Jagger of Vices Inc talks about VicesFest 2025 | Matt Connarton Unleashed

0:00 Speaker 1: Get Command, don't get Supreme La Megxilling. Hey, everybody, welcome to Matt Connerton Unleashed, the af edition because this version of the show, of course, is strictly online, uncensored, unfiltered, truly unleashed. And I have with us Jagger from the band vices An Kilo Jagger.

0:26 Speaker 2: Hello, Hi guys, doing.

0:27 Speaker 1: Good, very well. So we're gonna be talking about something now. I did talk it up, of course on Saturday on the radio show Saturday Morning of Course, which we do every Saturday from not am to noon vices Fest, which is a pretty big deal. And I did go through the lineup too on the air. A lot of these bands, I'll let you kind of talk about some of them, but a lot of these bands we've had on the show. Many of them we have not had on the show yet, but we've heard about them, their their name, their names have come up on the show.

1:02 Speaker 1: So we know that that there there are people that you know, we should be looking at having on and of course, and and a few of them that I'm not familiar with. But uh, now let's let me get that flyer up too. So when is so Vice's Fest? This is coming up? This uh this coming weekend, Labor Day weekend.

1:17 Speaker 2: Correct, Yes, it is Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so people can recover on Monday. Because the yeah, that's true, that's true.

1:25 Speaker 1: That is that is well timed. And this year you're doing it at the Strand Theater in Dover, which is a beautiful venue.

1:31 Speaker 2: Definitely, it's it's gorgeous.

1:35 Speaker 1: Why uh, why Dover because I think last year was in Portland, correct or maybe I'm wrong about that.

1:39 Speaker 2: Well, you're right, it was. It was in Portland at a place called the Cavern, which doesn't exist any more. Ale of reasons why we we decided to uh we relocated into uh Dimon Venue. One. We wanted something that was bigger uh the Catherine, and it seemed like the areas that we could book at in the Portland area wasn't suffice and the ones that were Suffice were too big, so we had to you had we needed something in the middle of that. And coming around with that, plus we thought, you know, the whole point of it is bands from the Northeast area.

2:17 Speaker 2: That's the main focus of it. I mean, we we always listed like bands from the Northeast and beyond, which is a true statement, but it's really the heart of it is like New England bands for the most part, and we felt like, okay, well we have a lot of bands from New Hampshire and we should you know, obviously give dat a chance to instead of just being a Portland then, because we feel like Vice's Inc. Is a New England band. I'm I'm from Boston, elinor the Leed Centers from from Massachusetts too, so we're not really just a main band.

2:47 Speaker 2: That's it just you know, obviously that's where we are stationed because that's where our practice, bace and everything else is. But we're New England for the most part. So it was mainly for those reasons. And I've been to the Stream before and I fell in love with it because it's it's it's a great venue for something like this and the comfort level. The other place we played at didn't have seats. This has seats and stuff, so it's more cover level for the fan base too.

3:16 Speaker 1: That makes sense. Yeah, you are, as you mentioned, so you're a you're a Portland band, Vices Inc. And I know there's there's a great uh, there's a great music scene there. When you well, when did let me ask this, when did Vice's first start. Is this the second year or the third year or.

3:34 Speaker 2: The second year. So what happened was, uh, the band's been around for few for years, a few years, but it wasn't until twenty and twenty three we actually played ser shovels okay because of COVID and stuff, so we're called a COVID band. And all we did was record and record and record, and then when we felt safe enough to go out into the open, we started in twenty twenty three. I know that maybe a little lay in the game, but we felt that's with the best bet to be sure and stuff. Yeah, and so we went on.

4:06 Speaker 2: Obviously we played in the New England area, but we actually went on a real tour as far as west as Indiana, and we went to Kentucky, Ohio and all this stuff, and we met a lot of bands, and we became fans of the bands and friends of the bands, and we thought what a good way and showcased some of the bands we met in a different area that they can't get to and put them all together in one show and set to see people what we saw and heard and hopefully they become fans of them too.

