-
The Greene Space: 2013 Battle of the Boroughs, Victor V. Gurbo & Co. is the Brooklyn Winner
[+ Show ]
"...Congratulations to Victor V. Gurbo & Co., winners of our Battle of the Boroughs: Brooklyn compet..."...Congratulations to Victor V. Gurbo & Co., winners of our Battle of the Boroughs: Brooklyn competition!..."
-
The Kingsman: BC Rockers Win Brooklyn Battle of the Bands
[+ Show ]
"...On February 1, 2013 a BC alumnus may have taken the first steps towards enshrining Brooklyn Coll..."...On February 1, 2013 a BC alumnus may have taken the first steps towards enshrining Brooklyn College as a breeding ground for Rockstars.
“Like taking a bunch of total strangers [waiting] at a bus stop and forming a band with them” is the best description aspiring rockstar, front man, and former BC English Literature and Fine Arts double-major Victor Voccoli Gurbo has heard to describe his band.
The multigenerational sextet Victor Gurbo & Company breaks the mold established by other NYC millennial indie rockers (i.e. Interpol), who emerged from the post-9-11 malaise with a Men in Black mod look. In contrast, Gurbo’s band lets its freak flag fly. Their freewheeling style and sound harken back to the 60s of Bob Dylan and the Stones.
The band’s fun and tremendously catchy single “Burnin’ Your Manor Down” is a swirling dark carnival of blues and gypsy jazz. The main attraction is a violin that slithers around Gurbo’s bluesy lead vocals, as well as a boisterous rhythm section bubbling, banging, and bee-bopping in the background with all the fanfare of a marching band.
Then there’s Gurbo, whose motley crüe of capable supporting stars reinforce his non-elitist, “everyman” stage presence.
One of Gurbo’s band-mates is none other than BC Professor Arnold Brooks, whose piece titled 60×60 Voice Mix premiered at the Sound Art Festival in Berlin last year and will be performed on Tuesday, February 26 at Texas State University. Gurbo recalls meeting Brooks during the undergraduate’s Sophomore year. “I walked into the print lab and it sounded like the gates of hell had opened,” Gurbo said about his first time hearing Brooks’ soundscapes.
The teacher-student rapport established that year led to Gurbo and Brooks forming Victor Gurbo & Co. in 2007. Brooks, the internationally celebrated scholar, now plays drums in the band. Gurbo said, “It took a bit of convincing, but [Brooks] came down to play and never left.”
It’s a good thing he didn’t.
In January 2013 their collaboration bore fruit when NPR’s John Shafer announced Victor Gurbo & Co. had been selected to headline fourteen other Brooklyn bands competing in the annual Brooklyn Battle of the Bands at NPR’s Green Room.
It turns out John Shafer is a big Beatles fan. The opening lines of the song Gurbo submitted to the contest, the aforementioned “Burnin’ Your Manor Down,” begins with a direct quote from the White Album. But the fact that concert goers voted via text for Victor Gurbo & Co. can dispel any question about bias.
The fact of the matter is that Gurbo and Brooks have brought together all the right ingredients to produce a fresh and original sound, chief among these ingredients is, of course, a degree from Brooklyn College.
Victor Gurbo & Co. will peform this Thursday, February 28 at Jalopy, located in Caroll Gardens..."
-
The Home Reporter: Bay Ridge local, Victor Gurbo, Will Perform Live at NPR Event
[+ Show ]
"...This Bay Ridgeite started out slowly, with an acoustic guitar and a harmonica around his neck; h..."...This Bay Ridgeite started out slowly, with an acoustic guitar and a harmonica around his neck; he’s now thrilled at the opportunity to represent Brooklyn in the “Battle of the Boroughs,” a competition that calls on undiscovered performers of the five boroughs to compete against each other for a chance to get a featured concert at The Greene Space, a guest artist appearance at Apollo Theater, and a recording session and music video.
Victor V. Gurbo is the leader of a Folk-Rock/Americana band that was formed two years ago. He started writing all the material and is now part of a six-member band, the same band that will compete on February 1. The event will stream live on NPR, and the bands win by receiving online and phone votes during their performances.
“[It’s] frightening,” said Gurbo. “I looked up all the bands online [the competitors] and they have albums out. We’re relatively new,” he explained.
Gurbo, however, added that the support of the neighborhood that saw him grow is very important to him. “It’s an amazing opportunity that will help us get a foot in the door. We're really honored to have been selected to be a part of it.”
Gurbo received a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from Brooklyn College where he majored in English. Coincidentally, he now shares the stage with one of his print-making professors, Arnold Brooks, who is the drummer of the band.
