m free from everything and I can get into my own little zone and shell and kind of just be myself and speak the words that are written in the song and feel that way. I have the hardships and stress of life everyone has, but I don’t feel that when I’m on stage and singing the songs.

popYOUlarity:What’s Next?
Joe:Vault is going to keep on writing music and do whatever we can, whenever we can to get a record deal and get our music out to as many people as we possibly can. We want world domination, what every band wants. We’re going to try our best to achieve that in the next year or so, or whenever it happens. We will keep pursuing it no matter what.

popYOUlarity:Do you have anything you would like to say to the readers of popYOUlarity.com?
Joe:I would like to say thanks for taking the time to read up on this interview. Hopefully you understand that I am speaking from the heart, and hopefully you guys know that. Hopefully you hear our music and know what we’re speaking from the heart. Know that Vault is out there, take advantage of it, and pick up a copy of our CD when it comes out.

+March 29, 2006

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