For those of you who don’t know who Greg Vendetti is, you’ve been missing out – especially you ladies.
You’ve probably seen him around campus, but you just don’t know it. He’s the one who passes by and all of us girls do a double take. Not only is he good-looking, but he has talent to back up his fabulous looks, not to mention a boyish charm.
Loyola, this is your chance to get to know the real Vendetti, not the Greg you sit behind in class, see out at local shows or joke around with in the Peace Quad.
Meet Greg Vendetti, the rock star.
One of the first things that really grabs you about Vendetti is his sheer passion – passion for his music, for those who work with him and for his audience. This especially showed through when he talked about his much-anticipated album that he is working on in Loyola’s recording studio in the Communication/Music Complex.
The album, because he has just started working on it, has yet to be named.
“I want my debut album to be a benchmark for myself, (co-producers) Sean Powers and Emily Fransen,” Vendetti said.
He’s hoping the album will be something for all of them to proudly show off as their own hard work.
There’s no doubt the life of a musician is hard, but being both an up-and-coming artist and a college student has its difficulties. When talking about the hardships of being a performer, he said that the business side of the music is the killer.
“Compromising between both the art and the business side of music is a challenge,” Vendetti said. “But I look at it as a learning experience.”
Taking everything in and learning from all of his experiences, he considers himself “a student to everything around him,” he said. When things get rough, he looks to his fans and remembers this is what he’s meant to do – be a star.
Not your typical rock star, Vendetti said he “doesn’t want to follow the trends,” he wants to transcend them.
If you go digging around for some good stories behind some of Vendetti’s rather racy and scandalous songs – maybe something about a past girlfriend – you’ll have no such luck.
Staying true to his refined self, he talked about how his songs are comprised of scattered thoughts that flow out naturally to create something he can call his own.
“I write my music, just let go and listen to my heart,” he said.
For Vendetti, performing isn’t a job, it’s a lifestyle. It’s an outlet for him to let go and escape. He doesn’t try to be something he’s not because when he’s on stage – it’s all him. He doesn’t have some “alter-ego” he’s trying to portray; he’s just there to entertain.
Music industry studies sophomore Ana Ochoa said, “Greg’s shows are really fun. He dances a lot, and you can tell he’s really into it.”
Vendetti has come a long way from his hometown of Guilford, Conn.
After graduation, he plans on moving to Austin, Texas, to test out the music scene there. New Orleans was his muse and a place for him to establish his style, he said, but now it’s time to move on.
“It’s not a matter of if he makes it, it’s just a matter of when,” said music industry studies junior Meredith Arnold.
Music has always been a part of Vendetti’s life, but the high school quarterback who used to dream of playing for the New York Giants has a new dream. It’s one that leads to a hard, challenging life, but knowing him, that’s half the fun.
You might have to wait a while to get a hold of Vendetti’s new CD, but you can definitely hear him live. He recently did a show at the Howlin’ Wolf with the Benjy Davis Project and another show at the Hi-Ho Lounge.
You can catch him at the Neutral Ground tonight at 8 p.m. or at the Howlin’ Wolf on March 10. You can also check out his Facebook group, cleverly called “Greg Vendetti,” or his Myspace profile at www.myspace.com/gregvendetti.
Oh, and ladies, he’s single.
Carolyn Sierichs can be reached at [email protected].
