Greenstreet

Arts, Beats and Eats will be a little bit greener this year -- and no, we're not talking about the festival's carbon footprint.

Greenstreet won the third semifinal round of The Detroit News' Sonic Summer contest Thursday, earning them a spot at this year's Arts, Beats and Eats fest. The Troy four-piece will face off against previous semifinal winners Camaro Brothers and the Before and After for the News' Sonic Summer crown on Aug. 31 in downtown Pontiac.

"We didn't win anything yet -- it's just another step up the ladder," said Greenstreet bassist Matt Vendittelli, a suit salesman by day, after the band's win. They emerged victorious over pretty pop outfit Tone & Niche and hard-rockers the Lovehandlers.

The members of Greenstreet say they owe their bluesy, soul-pop sound to old Motown -- not Maroon 5, which is an easy comparison to make.

The band had a winning stage presence, said Greg Baise, talent buyer for Pontiac's Crofoot, who was one of the evening's three judges. Other judges were music video auteur John "Quig" Quigley and music entrepreneur Howard Hertz, who manages Detroit rockers the Go.

In addition to their stage chops, Greenstreet "brought their fan base out -- and as a talent buyer, that's very important," Baise said.

Quig said he wasn't necessarily a fan of Greenstreet's brand of rock, "but there's a market for it, and they tap into it for sure," he said. "All credit due, they're a band who knows how to perform."

Greenstreet plans on readying several new songs for its Arts, Beats and Eats set. But more so, "We just want to go out, play, and have a good time," said guitarist Michael Vendittelli.

The bands will square off at the Labor Day weekend festival for a prize package that includes $1,000 from Axis Music, 12 hours of recording time from the Audio Cafe, a full page ad in The Detroit News, merchandise from Rocket Printing and a $150 gift certificate from Guitar Center in Roseville.

- Adam Graham, Detroit News

Why Isn't This Band Signed - Jeff Lyczak, Detroit news
Grade: A
It’s been getting to the point that I’ve started to dread playing these CD’s I get in the mail for review. Yes, I know I request them, but more often than not, I dislike the CD and then I’m faced with the task of trashing local talent to anyone that has the patience to read my long winded rantings. That’s not fun. So when I popped in the Greenstreet EP, I was really hoping they would be at least un-crappy. Thirty seconds later, I found myself to be pleasantly surprised at what I heard. After twenty minutes, I was absolutely enamored with it.

The whole time I listened (and re-listened) to Greensteet’s EP, one thought kept recurring: How are these guys not superstars yet? Their press release says they’ve only been around for a year and a half, but I find that very hard to believe. The songwriting and chemistry on display in this five song EP surely must have come from a group with a decade of recording and performing under their belts. To think otherwise is just amazing. As David says below, every song could be a single. A HIT single at that. They should change their name to Catchy Tunes, Inc, because every one of these tracks stay with you after you turn off the CD. The musicianship is top notch and the vocals are note-perfect for this style of music.

The only real drawback to the EP is just that. It’s an EP. I hope these guys make it soon so I can get a full CD or two. For right now, I’m going to have to actually venture out of my house (which I never do) this Friday and attend the record release party at The Magic Bag if I want to hear more. Based on what I’ve heard so far, I’m sure it’ll be worth it.

"EP Should Have Been Called 'Music That Will Get You Laid'" - David Binkowski, Detroit News
Grade: A
Greenstreet is a nice change of pace of what I've heard on the local scene -- they're not trying to play the "we're too cool" for you crap, or the "we don't need a bass player" sound, or "if you're over 18 you won't like us" card. They've toured nationally, and their polished sound shows -- these guys are pros and their music is very enjoyable and accessible.

Unfortunately I couldn't make the CD release party on Friday night, however I'm pretty sure my wife is glad I didn't go, as I'm guessing that the female to male ratio at their shows is around 10:1. Each track is danceable, musically-sound, and dare I say "sexy". Trust me when I say that every song on this EP is worthy of a cigarette afterwords.

I'm not going to go through the EP track by track, but let me sum it like this -- every track on this EP is strong enough to stand alone as a single. The wah guitar playing at the intro on the second track smacks of "something's gonna happen" porno music ("Did someone order a pizza with extra sausage?") - but the band takes the high road and lets the singing take over to create an incredibly sexy, soulful (and catchy) song.