4:36 Speaker 1: Right, it's a huge undertaking. I don't have to tell you. I mean, I'm impressed and I look at the lineup and it's like, oh my god, Like I'm curious. And I may have asked you this before when you were on the radio show, but like, what are some of the surprises that you've encountered when putting a putting together a three day festival again, and anyone outside the industry might not know this, but that's just putting together a one day festival is an enormous undertaking. I mean, what what what are some some things maybe some surprises or issues that you ran into planning this either last year or this year.

5:17 Speaker 2: Well, last year was I can't It was a blur to me because we decided to do this kind of like a last minute and it was done in four weeks. And I still can't believe I did it. I don't. I still don't know how I did it, to be honest with you, People ask me all the time like how did you do that? And like, I really don't know. It was like the whole month was a blur to me, like twenty four to seven working on that, so I didn't What I learned from that was maybe I need to try to start earlier in four weeks.

5:44 Speaker 2: That's the first thing I learned how much and depth you can get the community involved in the first one. I didn't do that as well because I well, hey, didn't have time and be maybe you know, I didn't understand the start for instances to make that work. But reaching out to the community, having the community part of this was a bigger deal to me and which worked out really well, especially when you're you're showcasing bands from this area or from the earlier you are in and they want to work with those bands or groups whatever too, or maybe you know, get their fame base and be part of whatever they're doing.

6:25 Speaker 2: And I mean, I think it's obviously it you get people involved in that we were over there, they were involved with will be part of it too or whatever. You know, who's you know who was working with us. And so I guess surprise wise, I mean, there was nothing nothing like I mean, I'm learning thing all the time. I learned something yesterday. So it's like it's a constant battle of oh is this gonna work? And that's not gonna work kind of then. But I'm just like, you know, when we first originally did it.

6:56 Speaker 2: It was one day, which was smart enough, but the three day under taken it was a different animal for sure. Oh yeah, how do you make it work? Things work quicker and like little things like learning, like most of the most of the shows be backlined instead of having individual you know, equipment for each band, because there's no space supporting we can up with all that stuff, you know right right in the changeover would be insane. So the goroop liners all have their own equipment and the rest of the groups are shared in the back line and stuff like that.

7:26 Speaker 2: You learn like little lens that make it one smoothly, you know.

7:32 Speaker 1: Yeah, I just remember back too. So it's been a long time since I've actually put on a show that I was promoting. I kind of moved out of that side of the business, but I used to do you know, even just doing a show with five bands on it, you know, back when I was promoting live shows, it was you know, it can be challenging and stressful. So I can't even imagine. I mean, obviously you're handling it well, and you don't you don't seem like you're terribly uh stressed out. I don't know how you feel on the inside, but you're you're outwardly projecting what seems to be a certain calmness about it all.

8:09 Speaker 1: So that's good.

8:11 Speaker 2: I mean, this is a thing like me being stressed or showing that it is not going to help anybody else. So I have to be stable in this. So with that beings said, I'm excited about it because I've we were we're able to under undertake a lot of things in such a short period of time. But we got a lot of good music, a lot of good bands all going to be under the same roof which to me is amazing and and getting them to be part of that, you know, and you know, and obviously uh ah, being excited about this.

8:45 Speaker 2: Uh festival was was a big deal to me, but all styles of music. So it was like, it's like that's how a festival should be in a ways, it should be you know, you should very you know, variety. But I've got you know, I got a good amount of people working working with us, working for me. Yeah, but I'll be straight with you, like most of the work was I did it, you know, and I don't really know how I did it. I just do it. I don't really know. It's like you said, you know, you did booking and all this stuff, and sometimes it's just easier for you to do it then have somebody else do it.

9:18 Speaker 2: Yeah, and it's easy for you not to do yourself then to have you teach somebody or explain it to somebody. Right, I just do it, you know, and if it's I mean, I've done booking for years, but I've never done anything like this before. But obviously it was a it was an easier segue because I've done booking with bands and then with bands, and you know, when you're doing multiple bands, you got little problems like oh I need stage plots or something like that, and you'll wait for them to do it because you the sound guys want that stuff.

9:49 Speaker 2: So you know, there's little things like that. You just got to keep you know, harping on them until they push, you know, you know, give you the stuff you need and stuff right, or have them you know, advertise this and you know, promote promoted because you know, obviously social media is really important today, so you have to do that to get to get your fan base out there for for you know, so they know what's going on. So that's probably more work in getting the bands to do their what they their part than me do my part.

