(image thanks to East Side Tavern)

The Columbia music scene certainly seems to be flourishing these days with bands such as Kingdom Flying Club and The Doxies getting more and more press and notoriety, but quite possibly the best band to hit this town in some while is playing mostly under the radar of local music fans. For all of us who love the bands that aren’t afraid to play hard and abrasive while one song later throwing some soul, then blues, and rock at you, then all of our dreams can come true by attending one Viletto concert. I recently sat down with Kevin Avery and Phillip Jennings of Viletto on a cold and rainy spring evening to talk music.

W.S. = Me
K.A. = Kevin Avery
P.J. = Phillip Jennings

W.S. How long have you been a band?
K.A. We’ve been together about three years.
W.S. Have you ever been in any other bands?
K.A. The first band I was in was Erie Grace. Then after that I started Viletto. Then for a while I was in Knuckle Junction Circuit.
W.S. You all have a self titled record out. How did you come about making “Viletto?”
K.A. We’ve been jamming with Ryan (Ryan Walker, the drummer) for about a year and a half and it just really clicked. So, the music was able to prosper. So I was like, “Alright boys, time for an album.”
W.S. You’ve been a band for three years. How long have you been playing out?
P.J. We’ve been playing around town. We started playing open mics and eventually just got some shows. Now we’ve been moving to St. Louis to play some more.
W.S. How do you guys approach songwriting? Do you sit down together, do you come in with lyrics, or do you come in with music?
K.A. Originally no one really had any ideas and it had to go somewhere. I played a lot by myself anyways. We’d practice and I’d have a few songs, and we’d play them, and it went from there.
P.J. We’ve been doing a lot of improvising lately and that’s really helped us out a lot…coming up with stuff on the fly.
W.S. You just let it come while you’re in the middle of it?
K.A. Yea, that’s an important torn muscle to exercise as a band. To be able to just free jam out your ass.
W.S. Do you like it better when you just jam and the songs come, or when you come with something prepared?
K.A. They’re both pretty good. We don’t force anything. The songs are pretty simple, but they at least sound complex enough to not get boring. We don’t force anything. Like with free jams, there’s no free rules and nothing predetermined. I’m blessed with playing with competent musicians, so it works out pretty nice.
P.J. It’s crazy. Like when we first started jamming with Ryan the very first time he had such a natural intuition.
W.S. Do you guys have a great chemistry together?
K.A. It’s the best chemistry I’ve ever experienced in a band.
W.S. I’ve seen you play and you’re my favorite band in Columbia. I mean, I’m not just blowing sunshine up your ass, but do you feel it’s all not as good if you can’t do it well live? What’s more important to you, the record or live shows?
K.A. Live shows.
P.J. Live shows.
K.A. I really like to have one or the other, preferably both. (Laughs)
W.S. I hate to do this, but if you had to put a genre on your band what would it be?
K.A. I’d say rock n’ roll would sum it up the best. I’d say punk and blues, and some jazz, and some country, and some Ozark Thrash. (Both laugh) I’ve heard the word grunge a few times, but I really don’t think that’s very flattering. I think that’s a pretty shitty term, for anything.
W.S. What bands did you listen to growing up help mold you guys musically?
P.J. I started listening to country music with my grand ma. Then I picked up a lot on the way.
K.A. Johnny Cash, Alice In Chains, Sound Garden, Radiohead, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, The Beatles…
W.S. If you guys could only listen to five artists for the rest of your life, who would they be?
P.J. Uh, Black Sabbath………………Uh, Black Sabbath. Did I already say that? (Laughs) It would be too hard to pick five.
K.A. There’d be more than five, but if I had to break it down there’d be some Hendrix, some ray Charles, maybe some Zepplin, oh it’s hard, some Stevie Ray Vaughn. You can’t deny any of the influences. I never had guitar lessons, so those where most of the teachers.
W.S. Anything else you want to add?
K.A. Well Ryan would definitely have his opinions, but he’s not here.
W.S. He’s in Florida and we’re her in landlocked middle America. Son of a Bitch.
K.A. Bastard. (We all laugh)
W.S. Oh yea. Where does your inspiration come from when you’re writing?
K.A. I don’t know. Where the hell does it come from? I’m glad someone finally asked me that, but I didn’t prepare an answer. I’d say it must come from people I’ve met, people that have come in my life and faded out. Ghosts from my past.

We spent the rest of the evening feeding their cats Cat Nip and talking about our favorite bands. They told me that there’s no way they would be a band if there had never been Credence Clearwater Revival. Then Kevin and I played till 3am and listened to the countless yet to be released Viletto songs. All I know is that if these are Viletto’s demos, all of the rest of us in Columbia should just put our guitars away.

Viletto’s record is available at Street Side records, Slackers, and the MU bookstore. If you don’t get it you are really missing out on one the best records you’re going to hear this year. You can also check them out live at The Central Tap on April 19th, or April 23rd at MoJo’s.

In closing I would just like to add, if someone told me to pick any band from Columbia to listen to I’d pick Viletto everyday of the week and twice on Sunday.

- Will Saulsbery