The vocals are incredible, and the music goes between R&B/funk/pop/soul/rock to compliment it perfectly. Again, these guys are pros and it sounds like it on this disc. I will definitely be checking these guys out when they play in Detroit/Ann Arbor area.
- Detroit News, by Jeff Lyczak and David Binkowski

It's all over but the crying: Soul pop band Greenstreet cruised to the top spot in Friday's The Detroit News Sonic Summer battle of the bands at the Arts, Beats & Eats festival.

The all-male Troy quartet, which will play the Royal Oak Music Theatre on Sept. 5, beat soul rock band the Camaro Brothers and alternative-country group the Before and After in the final round of the annual competition. The group walks away with an armful of prizes, including $1,000 from Axis Music, 12 hours of recording time from the Audio Cafe, a full page ad in The Detroit News, customized posters and T-shirts from Rocket Printing and a $150 gift certificate for Guitar Center in Roseville.

"It felt great up there tonight," said Greenstreet frontman Matthew Kysia of the band's performance. The group's sound invites comparisons to Maroon 5. "Playing for all the people at Arts, Beats & Eats - it's an amazing vibe. The main thing was the audience was having a good time."

Indeed, the dance area in front of the stage was hopping throughout Greenstreet's set, as the poised Kysia seemed determined to channel Justin Timberlake and spun and shimmied his way across the stage.

Judges John "Quig" Quigley, a film and music video director who's worked with Eminem and 50 Cent; rhythm and blues chanteuse Monica Blair; and Vinnie Dombrowski of the band Sponge, all agreed the band was the best in show.

"Fortunately for them, they have a three-piece that sounds amazing. And their singer is personable, " Quigley said.

"They really sounded good, really good," said Dombrowski. "But they played like they already knew they were going to win. It was like a Robert Palmer video."

- Detroit News, Alexa Stanard

Ddays started our week off late, heading to Fifth Avenue in Royal Oak on
Friday night to witness the sounds of The Jeff Tessler Band and
Greenstreet. Fifth was packed. We migrated upstairs to hear the bands.
Unfortunately, we just missed the Jeff Tessler Band; we caught up with
Tessler to see what was new. He told us he's moving to Los Angeles and
he's having his last live appearance as a solo-acoustic night at Club
Bart on Sunday. We wish our young stud luck and we know he's certainly
got the talent to hack it in good old Hollywood. We will be in
attendance on the 11th, for sure! Greenstreet hit the stage and their
groupies hit the dance floor. They have a Maroon 5-ish vibe, with a lot
of catchy beats and a soulful feel. The lead singer busted out a verse
from "The Gloved One's" "Man In the Mirror" and we caught ourselves
singin' and swayin' along.

We chased the band down on their break and hung out with lead singer
Matt, who goes by Kysia. He gave us a Greenstreet history lesson: "We
all knew each other in grade school, but didn't form a band until
college. Originally there were nine of us in the band, but we really
came into our own three years ago, when only four of us continued on to
solidify our sound. Now we're tapping into the local scene after
traveling around the country and we're headlining at Magic Bag and Fifth
Avenue - we're having a great time." Matt added that MTV dropped one of
their songs on their show, Next. We know that's just the start for this
talented bunch. The band includes: Matt (Kysia), Mike, Scott and Matt
(the other one). They are such nice guys and we were psyched to talk to
superstars in the making. Look out for Greenstreet on iTunes and many
local venues coming up. Jeff Tessler just recorded a new album, so check
him out as well. A flair for music, good looks and a few drinks equals
Ddays' Heaven on Cloud Fifth.
- Real Detroit Weekly

From night lights to spot lights, the Vendittelli brothers have grown up in a world of music. Michael Vendittelli, 26, and his brother Matthew, 23, have been around music their entire lives. Their parents, who were born in the Frosinone region of southern Lazio, excelled at the accordion while growing up and passed on their fondness of music to their sons. The brothers began playing the guitar at a young age – Michael at 13 and Matthew at 11. Shortly after beginning formal lessons, Matthew began learning to play the bass guitar at the age of 12. From this point on, Michael and Matthew realized that they wanted to be performers and professional musicians for the rest of their lives.

Michael completed and won First Place in the 1997 American Guild of Music competition in Dearborn, Michigan. A young high school student at the time, he began to play music recreationally with some friends after school, resulting in Michael joining a band. Their first paying gig was performing oldies cover songs during a classic car showcase, outside of a local chicken and ribs place near their home in Troy.

One afternoon before rehearsal, Michael asked the rest of the band to let his younger brother sit in with the band and show what he could do. The band already had a bass player, so they were a little reluctant at first, but eventually agreed to let Matthew join in. At first, they played through a few tunes and soon became overwhelmed and impressed at how well Matthew could play at such a young age. A week later, Matthew became the band’s new bass player.

