Interview with the LVP

Heard of the LVP? I’m surprised you haven’t. Four talented band members coming together to create music. Stephen Sbiroli, lead singer and guitarist, Vince Camarista, guitarist, on drums Kyle Drumheller and on bass Joe Wasserman.

 Steve lived in Los Angeles for about two and a half years, most of that time with one of his best friends, Aaron. He became a member of Aaron’s band and started writing his own songs. When he moved to New York, he wanted to continue that.  “Singing songs I’ve written on a stage gives me an outlet for a whole side of my personality I have no other way of expressing” Steve approached Kyle with original songs in 2020 but Kyle was too busy with another project. When that project ended he came back to Steve.  Meanwhile, Vince had just spent five years in Australia. Looking for a band of his own, he found Steve’s demo on Musicians of New York.

There appears to be some dispute about the name of the band. As in everybody keeps thinking it means something else. Steve claimed it was “Least Valuable Player” “I’ve always felt like I was “picked last” for everything, a “Least Valuable Player” (ha), so this was my way of carving a path for myself. All I needed was the right people to share this with”  Kyle is adamant that LVP stands for “Lonely Virgin People” Vince believes the name to be ‘Lucky Vanilla Princess”  “I’m not sure what Steve said, but it definitely stands for Luxurious Venusian Pirates” says Joe.

Steve says, “I write songs and scream and throw my guitar around because it’s cathartic for me. I love having a finished song that stands as an artifact of a feeling; proof that I have survived and processed something, and now I can move on. That pride and the thrill of live performance are probably my two favorite feelings in the world. Other close ones are being with my partner, cuddling my dog, and falling asleep to YouTube videos about video games (I cannot sleep without listening to something…)”

Kyle also loves music. “Born into an artistic family, I always had the need to create, but unfortunately my creativity has a troll that keeps me from crossing the creative bridge. Luckily when there is a foundation I can bounce right off of it and launch things to a new light. I have always been a lover of music, my dad showing me his favorite bands like U2 and Green Day, and therefore sparked my intrigue in music. Drumming however is new, starting my freshman year of college after being a metal guitarist for all of high school; I never looked back and drumming has been my passion ever since. I am in two projects currently and I always miss being behind the kit”

Vince shares with us “I’m working as a clinical social worker and I feel like I’m also the de facto therapist for the band. I’m grateful that I can be a supportive presence in people’s lives in a world gone mad. My creative outlets include songwriting, photography, and poetry. I also enjoy meditating amongst other consciousness expanding activities. I geek out about guitar gear when given the chance. I love going to shows and experiencing live music. I believe how we would treat our inner child tells us a lot about how we view ourselves. I also love traveling, exploring new places and would love to tour in the future.

And Joe said “ I’m currently a high school English teacher, but I spend all of my time not in school working on creative endeavors. I write a newsletter about music, literature, and movies; I make music in a solo project called After School Special. My time needs to be spent doing something productive. Although it’s an addiction, it’s definitely one of the healthier ones.” Well you can’t say this band isn’t well rounded….Each with their projects and passions. I’m sure they will go far.

Steve enlightened me about his song writing (the band all performs original music) “Usually I mess around with chords/strumming patterns/melodies on a guitar, then when I get an idea that really sticks out, I play it over and over for at least an hour until I know how it makes me feel. I sing some melodies in basically Simlish until something sticks, or a lyrical phrase subconsciously worms its way into the song. “

“I have to let myself sit with something to know what the music is trying to tell back to me rather than trying too hard to fit a round peg in a square hole. Sometimes I have the whole structure of the song written in a day, sometimes I shelve it for months until something clicks. I’ll show songs to the rest of the band in various states of preparedness and always keep an open mind for how they can make the songs better and/or fill in my gaps of musical knowledge. Lyrics are really the only thing I want total ownership of, but it’s rare that a song ever starts with them for me” Kyle adds “What Steve said and then I add cool beats”

I asked the musicians about their fist concert experience which can sometimes shape a budding artist. Steve says that technically it was American Idol Season 6 on Tour (a gift from his parents) but that he was changed forever by a Bruce Springsteen concert later on. Kyle cites a Weird Al Yankovic tour as his first concert because his friend had an extra ticket but the first concert he paid for was Bullet for My Valentine. “The mosh pit was so tight that if I lifted my feet off the ground, I would still be carried by the other bodies around me.” Vince also had experience with a mosh pit where he got punched in the face. He was there to see Andrew WK and about 10 other emo bands. Joe doesn’t remember his first concert. “Probably one of my friends’ shows at the Knitting Factory (RIP) in Manhattan, or Warped Tour on Long Island”

I gave them a tricky question. I asked what their favorite LVP song was. Steve says “You haven’t heard it yet” which was encouraging. Kyle said “Deepest, Darkest,” their brand new single which you can find on most music platforms including Spotify. Vince agrees its “still in the ether” meanwhile Joe replies “I think we’re working on it right now”

What is their secret to booking gigs? Beg (Steve), nepotism, (Kyle), persistence, making connections and maybe some good old fashioned cold calling, (Vince) network, grind and support others. Rinse and repeat. (Joe). I’ll keep that in mind if I ever start a band of my own.

Their latest sensation is called “Deepest, Darkest” and it just came out as a single and a music video “When we were deciding what songs to put on our first EP, we thought “which ones show off the range of our sound while still making it clear who we are as a unit?” We picked four and decided to include our first single “Raspberry” to further demonstrate the range. “Deepest, Darkest” stood on the exact opposite end of our stylistic spectrum, but still showed a lot of our hallmarks as writers and performers. As a follow-up to “Raspberry,” it seemed like the perfect choice. We shot the music video for it with an old friend of mine from middle school named Andy DeAngelo, who has become an extremely talented director. He said “I have a vision for a video for this song,” and it not only captured what I was trying to say in the song, but he was also open and collaborative enough that we could all share the vision together. I’d work with him, his wife Jess, Szmed, and Kirk again anytime” Steve said.

Each member also had a music idol. “Marisa Dabice of Mannequin Pussy. The way she can go from the most tender singing to the most powerful screams and back it all up with pure, raw emotion… that’s everything I want to be as an artist” says Steven. Meanwhile Kyle is impressed by “Stu Mackenzie and/or Michael Cavanaugh of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Keeping their voice as consistent and engaging as it is fresh and masterful. Stu with his knowledge of writing songs and parts of songs that are cohesive and fun and challenging, and Cavs for his ability to paint over the entire song or album with some funky and unique or unexpected beats that add to the song in such a cool way” Vince chooses Tom Jones: “Tom Jones. Growing up in an immigrant household, we didn’t really have a frame of reference for Western Rock N Roll (I got into the Beatles in HIGH SCHOOL) so we started out with whatever was in the dollar bin. My life changed the first time I heard “It’s Not Unusual”. And Joe says “John Paul Jones. Although he’s famous for his bass chops, the man is an incredible composer and producer as well. I’d love to be just like that”

            The LVP has reached many milestones: their first EP, their first music video, their first T-Shirt. What comes next for the band? “More music, more shows, more experimentation with style and medium, and looking to tour at least once before I’m 30. I have a bad back” says Steve. Kyle wants to write more songs in different time signatures. Vince is aiming for world domination and Joe’s goal is to “Make more booty! Staying this luxurious don’t come cheap” This Friday (the 19th) they are playing at the Broadway in Brooklyn. I’ll be there screaming in the crowd. Will  you?