10:18 Speaker 2: That's really the proof.

10:20 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, do you want to talk about some of the bands that are going to be performing well?

10:26 Speaker 2: Like you said, credit a few of these bands you you know and you have on your show on the radio part of it, and you know how good they are as under the Horizon. It's a new one for you guys. Yeah, I know you had uh Crying Caleb recently. Yeah, play Dad who was there early this year? Were you Dad?

10:50 Speaker 1: Love playing Dad?

10:51 Speaker 2: Yeah, he's a great talker. He's like me. We just talk a lot, you know. Yeah, I'm not just in the car together when we go to shows together walk we do.

11:00 Speaker 1: So we had Troll, I see Troll. We had them on the show a few months ago. Great band. I love those guys.

11:07 Speaker 2: Very popular in main very popular single to Noise. It's been popular for a while long time down in the area. So at acts are up and coming, as you can say, or stuff that you know you you haven't had exposure to, like Night Curry, which are really good. I mean, I would think you'll you're gonna love that band. So I'll send you some stuff from them so you can so you can hear how they sound and stuff and.

11:34 Speaker 1: Please Yeah, and I saw I noticed to Scarecrow Hill. Uh they've been around a long time and they're fantastic. But we had them on the show not that long ago. And Jenny and I saw them at Jewel in Manchester. They were on a bill with Under the Horizon and uh, Devil Inside Us and just fantastic.

11:51 Speaker 2: Oh fantastic, and and and they and then and then and and and it's just like the fact that you mentioned on the Horizon, which is an elephant that believe the play that festival with a cespis, you know, and those bands all play together in different ways in different places, you know what I mean. And obviously the you know, the variety of music from themselves, it's like it's it's amazing, like their top notch talent and yeah, we got it. So I'm really excited about that. But there's bands that I think you should listen to and maybe you know, it's like the the mention the band I mentioned before Night Period.

12:26 Speaker 2: They're from Philadelphia, so obviously they probably won't be in studio, but at least you guys can communicate via the telephone whatever. But you know, I will definitely. Uh, you know, give you a handful of these bands that I think you should you know, have some contact with.

12:41 Speaker 1: Oh please, Yeah, we're always looking for suggestions. House Lights. I noticed another name on there. We've had them on the show. That was a couple of years ago though we haven't haven't talked to them in a while, but definitely want to get them back on. But they're they're amazing. I I know it was a couple of years ago because I remember it was in the old it was before WM and H moved to where we are now, when we were in the old place on Elm Street. And uh, yeah, another great, great band. There's a lot.

13:08 Speaker 1: I mean, this lineup is very, very impressive.

13:12 Speaker 2: Yeah, and you know, I I that's the thing. You know, a lot of these bands, you know, obviously some are more properly than others, but just all having together with the mutual aspect of just performing music for whoever and all on the same page with it. It's just it's great. All everybody has been great about that. Just yeah, they want they want to perform, but they also want to see each other perform. It's like a really friendly environment, which is great. It's always to show so anybody can show up for it.

13:39 Speaker 2: It's that's what it's good about it too.

13:41 Speaker 1: Yeah, and what's the best way for people to get tickets? Sow should they get tickets?

13:45 Speaker 2: That's a good question. Many ways they get tickets. So the easiest ways to go vices beest dot com. That's a direct way to get it. You also can get it off of the Strand Theater's website. Okay, and you also get it directly at the van Bright dot com or devices Fast twenty twenty five dot evan Bright dot com. So, but the easiest way to get just go devices fast dot com website. It is a link for it. Click you're there, you know. But it's also like online it's QR codes and stuff. If it's if that's what you want to utilize this, that's there too.

14:22 Speaker 1: Okay, Okay, very good, And I'm sorry no, no, go go ahead, because i want to make sure we don't miss anything that you want to talk about with this.

14:31 Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, sure, But people can also wait to the day of the show and get tickets that way too. And we're not one of those plans where oh you need to pay something in advanced for cheaper tickets. It's the same price. I'm not. So you go there and you can pay cash, Venmo, any way, PayPal, it doesn't matter. They'll they take it rid of them there at the door. Okay, okay, we made it really convenient for everybody.

