Name: Stephanie Floresca
Band: Greens and Greys
With UC Irvine’s fifth annual talent competition, Soulstice, just around the corner, students are looking forward to great performances put on by a lineup of talented dancers, acapella groups, solo acts, and bands. This week, Her Campus met up with Stephanie Floresca, the lead vocalist for the band, Greens and Greys. Her Campus was very excited to learn more about the formation of Greens and Greys, their past performances around Los Angeles, and the music they have in store for Soulstice.
“[Greens and Greys] was actually formed by three friends. It’s Patrick Navarro [who plays guitar], John Aquino [who plays drums], and myself. We’ve known each other since high school and we started a little band. So we’ve been playing here and there, but college got in the way, life got in the way, so we had to take a little break. Then John had this idea to audition for Soulstice at UCI and so we went and auditioned. We ended up getting in, and so we were like, ‘We need a name.’ And then that was when it formed.”
The name of their band, Greens and Greys, represents an interesting facet of their music. When Her Campus asked her about the meaning behind her band name, Stephanie tells us that Greens and Greys is a title open to interpretation, just like her music.
Along with several open jams at UC Irvine’s Phoenix Grill, Greens and Greys has reached out to a series of venues across Los Angeles. Some of these venues, such as No Future Cafe, can be found in Pasadena, Canoga Park, or along Hollywood Boulevard. As Stephanie tries to recall a few of these performances, she cannot help but express a nostalgic recollection of each performance.
“We played a lot of open mikes here and there. Our favorite venue to play [at] was the Whiskey A Gogo on Hollywood Boulevard. It was the first time we got to use this professional sound to help us out, and we felt like we knew what we were doing.”
As for her music, Stephanie believes that the highlight of performing with Greens and Greys has to be the connection she shares with her band members.
“Music is our passion and we share it every time we play music together, especially if it’s an original piece. We just have this unmatched dynamic, this unparalleled chemistry that just shows when we’re playing, and we’re not even trying. And so, even if I play with other people, or jam with other people, it’s not the same as jamming with Patrick and John. So the most exciting part [about] performing I would have to say is having fun with my friends. That is so corny! It’s coming out of my mouth. We just have a good dynamic.”
With all the talented students who auditioned to perform at Soulstice, Greens and Greys was one of the groups chosen to share their talent with UCI students. Upon hearing this, Her Campus wanted to know more about Greens and Greys’s moving audition experience for Soulstice, along with the performance they have in store.
“There were so many talented musicians and dancers practicing around us. You can imagine how intimidating it was for us and our acoustic guitar, and our little two to three-piece drum set. But we went in and we just played this really old [song] I wrote when I was 15 and we just knew it. I think [the talent judges] saw how fun and important it was for us and caught that vibe. So after we auditioned, we all went outside and I was like, ‘You guys, like, it’s fine. If we get it, we get it. If we don’t, we don’t. We’ll start playing again even if we don’t.’ And then behind us this jazz band went on. It’s like a four to five-piece jazz band. It’s with a super cool chick. He had a stand-up bass! This guy had a stand-up bass! This band was so good, and so we were discouraged. We went home, but I was like, ‘Let’s still write because I’ve got a bunch of songs. Let’s still do this.’ Then a few days later, they sent us an email and said we were a part of the talent! Oh my god, I can’t believe we got in! Then we ended up playing this talent open mic, open showcase, and I am so humbled by everyone who is going to play that day. So we definitely have to step our game up.”
After hearing Stephanie talk about Greens and Greys’s long journey from their performances as a small high school band to their present day endeavors, Her Campus is very excited for the music they plan to share at Soulstice on Thursday, Feb. 18.