It was at this time that Michael and Matthew realized and began to nurture their love for classic rock and blues, particularly Stevie Ray Vauhgan, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Led Zeppelin. The music of these icons soon found their way into the set list of the band’s performances night after night – and nobody seemed to mind. The brothers had a knack for playing and performing, and enjoyed every second of it.


From that point on, Michael and Matthew have never stopped playing music together. A few years later, while in college, they continued to write songs collectively and perform more often, and would soon form and solidify the current lineup of their band, Greenstreet.

The band graduated from classic car shows to live performances in front of hundreds of people. Greenstreet soon found a niche performing for college students at many of Michigan’s colleges and universities including Michigan State University and the University of Michigan. The crowd at every school soon learned the words to Greenstreet’s songs and began to dance and sing along. Soon, people were wearing Greenstreet t-shirts and placing Greenstreet bumper stickers on their cars. Fans quickly spread the word to friends, and Greenstreet’s fan base grew in size and range. Beginning locally in Troy, their music is now heard on radio stations from the Pacific to the Atlantic Coast, and has recently reached fans overseas. Since joining forces and recognizing their common love for live performance, Greenstreet decided to tour as often as possible, headlining shows in large cities including Chicago, St. Louis, New York City, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee. In addition to headlining their own shows, Greenstreet has shared the stage with many internationally known artists such as O.A.R., Uncle Kracker, RUN DMC, John Butler Trio, Ari Hest, Phoenix, and The French Kicks.

In May of 2005, Greenstreet released their debut EP, “Let’s Talk About Some Music,” to a capacity crowd at the historic Magic Bag in Ferndale. With the help of producer Marlon Young and co-producer Al Sutton (Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow, Hank Williams, Jr.), the CD received rave reviews from many different music critics. The Detroit News featured a review titled “Why Isn’t This Band Signed,” in addition to favorable reviews by Real Detroit Weekly and The Metro Times.

In November of 2006, MTV contacted Greenstreet, requesting permission to place the band’s music in their network shows beginning in January of 2007. Greenstreet then licensed 10 songs to MTV, and two songs, “On The Weekend,” and “What Do You Want From Me,” were immediately featured in January, bringing international recognition to the Troy-based band. In addition, Greenstreet licensed their music to Volkswagen for use at the International Auto Shows in cities throughout North America.

Although Greenstreet tours extensively, the band still finds the time to perform in shows benefiting charities. They are proud to be a contributor in many philanthropic events, including a show in Mt. Clemens to benefit the survivors of Hurricane Katrina and a cancer benefit show at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor for two consecutive years.

As Greenstreet works towards becoming internationally-known, they remain loyal to their roots and will be returning to the Metro Detroit area for the next few months, performing locally throughout the spring and summer. You can catch Greenstreet live at the Auburn Hills Campus of Oakland Community College on Friday, March 16; Fifth Avenue Billiards in Royal Oak on March 23, and at The Magic Bag in Ferndale on May 26.

Michael and Matthew Vendittelli have encountered much success throughout their young career as the result of incredible talent and the drive and determination that has been instilled in them by their parents and grandparents. The continued support and encouragement from their family is the fuel that keeps the brothers running on their path to stardom. Although Greenstreet tours across the country, the Vendittelli boys value time with their family the most. Regardless of where they are, Michael and Matthew still make it home on time for Sunday dinners, wine making with their grandparents and bocce matches in the backyard.

For more information on Greenstreet, visit www.greenstreetband.com or www.myspace.com/greenstreetband
- The Italian Tribune