14:57 Speaker 1: Outstanding, No, very good, very good. I did want to ask you about Vices Inc. What has Vices Inc. Been up to and and and by the way, I I it's understandable if you say not too too much, only because you've obviously been very occupied with vices fests. So if you don't have a lot to tell us, I completely understand. But I am a fan, so I need to ask to hear that.

15:20 Speaker 2: Well, I mean the crazy thing about Vice's Best, I'm advices Best Vices Inc. Is uh you know you know we when we told you before, we're a COVID band. That's how we do is record So even though we're busy in schedule wise with other stuff in our lives now, we still keep a crazy recording schedule because that's what we're used to. Good. Well, we are working on an honestly three albums at once right now. Okay, really albums are once and the first one comes out at the end of this year. It's gonna be called Into the Stranger Things, which is an album based off the songs that are in that show Shine of Things.

15:59 Speaker 2: So it's a cover album, so it'll be two originals and in the in the middle of it would be all songs that were on that TV show.

16:07 Speaker 1: Oh that's a cool concept.

16:09 Speaker 2: Yeah, we thought it would be something different, and since the show's ending this year, it's you know, we thought we'd tie into it.

16:16 Speaker 1: Okay, that makes sense.

16:17 Speaker 2: And then earlier next year we're releasing an album called Holo Go Bye, which is a more like senior soundwriter acoustic album. It's really different for us and we're looking for that because it's been something of a change for us. And so it's a little metal account Collie all right, people like that, it's great. And the end of this year that next year we release Suburban Decay, which is really to fall up to our last album, back Line Kiss, which is the more alternative, hard whatever sound music you want to call it.

16:47 Speaker 2: Yeah, And that's what's going on. And plenty of shows.

16:51 Speaker 1: Wow, uh, do you have any kind of e t as on any of this or I mean it's it's a lot.

16:57 Speaker 2: I mean, just an album comes out December for sure, it's already there. We're not done with it. I did all my work, and Christy the drummer is uh, she's got a couple of songs left. And Alan is the student of vocals. She actually did three songs over the weekend. I think she gets like five songs left and she's done too, so we're almost done with that one. Wow and okay, the same with the whole Goodbye. I'm done with it and Chrissy's done with it. And then we ran for Ellen or to finish her stuff and she will probably be done with it by I would say March, and we're probably coming out with it maybe two months after that.

17:30 Speaker 2: Okay. December of twenty twenty six is Suber and Decay, which is like our main album that we're really excited about. It's a little bit harder than it's it's the hardest thing we ever done before. It's it's edgy are for sure?

17:43 Speaker 1: Oh cool? Okay? And where do you where do you record? I mean, do you have a studio that you work with or do you do you do it all yourselves? Or I know you guys are very di i y with everything that you do, which is.

17:54 Speaker 2: Sure sure, are we. I I bought a house after I got you for my wife, and I was I went to school in Boston. She went to school Maine, and she's from New Hampshire. But she said, I fell in love with Maine. I said, great. We bought a house that used to be apartment building and it's just it's not a Poment building anymore. It's just our house. And she was really nice, which is great because she's always supported me. She let me have the first floor apartments as my studio. Nice studio. It's just really nice for she's great, you know.

18:27 Speaker 1: So yeah sounds it. Yeah, that's awesome.

18:30 Speaker 2: It does help out because I mean, obviously we weren't able to afford we going to studio old time, you know, yea to do. We got over three hundred songs online. It's crazy, you know, three hundred songs. It's nice.

18:44 Speaker 1: Do you three hundred?

18:45 Speaker 2: Really? Yeah? Yeah? We do a vices inc. Yeah, yeah, jesus I did.

18:51 Speaker 1: I didn't realize you had that many.

18:53 Speaker 2: We're nuts. At the Countary year of twenty twenty three, we released two two singles a month, which were A and B sides, so we have fourst new songs every month for twenty three Oh my god. And that had nothing to do with the albums. We will released albums too. We just yeah, yeah, obsessed with recorded. It's just because we have to be able to do any time we want to. And it's yeah, you know.

19:18 Speaker 1: No, that's fantastic. I remember, I remember the last time that you were on the radio show with us. We talked about that a bit, but you know, about where you record and so forth, But I didn't realize the level of output. I honestly, I know, I'm shocked. That's amazing. Not good for you, that's great, it's great.

