The Deets:
- Name: Lisa Vetrone ’15
- School & Major: Steinhardt for Media, Culture & Communication
- Hometown: Glen Cove, NY
HC NYU: What is your latest EP about?
LV: My first EP is about a lot of things–each song is about something different. “Heavy Love” is about the weight of loving someone too long, and not being able to move on. “1969” is kind of my love song to the ‘60s and Woodstock, an ode to an era that I love so much. “Wanderlust” was inspired by Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, and it’s about loneliness and the constant search for something missing–the inability to run away from loneliness and the attempt to numb yourself to it by whatever means possible. And then the two bonus tracks are blues numbers–“Ain’t No Fool,” is me learning how to stand up to someone who consistently took advantage of my feelings for him; “Johnnie Walker” is a fun song because it’s a super exaggerated version of the worst man imaginable, and about finally getting revenge on him.
HC NYU: What do you most enjoy about performing in New York?
LV: There’s nothing like performing in the city, and I think the core of that appeal to me is the history. I came to NYU because of the bohemian energy of Washington Square Park, I fell in love with the Village and I was so enchanted by the way it connected the past and present, especially in terms of the music scene. I used to do the open mics at Café Wha, and it’s just crazy to think that Jimi Hendrix was on that same stage. In my freshman year, one of my classes held a concert at the Gaslight even though it was closing and we spent the night with folksingers from the ‘60s like Tom Paxton and Carolyn Hester. It felt like we had reverted to the Beat scene! It’s my favorite college memory and it sums up what I love so much about singing in NYC, just that inescapable connection to the past and its legends.
HC NYU: Who are your musical influences?
LV: Eric Burdon, Janis Joplin, Paul McCartney, the Stones, Dusty Springfield, Muddy Waters, I don’t have enough room to list them all!
HC NYU: What is it like working with your current band, Just Sixties?
LV: I never have more fun in my life than when I’m on stage with Just Sixties. I’ve learned SO much from them just in the last year that I’ve been with them–I believe playing with people better than you makes YOU better, for sure, and I’ve definitely grown so much as a performer because I’m not afraid to be myself when I’m playing with them. We have the absolute best time, and I get to sing material that I wouldn’t normally be singing because it’s not anything like what I do with my solo stuff. Girl group songs like “Shoop Shoop” and Lulu’s “To Sir With Love,” songs that I love but don’t necessarily fit in with my own vibe as a musician.
HC NYU: What do you think that students, interested in music, can get most from NYU?
LV: I think that students can get a lot more out of school than I did, and that’s probably my biggest regret now that I’ve graduated. There’s a great music scene at NYU and I wish I had been more of a part of it–just to see other bands that are out there trying to do the same thing I was doing, and connect with them, and learn from them. Obviously you have to create your own community at NYU because it’s scattered and diverse in terms of interests and just overall size, but it’s there. Join the groups and meet people with similar interests as you, seek it out and make the effort to connect because it’s important.
HC NYU: Where do you get your writing inspiration from?
LV: Sometimes things just come to me, or I’m inspired by imagery in a book or a film. I am constantly reading so there’s always room for inspiration. Obviously my own life, because every song I’ve ever written is personal at its core, even if it’s something exaggerated or imagined like “Johnnie Walker” or “1969”. I am not a prolific writer–I will write and write but I throw most of the songs out because I don’t think they’re good enough. But if I write 20 pages in a notebook, I’ll end up finding 2 or 3 phrases or lines that I really like. And I work from there. Or I collect phrases and words and images that have a similar vibe, then try to piece them together to create a story or express how I’m feeling. It’s really tough work though, honestly, and in the midst of trying to get gigs, promote myself, practice and network, I wish I had more time to write. That’s why it’s so magical when a song just comes to you, all together and all at once, and you’re more of a channel for a song coming from somewhere else through you rather than doing the work. Those end up being the best songs.
Follow Lisa & Just Sixties on social media! Facebook: Lisa Vetrone & Just Sixties, Instagram: @lisavetrone, Twitter: @lisavetrone
Check out Lisa’s Youtube channel for more tunes!