Little kids to big riffs

By Jessica Schrader
C & G Staff Writer
From the playground to the pitch to jam-packed venues, the soulful rock quartet Greenstreet has been kicking it together since they were wearing Oshkosh.
Matt and Mike Vendittelli, Matt Kysia and Scott Poloney attended the same elementary, middle and high schools in Troy. Though they were each a grade apart, common interests like sports and music joined the four in what is now Greenstreet – an R&B rock group that’s selling out shows and is in the process of recording a debut, full-length album due out later this year.
Last spring, the band released an EP with five songs, three of which were recently used at the Volkswagen exhibit in the 2006 Detroit International Auto Show. Greenstreet has opened for Uncle Kracker, O.A.R. and Run-DMC; has sold out the Magic Bag in Ferndale twice; and played before capacity crowds at Michigan State University.
“I feel like we’re gaining more momentum and getting better with every day,” said bass player Matt Vendittelli, 22.
Lead singer and rhythm guitarist Kysia, 25, said the band’s experiences thus far have “absolutely exceeded our expectations.”
“We all graduated high school, went on to college and kind of had that high school band as a hobby. When we went to college, music wasn’t really in mind, but it just sorta happened. ... The music kept us together,” Kysia said.
Of course, staying together was no problem for Matt Vendittelli and his brother, Mike, 25, who plays lead guitar and sings backup vocals in Greenstreet. The brothers have been playing music together for as long as they can remember, and performing now in the band together means family is always at-hand while touring.
“It’s the greatest feeling, because when you’re on the road, you can feel a bit lonely, and having your friends with you is kind of grounding. Having my brother with me, it’s a sense of reality that’s always there. I start feeling lost and then realize my brother is with me,” Mike Vendittelli said.
And for Greenstreet drummer Poloney, 23, of Washington Township – the only band member who doesn’t still live in Troy – his band mates are practically family.
“I tend to see them a lot more than anyone else,” he laughed, but that’s something he enjoys. “It doesn’t really seem like work.”
The group hopes their jazz- and Motown-influenced R&B rock will eventually keep them at “work” full time. Kysia said the band’s ultimate goal is to become a full-time touring group.
“The music we make really affects people’s lives. They can relate to it, it connects with people. If people continue to like it and embrace it, then we’re going to continue to do it,” he said.
Greenstreet is scheduled to perform at 10 p.m. April 6 at The Double Olive in Grosse Pointe; at 9:30 p.m. April 7 at Memphis Smoke in Royal Oak; and at 10 p.m. April 8 at Hatchy’s in Utica. For more information on the band or their upcoming shows, visit www.greenstreetband.com or www.myspace.com/greenstreetband.
You can reach Jessica Schrader at jschrader@candgnews.com
- C and G News

The route Greenstreet has chosen to take through the music industry is one that not many bands follow anymore. After all, it seems like you can just record some stuff on ProTools and get a major record deal without ever touching a bar room floor. Yet, these four childhood friends from Troy took a chance on the higher road instead and have played show after show just to build a solid fan following. “We have probably played at least 500 shows,” they say of their 3-year career. “We have been all over the Midwest and we don’t plan on stopping.”

The idea of playing hundreds of shows to gain fans is all well and good, but your product has to be worthwhile if you want to make it out of the bar scene. Greenstreet takes up this task with little apprehension as they offer up a fun blend of rock, soul and funk. “If someone has never seen the band … [it’s] rock and soul with a lot of rhythm and blues,” they say. “Think Jamiroquai meets The Rolling Stones.”

Reminiscent of Maroon 5 and The Cab, the band slaps funky bass lines and drums together with rocking guitars and a mild falsetto voice. Band members Mike Vendittelli, Matt Vendittelli, Matthew Kysia and Scott Poloney seem to have a knack for creating radio friendly jams like “On The Floor” and “Can’t Be Right” that will capture listeners everywhere.

Aside from the help of Young and Sutton, Greenstreet has enlisted several keyboard all-stars to fill out their sound on the new record. From George Clinton and Funkadelic’s Peter Keys to The Black Crowes’ Eddie Harsch, many piano vets have had their hands on the black and whites for the band's full-length record, set to be released in early 2008. | RDW

Greenstreet • August 31 • Chrylser Arts, Beats & Eats: Detroit News/Comcast Stage, 10 p.m.
- Eric Allen,Real Detroit Weekly