19:35 Speaker 2: But at the same time, it's like it's it's it's it's it's you know, it's it's crazy to think about it. You know, famouth that we have that, what do you choose to play live? It's like it's hard. So yeah, for vices fast. I'll tell you a little then that no one knows yet. We're debuting two songs that we never played before that are from albums like our first two albums that we never played before. Everything. You know, we're gonna go back in time and do some of that stuff because otherwise were just got to move on from it.

20:03 Speaker 2: Forever and never try it, so right, and they sound great, so it's like, now, what why did we not play these songs live? You know? But yeah, that's I'm pretty excited about that.

20:15 Speaker 1: Very cool. And then what what night do you go on? What night does devicesn't go on?

20:20 Speaker 2: Okay, so the de selective amount of bands are playing all three nights actually, and obviously one of them. So we hadlined Friday and we're kind of in the middle of a pack on Saturday, and then we're kind of early on Sunday to get more other bands more exposure because we don't need that. I mean, we had our time to shine on Friday, really good spot on Saturday, so we're playing them afternoon on Sunday and I really don't care about that. So I'm excited to have other bands play. I' I'm a fan of these bands, so I just want to see him play in a way, so actually be playing almost inconvenience, you know.

20:57 Speaker 2: So, but yeah, all three nights, Night Furies playing all three nights, play Dad's playing all three nights. So there's a good handful of bands of playing all three nights, and then it's the other one night, so it's it's it's it's thirty six acts, but it's like forty five slots, if that makes any sense.

21:16 Speaker 1: Yeah, good lord, how do you? I mean, I'm just amazed. I mean, it's impressive to me that you're able to pull that off and and just the logistics of all of that, of slotting everybody in, and that's amazing. Good for you, man, this is incredible.

21:31 Speaker 2: I learned a lot when we toured, because what I did was I played obviously, I played mid playing shows for many years, and I learned a lot of lessons. And one of the lessons I was like, when we're on tour, I said, we'll be the band that shares equipment and make it easier for everybody. I was when I was younger, it was like every band by their own equipment and stuff, and I go, oh my god, it it's just it was chaotic and it's just a clusterfuck. So we didn't want that. Yeah, well, I decided, like, after that tour will be the band of backs and stuff up.

22:03 Speaker 2: We don't care, we share our back line. They made everything so smoothly, and that was a precursor to what this is, where we had we set guidelines about what spin used, and mostly the problem you're gonna have is equipment situation. And once you set those guidelines and people bands fall suit with that, you really won't have much as many issues as you would have yet rowdy fan base, fans and stuff like that. I'm not worried about that, and never we never encounter that, never account of that with the brands we worked with.

22:32 Speaker 2: So it's you know, when my younger days maybe, but not since you know, never anything advice to think. So we get security there in the ways, and I'm not a little worried about that. But I think for the most part, it's just everybody being on the same page, or at least being close to that same page, and then you're pretty good, you know. I mean, there's always gonna be something that comes up, right, So, yeah, some kind of thing, and you just got to deal with it, right and then you move on from it.

22:57 Speaker 2: But for the most part, you've got a group of people who again want the same thing. They have a great show. That's all they want, you know, to.

23:05 Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, that's that's so important. Everybody's got to work as a team. And because it's all on one stage too, right.

23:11 Speaker 2: Yes, it is, Yeah, stage so yeah, but that's a funny thing you say that, because when we were originally going to do the next one, which was gonna be at this place and I told you before the Cavern in Portland, which is not around anymore, the two floors, and originally we're gonna have all that senior songwriters acoustic acts on the first floor and all the harder acts and the bottom floor. Now I'm glad we didn't do that because that would have been too much for me, you know, yeah, because when I did the first one, I was non stop to hold down.

23:43 Speaker 2: You know. It was there for fourteen hours, maybe more than that, up and down the stairs, doing all that stuff. And it's like, I don't want to do that. Now, don't blame me, Yeah, you know, it's just I don't care how good ship you in. But after a while you're like, no, I can't do this any more.