“[I] started out with a strong drive, and had no idea where it was going to go,” noted Gurbo. When asked about his passion for music, he excitedly responded: “Performing is terrifying, but it’s an experience that you can’t get anywhere else.”
Although admitting that it’s difficult to make money in this field, Gurbo says his love for music has pushed him to go forward. “It’s definitely one of those things where you don’t go in for the money,” he remarked. So why does he do it? “Music is one of the oldest forms of communications,” he explained. “You can really express yourself, and I love it.”
Each participating band will have the chance to perform one song. Victor V. Gurbo & Co hopes to wow the audience with their hit called “Burnin’ the Manor Down.”
“Support the ones that sound the best and give them your vote so that they make it to the next level,” Gurbo spoke to the audience...“I hope people take the time to tune in,” Gurbo concluded..."
-
The Home Reporter: Off To The Next Round!
[+ Show ]
"...They made it!
Victor V. Gurbo & Co., a band featured in these pages last week, placed in the ..."...They made it!
Victor V. Gurbo & Co., a band featured in these pages last week, placed in the Top Five category in NPR’s “Battle of the Boroughs,” so they still need your vote to win in the online portion.
“We are honored to be one of the top five Brooklyn winners at NPR/WNYC/WQXR’s Battle of the Boroughs,” the band noted. “We are now competing in the online portion of the battle and need your help again.”
Gurbo is a young Bay Ridgeite who attended Brooklyn College and is now the leader of a Folk-Rock/Americana band formed two years ago. He’s as committed as ever to making his dream to express himself through music come true.
“[I] started out with a strong drive, and had no idea where it was going to go,” noted Gurbo in an earlier interview/article. When asked about his passion for music, he excitedly responded: “Performing is terrifying, but it’s an experience that you can’t get anywhere else.”
In case you missed the performance, watch it by visiting the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mqwdr9JsYio. ..."
-
Bay Ridge Odyssey: Bay Ridge’s Victor Gurbo To Represent Brooklyn in WNYC Battle Of The Boroughs
[+ Show ]
"...When public radio station WNYC holds its annual Battle Of The Boroughs competition concert this ..."...When public radio station WNYC holds its annual Battle Of The Boroughs competition concert this June, a Bay Ridge musician will take the stage for Brooklyn.
Victor V. Gurbo & Co. was one of 14 Brooklyn bands that played at the Jerome Green Performance Space on February 1, and WNYC announced yesterday that Gurbo’s six-piece band finished 1st in online voting.
The playoffs for the other four boroughs will be held throughout the spring. Gurbo and the other finalists will face each other at the Ultimate Battle on June 21..."
-
MHC: Macaulay Alumnus Advances in Battle of the Boroughs Contest
[+ Show ]
Macaulay Alumnus Victor Gurbo and his band, "Victor V. Gurbo & Co," just placed in the top five in t...Macaulay Alumnus Victor Gurbo and his band, "Victor V. Gurbo & Co," just placed in the top five in the first phase of NPR/WNYC /WQXR Battle of the Boroughs: Brooklyn competition! They are now competing in the online round which lasts until Sunday, February 10 and need your vote.
Visit www.thegreenespace.org to view the video of Victor V. Gurbo & Co.’s performance of “Burnin’ the Manor Down.” Voting can be done on the Greenespace web site at: https://www.research.net/s/TZTCNRK or by texting the band code BK14 to number 69866. The competition ends at Midnight on Sunday, February 10.
-
The Greene Space: Victor V. Gurbo & Co. will be competing in Talent Quest 2013 "Battle of the Boroughs."
[+ Show ]
"The Battle of the Boroughs is back for its fourth year! We put out the call for our citywide talent..."The Battle of the Boroughs is back for its fourth year! We put out the call for our citywide talent quest and hundreds of New York City's best emerging artists answered — bands and ensembles of all genres, instrumentalists, vocalists and DJs.
The Greene Space team whittled the submissions down to 64 acts representing all five boroughs. Now, these artists will do battle (see schedule below) for a chance to represent their borough in The Ultimate Battle on June 21. They'll compete not only for bragging rights, but prizes that are a dream for any aspiring artist: a featured concert in The Greene Space; a guest artist appearance at the famed Apollo Theater's Amateur Night; a live video webcast of their performance; a professional, multi-track recording session; a Tekserve package, including iPads; a professional photo shoot; and a produced music video.
