John Vento Chats To Fanbase Music Magazine About Music Career, New Single, And Autism Awareness

Interviewed by Duzzy Clayton

Intro

John Vento is best known as the frontman for the high-energy, rhythm and blues group, The Nied’s Hotel Band (www.niedshotelband.com). NHB is quite a collection of great players that have built a stellar reputation for killer original music and live performances. Away from the band Vento focuses on creating introspective, brooding recordings that reach deep and sometimes dark places. His fans relish his blend of eclectic influences, delivered with raw emotions, which he masterfully shared in his 2019 release, “Love, Lust & Other Wreckage,” an almost all true autobiographical story of his love life and how it has been affected by his first love, the stage.

John’s story of love, lust, and other wreckage was so artistically crafted that it gained the attention of renowned playwright/lyricist, Amy Hartman. Her rendition of John’s saga has been shared as a stage play featuring music from the album. Check out this video clip from the premier –

 

Helping to engineer the journey through his love story is his core of collaborators, including a few of Pittsburgh’s best-known artists; musician & producer David Granati, songwriter Bert Lauble, and singer/songwriter Cherylann Hawk. Other contributors to this album are stellar Pittsburgh musicians Cheryl Rinovato, Joffo Simmons, Bob Fetherlin, Wil E. Tri,  as well as a few of David Granati’s talented family members, Joey, Hermie, and Jules.

Of course, it’s purely logical that Vento would find a great following in this town. His steely resistance to categorization is the very essence and backbone of Pittsburgh. Built by a veritable melting pot of blue-collar workers, the once-gritty city has risen from the slag heap, through the smoke and haze, to become a sparkling, spectacular hub of culture and learning. Yet, it remains true to its deeply-forged identity.

His current project, “Brick by Brick” is quite a departure from his previous work. First off, the album will not be completed in its entirety until 2022. But, starting in November of 2020 Vento will release new singles on a monthly basis. Each new song will be accompanied by a video, lyric sheet, and a narrative explaining some of the thought processes in writing and recording.

 A father of three, Vento is a successful Pittsburgh businessman, helping to create many small businesses by supporting and mentoring young entrepreneurs, in addition to offering encouragement to new and veteran musicians.

John has created his own venue to accommodate these musicians… Steamworks Creative is a listening room off Route 8 in Hampton Twp., not far from his home, which has just celebrated its third anniversary in allowing musicians to perform acoustically without the noise and general din of many club venues. He and his crew host open stages and artist showcase, which include an autism-friendly open mic.

His passion for autism awareness is quite personal. “My godson is on the spectrum, as well as others in our family.” Together with well-known Pittsburgh venue owner and champion of live music, Ron ‘Moondog’ Esser, he co-founded “Band Together Pittsburgh.” We want folks to see how beautiful and talented those on the spectrum really are,” he says. “You would have to come to one of our Autism Friendly Open Mic events to see first-hand what I’m trying to say. It’s amazing on every level.”

“Please don’t give me too much credit. We just create an opportunity where charitable causes can use our performances as a platform for support,” Vento explains. “My inspiration was and is the late great Harry Chapin. He dedicated his life to charitable efforts through his music. He really is my musical hero.”

That’s no surprise to those who know him, as he truly is a humble, loving, and grateful person, who treasures his family and friends. Certainly, that comes across, loud and clear, in his honest, from-the-heart songs; and that, undoubtedly, is another quality that endears him to his fans. As he puts it, “If just one person is touched in some small way by one of our songs, that’s the greatest reward that I could receive.”

 

Questions

Hi John, welcome to Fanbase Music Magazine, can you start off by telling us where you grew up and where you reside now?

I am from Pittsburgh PA

What got you into music?

From birth, lol. But as a musician and performer much later in life, in my early forties

How would you describe your sound?

Mixed salad – Americana, R&B, Rock n Roll

Are you a solo musician or do you have a full band, looking at your EPK, it seems you are involved in a few other projects, can you tell us a bit about each project and your solo stuff?

I hate the word solo, Im in a great band, The Nied’s Hotel Band. Sometimes I work with other musicians away from the band, but its all about collaboration and musical connection

What sort of bands did you grow up listening to?

Mostly Motown ( Temps, Marvin Gaye, Four Tops), and classic rock ( Zeppelin, Kansas, Bob Ser)

You have new music coming out soon, can you tell us more about that?

Well, it’s been nearly 3 years in the making, title of the album is Brick By Brick. Probably the most extensive recording project I’ve ever been involved with. Wide range of supporting writers that helped create different stylistic sounds. I’m really proud of this one for sure.

Where do you record your music and who else works on the tracks with you?

I mostly record at Maplewood Studio, Ambridge, Pa. David Granati owns the studio and is a great producer and multi-instrumentalist.

When is the new music set to come out?

It’s here! May 19, 2023

 

You have a passion for Autism awareness, can you share why it is close to your heart and also what you try to do for the awareness?

I have multiple family members on the spectrum plus I’ve come to learn more about Autism and know how much love these folks bring to the world.

Can you explain a typical live gig with your various bands?

We work hard to deliver a great show with passion and energy. We always try to create a special connection with our audience.

When you write music, do you do the lyrics or music first?

That’s a tough one, I usually like to create a melody first and then build lyrics and arrangement from there.

Can you give us your social media links?

I’m on all of the platforms under John Vento and John Vento Music. My website is www.johnvento.com

Thank you for doing this interview, do you have any last messages for our readers?

Thank you! I just appreciate you and others that support indie music

 

 

Social Media

All Social Media Can Be Found on John Vento’s Website