23:59 Speaker 1: So yeah, yeah, no, I don't. Uh, I don't blame you at all. Is there anything, uh? Is there anything about the festival that you want people to know that we didn't talk We didn't talk about and by the way, thank you for inviting Jenny and us. We wish we could be there. It's just so like our weekends are so busy now between the radio shows and and everything else we've got going on.

24:19 Speaker 2: But I'm sorry what I'm still plumping you guys in two thoup and twenty six, I'm starting that.

24:26 Speaker 1: We we'd love to. Yeah, maybe maybe with enough planning we can figure it out. But that does bring to mind another question though, will there be video of this or any kind of streaming happening during the.

24:36 Speaker 2: Show a little bit? We were going to go all in on a film for this. Yeah, we decided because I've got actually, I'm I'm able to talk about it. I got attend to deal with Netflix actually in prime to release a movie of this nice. But the requirements from Netflix are pretty high standards. So yeah, wow, we're able to able to ascertain that, but not at this time. So if we had worked on that six months ago instead of a few months ago, we would have able to do it. So we decided we're going to do in twenty twenty six because we have the whole year to plan on it, right, and we'll use basic footage from last year's and basic footage from this year's and incorporated in the main footage from next year.

25:25 Speaker 2: Okay, because we can use a little bit of footage that's not in their requirements at on. It's it's it's a very short amount of it, that makes sense. But all this is going to be recorded all the whole, all all three days, and we're going to pick a few songs from each band and release a live album. That's what we're all going to do. Though.

25:42 Speaker 1: Oh, very cool, that's a great idea.

25:44 Speaker 2: And all I'll send that to you if you want to eat a lot you have it.

25:47 Speaker 1: Oh hell yeah, hell yeah, absolutely, absolutely fantastic. Well, let's just for for anyone who's joining us Late Live, and of course most people will hear this in the podcast and the podcast version will be available with it, and uh yeah, probably by six pm at the latest, so we'll we'll get that up and out quickly because obviously this is a time sensitive matter because this event is this coming weekend, so we want to make sure, we want to make sure people know about it. But uh let's remind people of course, vices Fest twenty twenty five and uh so it starts Friday night and or actually no, I'm sorry, it starts Friday afternoon.

26:24 Speaker 2: Yeah, it does each each each day the doors open eleven am. Okay, so start around new time, you know, various times, but it's mostly about around New time, okay, just you know, and most of the first acts are more like se and Sonwerder stuff and then after three pm it becomes full dance.

26:43 Speaker 1: Yeah. Oh, very cool, very cool. And where should people go to get tickets?

26:48 Speaker 2: Www dot vices Fest dot com.

26:52 Speaker 1: Very good.

26:52 Speaker 2: Well that's that's the main place can go. Yeah, if you if you want to go to the stream, which is the Strand Theater dot com, it's also there.

27:01 Speaker 1: Okay, okay, excellent. Well, like I said, I commend you. This is a huge undertaking. I think it's awesome what you're doing. I think it's uh, I predict great things. I think it's going to go very well. And uh and again too. Oh and one more time too for the band. Where should people go to learn more about vices Inc?

27:18 Speaker 2: Oh jeez, that's easy w W dot advices ink dot com and please go because uh, we guys, we guys some good stuff coming out pretty soon, you know.

27:27 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, you heard.

27:29 Speaker 2: All the ansa information you got today, know one that people knew about you got it all?

27:33 Speaker 1: Nice. I love I love to get an exclusive. Hell I didn't even know you had three hundred songs already. I gotta I gotta go back and listen to some stuff I didn't I did not realize so many. But that's that's fantastic. Good for you, Jagger. Thank you so much, my friend, and uh, good luck this weekend. Not that you need luck, you've got you've got this well in hand, but good luck anyway. I know it's gonna go great. And uh, thank you so much.

28:00 Speaker 2: Well, thank you for having me. It's being signed. I enjoy your company all the time. You know that you're awesome, and we love being you know, even you know podcast radio. We love being on part of this and we are looking forward to working more with you again, you know soon and maybe we'll be you know, in there on the radio again before too long to viute that new album coming out.

28:21 Speaker 1: If you're cool with that, perfect, I would love it. I would love it absolutely, absolutely all right, Jagger, thank you, and thank you everybody Sea come don't get supremely da Maxim