Award-winning WQXR host Terrance McKnight returns as Battle series emcee. He'll be joined by an esteemed panel of judges, including: Geri Allen, pianist; John Schaefer, host of Soundcheck; Wes Jackson, Executive Director of the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival; Christian McBride, bassist and composer; Nona Hendryx, singer, songwriter, and producer; Franco Iemmello, Capitol Records; Chris Bannon of WNYC; Mike Rinzel of WQXR; Steve Pageot, Grammy Award-winning composer; and Hakim Bell, producer and songwriter.
Thanks to all the incredible artists who submitted to this year's quest. The entries left us inspired and were a testament to the excellence, range, diversity and vibrancy of New York's arts and music scene. And now (drum roll, please) we're excited to announce the 2013 Battle of the Boroughs contestants below. Let's get ready to battle!"
-
The Kingsman: Victor V. Gurbo Takes Music to the Bitter End
[+ Show ]
Before anyone knew their names, Lady Gaga and Bob Dylan played at the Bitter End Rock Club—now Victo...Before anyone knew their names, Lady Gaga and Bob Dylan played at the Bitter End Rock Club—now Victor Gurbo, a 23 year old student at Brooklyn College is booked to play there.
Gurbo is a self-professed fan of Bob Dylan and his music is heavily rooted in Folk-rock, Roots and Americana. Inspiration for his lyrics comes from American poetry and song. The range of style in Gurbo’s music is wide—he has played solo while providing his own acoustical accompaniment,and has played with an acoustic band, but is now working toward making the switch to an electronic band. Citing his reasoning for going electric, Gurbo said, “I’m not knocking on the validity of acoustic and solo stuff, but to pack an audience, it is really cut throat with how many people you have to bring.”
Gurbo experienced the cutthroat side of the music business when he booked one of his first shows at Crash Mansion, a venue that requires performers to draw a minimum of 35 people to their shows. He said that while he managed to draw the required number of people, there was no doorman, and since no one at Crash Mansion took a head count, they sent him a nasty email after the show. For performers who fail to meet the minimum requirements, the consequences are as grave as banishment from the venue.
According to Gurbo, booking shows is not easy at the beginning. Gurbo said that he played with any band that had a gig and would have him when he first began playing publically. Gurbo noted that being able to say that he played with bands at known venues helped him when he began to approach venues to host his own show. Speaking on what it took to get booked at a venue for the first time, Gurbo said, “I emailed every bar with a stage.”
Currently 23 years old, Gurbo began playing music seriously during his last year of high school. His first lessons were on the guitar, but he is currently taking vocal lessons and says that he has “Pitch OCD” which he claims has helped him learn to sing. When learning of Gurbo’s pitch OCD, his late great aunt said she was not surprised at Gurbo’s distinct ability to differentiate between pitches. Gurbo’s great aunt revealed his family’s past achievements to him which includes performers who were on Broadway as well as a concert violinist.
Surprisingly, Gurbo is not a music major. He is currently pursuing degrees in English and art. Among his academic achievements, Gurbo is a Macaulay Honors student. It seems that the lack of formal music education has not impacted Gurbo for the worse. The majors Gurbo chose to pursue may actually have helped him since he writes his own lyrics and uses some of his own art for advertising purposes while climbing the venue-ladder of musical success.
Gurbo’s upcoming shows are at Pianos on March 19 and Bar Matchless on June 1st. The date for The Bitter End will be announced shortly on his website. For students interesting in supporting their fellow student by going to one of his shows, more information is available on his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VictorVGurbo.
-
Guitar Kit USA: Victor V. Gurbo's Res-O-Glas Guitar
[+ Show ]
"Victor Gurbo of Brooklyn, New York sent us the following photo of himself gigging with his Res-O-Gl..."Victor Gurbo of Brooklyn, New York sent us the following photo of himself gigging with his Res-O-Glas guitar. He says, “By far my favorite electric guitar - my # 1...plays like nothing else!” Victor used Lollar pickups with his build. Be sure to check out Victor’s Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/victorvgurbo."
-
The Kingsman: English Major’s Open Mic
[+ Show ]
"...Victor Voccoli Gurbo performed a piece with his guitar that elaborated a poem written by his pee..."...Victor Voccoli Gurbo performed a piece with his guitar that elaborated a poem written by his peer. Gurbo interpreted the concept of the poem with a song dedicated to it. His virtuosity with the instrument was all that was needed to make a fine performance..."
-
NearSay: Rock the Highline Ballroom, A Review of The Energy Show
[+ Show ]
"...Victor V.Gurbo also joined the boys onstage for a bit of excellent harmonica work on a few of th..."...Victor V.Gurbo also joined the boys onstage for a bit of excellent harmonica work on a few of their songs. It’s wonderful to see a rising band supporting their fellow musicians..."
supersonic
