While growing up in the Southwest of the United States (Albuquerque, New Mexico), Tony Vincent spent the majority of his childhood listening to his father's vinyls of The Beatles. "I recall the first time I heard "Hard Day's Night"-- I think I was four years old at the time. The moment that first chord popped out of the speakers I was completely captivated. I wanted to somehow be a part of what I was listening to. I wanted to sing.I wanted to play drums. While I didn't know exactly what to do with these emotions while I was listening to those records, I simply knew that I wanted to be a part of it."
In Vincent's quest to fulfill this need, which only intensified as he was introduced to bands such as The Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, and The Rolling Stones, he began studying drums and percussion at a local drum shop. "I grew up in a somewhat musical family and was fortunate to be encouraged by my parents to explore any aspect of music that interested me. After a few years of playing the music that I was listening to on the radio, I found myself wanting to open up and express myself in a more personal way-- more personal than sitting behind a drum kit. I wanted to start writing songs."
When Vincent was thirteen years old, a schoolmate introduced him to a synthesizer. "I had of course seen pictures and videos of bands playing keyboards and such, but I had never seen one in person-- never physically touched one. I was completely in awe when I heard the sounds it produced. I wanted to know everything I could about how its sound was created and how each knob and fader affected what I was hearing.”
Utilizing every opportunity he could to perform, Vincent began to frequently participate in theatrical productions, both through school and local theatre companies. "I wanted to perform as much as I could. I loved live performance and I wanted to be able to tell a story, whether it was through theatre or by performing my own music. When I went to concerts as a teenager, I noticed that sometimes I was moved-- sometimes I wasn't. I didn’t know why that was at the time, but now I think that the communication of a story, or even just an honest vibe--a distinct, unapologetic style, made a massive difference in what connected with me and what didn't. It was beyond just a sonic thing.”
After high school, Vincent moved to "Music City USA" (Nashville, TN) to continue his education at Belmont University. "At that point in my life I was being influenced by music that was coming over from England and Germany. Bands like Tears for Fears, Depeche Mode and Kraftwerk inspired me to start taking my own music much more seriously." Vincent started a makeshift record company out of his dorm room, recorded a solo five-song EP, and began sending it out to radio stations across the country. He used college radio to help him land his first major-label recording contract with EMI Records. The two solo albums (Tony Vincent, One Deed) that followed produced six 1 radio hits and kept Vincent on the road for nearly four years.
"After the EMI/Nashville experience, I really wanted a change of scenery-- both physically and musically. I had always wanted to live in New York and was interested to see if the vibe of a truly metropolitan city would impact the music that I was writing." However, he found himself leaving Manhattan almost as soon as he arrived, hitting the road once again, but this time with the first national touring company of the Pulitzer Prize-winning rock opera, RENT. After traveling with the show for nine months, Vincent was offered the chance to return to NYC and join the Broadway cast.
"It was a thrill to get to perform on Broadway for several reasons. I was surrounded by some truly amazing talent and it allowed me to really grow as an actor. I was also blessed to finally be able to operate out of one location, as opposed to traveling from city to city every week on a tour bus. I finally had the time to spend my days writing songs and focusing on my own music again." Over the next five years, Vincent spent much of his time working in New York, including starring as Judas in the Broadway revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, but also worked extensively overseas and across the US. In 2002 he originated the role of Galileo Figaro in Queen’s rock theatrical We Will Rock You in London’s West End, and later reprised his role in the Las Vegas production.
In 2008 Tony Vincent spent a large part of the year working with platinum-selling producer and former college mate Adam Anders. "We knew we had something special the moment we started collaborating so we decided to start working on an album together." However, as work on the album progressed, Anders became in high demand to produce projects for major labels and television networks (Backstreet Boys, Dawson’s Creek, High School Musical 3, and Glee), so he brought indie songwriter Nate Campany into the team to help flesh out the rest of the record. "The project really began to take shape when Nate and I began to write. We worked in both my studio and Adam's, and it felt like I was writing truly honest material for the first time-- lyrics that I was proud of and that I wanted to share. I was also singing in a more comfortable place vocally. It just felt very right for where I was at that time." Vincent released A Better Way in 2008.
In the fall of 2009, Vincent was cast in the role of St. Jimmy in the Green Day stage production of their multi-platinum selling record American Idiot. "The chance to work with both Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer and Green Day was an opportunity that I jumped at immediately. Before rehearsals even began I knew that with the caliber of individuals on the creative team this would be a very, very unique experience.”
American Idiot debuted as one of the most sought after tickets in the country during its premier run in Berkeley, California, and has now moved to New York City, set to open on Broadway on April 20th. "It's the most intense, visceral, touching and in-your-face piece of stage work I have ever been involved with. I really believe it is something that will change New York theatre forever."
For information on Green Day's "American Idiot" head to: http://www.americanidiotonbroadway.com
(Vincent concluded his time with American Idiot on December 30, 2010.)
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