The Rock Experience with Mike Brunn:

In 2020 Vincent LaRussa began to record with established artists such Jeremy Asbrock (Ace Frehley, Gene Simmons Band), Eric Levy (Night Ranger),Matt Starr (Ace Frehley, Mr. Big,) and Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake, Cher, Trans-Siberian Orchestra.). Vincent, an accomplished musician himself who plays Guitar, Bass, Keyboards and Drums felt honored that these incredibly accomplished artists were interested in contributing their time and talents to his project.

Vincent LaRussa Before The Storm can be purchased or streamed at: https://smarturl.it/vincentlarussa

Utilizing these great artists, Vincent began to record his original songs including “Before the Storm,” “Empty Room,” “Won’t Be Lonely,” and “On the Ground" among others. For Vincent this was an opportunity to bask in the collaborative glow of playing with these wonderful musicians while taking his music to the next level.

Over the next few months, Vincent and his team recorded 7 songs in the impressive recording studio that he has built over the years.  The songs -- which have received worldwide acclaim -- are included on his debut album “Before the Storm” and are now available on more than 50 platforms worldwide including Apple music, Spotify, and Amazon Music. Another first for Vincent was performing in a promotional video for the title track which features appearances by Joel, Eric, & Matt.

Most artists can point to a moment in time, a popular song, or an artist that inspired them to pick up a guitar or drumsticks for the first time. But for Brooklyn born Vincent LaRussa, the driving force behind his lifelong fascination with music was a natural love of popular music with memorable hooks, which he learned about from his father’s love of Rock n Roll. Vincent remembers hearing his dad singing the day’s popular tunes around the house and remembers how taken he was by his dad’s passion for Rock, R&B, & Disco.

Vincent still recalls his first time touching a musical instrument at the age of eight. A knockoff acoustic guitar that he had been clamoring for was given to him as a Christmas gift by his aunt and uncle. Vincent remembers the initial joy from receiving the guitar, but he also remembers the frustration he felt shortly after because he had no idea what to do with it.

After two years of picking up the guitar and only making undistinguishable noise, Vincent’s eyes & ears turned towards the drums. A huge KISS fan, Vincent remembers wanting to imitate his first musical idol, their drummer, Peter Criss. Aware of Vincent’s interest in percussion, a family member gave Vincent his first drum set and fortunately drums came much easier to Vincent.

At the age of 18, Vincent decided to try his hand at recording demos of original music. This led him to once more pick up a guitar, this one electric. This time, Vincent was able to teach himself simple barre chords which allowed him to begin to tap into perhaps his greatest gift, his songwriting abilities.

Inspired by the Beatles, Vincent became prolific at churning out songs that included memorable hooks and complex harmonies. In many ways, Vincent is a “throwback” to the days of some of his favorite songwriters such as Elton John, Paul Simon, and Billy Joel. Close your eyes and you can imagine traveling back in time, lying on a beach with the radio on, and a Vincent LaRussa song playing. There is no better example of that vintage sound than Vincent’s single “Before the Storm.”

Over the years Vincent has showcased his music with live performances in the tri-state area, and his music has received radio airplay. Building on what has been an extremely productive and creative period in his musical journey, Vincent continues to write and record new music in collaboration with top artists to bring his lush, vibrant music to the ears of a growing fan base.