Maybe the biggest understatement in the world is that it's tough being in an unsigned band.
"You're trying to fulfill three roles at the same time,” said Greenstreet guitarist Mike Vendittelli. "You're trying to be a songwriter and play in a band, at the same time trying to be a marketing genius and a promotional genius.”
Hailing from Troy, four-piece up-and-coming act Greenstreet will color the stage at Union St. Station in Traverse City on Friday and Saturday, March 30 and 31.
They are touring the Midwest, promoting their EP, "Let's Talk About Some Music.” It features the piano work of Peter Keys of George Clinton and P-Funk fame, bringing an element of groove soul to the release. It also underscores the band's eclectic influences — a listed range from Led Zeppelin to Motown (with some Michael Jackson thrown in for spice). It's a blend of rock, blues and R&B.
"I would classify us as pop rock, but we're heavily soul influenced, blues influenced, funk, somewhat,” Vendittelli said. "Our fans kind of classify us as a mix between The Black Crows and Maroon 5.”
They have opened for many nationally touring artists including O.A.R., John Butler Trio, RUN DMC and Uncle Kracker. They have also been nominated for two Detroit Music Awards, for "Outstanding Pop Artist Group” and "Outstanding Rock/Pop Songwriter.” The awards ceremony takes place April 20 at the State Theater in Detroit.
Greenstreet also exemplifies the power of the Internet in promoting an unsigned band. They recently licensed 10 songs to MTV as themes to be used in shows like "The Real World” and "NEXT.” Volkswagen also licensed those songs to play at auto shows. The national exposure is starting to open some doors. Where did the TV producers stumble across the band? MySpace, of course.
"For bands nowadays, it's probably the first and foremost important resource that we have,” Vendittelli said. "We're pretty much trying to be anywhere and everywhere we can as far as the Internet goes, because it does help so much.”
The group also features music on garageband.com, detroitcity.com and iTunes.
A stop in St. Louis at an Internet radio station spotlight also yielded fans from afar.
"We've gotten hits from all over the world saying "Come back and do that again,” Vendittelli said. "We've gotten a lot of fans from that kind of stuff.”
They have focused on the college scene, playing at bars in university towns and getting their songs on college radio stations.
"We get a really good reaction,” Vendittelli said, "starting to pick up a lot of fans from that kind of stuff.”
The band is in the process of writing and recording a new record. Fans can expect the album at the end of this year or early 2008, after the tour.
"I think we'd ultimately like to take two or three songs from the EP and merge them with the other material we have waiting in the wings, so to speak,” he said.
The name Greenstreet evolved from previous projects. They took the name "green” because "it had a decent ring,” Venditteli said. "We tagged 'street' on the end because it's a new thing we're going toward and it signified the journey that lie ahead.”
- Traverse City Record Eagle - Garret Ellison

Greenstreet is Matt Kysia, Vo-cals; Scott Poloney, Drums; Matt Vendittelli, Bass; Mike Ven-dittelli, Guitar. All are from Troy, MI.

The history: “We all go back to attending the same elementary school together, but never started to play music together (with the exception of Matt & Mike, who are brothers) until college. After a few lineup changes, the four of us really started to solidify our sound in the Fall of 2003, and we've been touring and playing shows on a consistent basis since then, and are just now really starting to tap into the local scene, headlining shows at the Magic Bag, Fifth Avenue Royal Oak, etc. (We have) been fortunate to share the stage with many well-known national artists such as O.A.R. (3 shows in MI - Grand Rapids, Detroit, and East Lansing), Blue Merle, Ari Hest, John Butler Trio, Phoenix, The French Kicks, Shannon Curfman, RUN DMC, and Uncle Kracker.”

What's up with the name: The 'Green' was derived from some of our former projects; and 'street' to emphasize the journey that lies ahead. And they're put together as one word.

The style: Most refer to us as Maroon 5 meets the Black Crowes, with a little bit of the soul that Motown was once known for. But go ahead and throw some Lenny Kravitz and Jamiroquai in there, too. As far as influences, this list is really endless, as we draw inspiration from nearly everything. Primary influences though, are Stevie Ray Vaughan, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, and Dave Weckl. We'd like to think that if all these people were somehow in the same band, that band would sound very much like us.

Got anything recorded? Greenstreet released a 5-song EP, "Let's Talk About Some Music" in May of 2005. Since then, the band has sold out of the CDs, and has been suc-cessful in the digital world on itunes and other music downloading sites. The CD is available through CD Baby (www.cdbaby.com/greenstreet) and on the Greenstreet website. Recently the band went back in the studio to record 5 more songs that will be added to a debut full-length LP that is due out in 2007.

Tell us your future? All of us have day jobs right now, but our goal is to make music our life - eat, sleep, and breathe music. We've been hit-ting the road pretty hard and are coming back to Detroit for the summer to write and perform in our hometown and across the state.



In November of 2006, Green-street licensed 10 songs to MTV for use on the network shows, and 2 songs (On The Weekend and What Do You Want From Me) were immediately placed on NEXT in the first month of the new season! In addition, Green-street has licensed a song (Can't Be Right) to Volkswagen for use at the VW exhibit at In-ternational Auto Shows throughout North America. The response to MTV has been in-credible - people are turning on their tvs and immediately con-tacting us in some way to let us know that they just heard us on tv!
- Go and Do Michigan

Influenced by Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, BB King, and Dave Weckl, Greenstreet produces a sound that blends rock, blues and the R&B sound that Motown was once known for and has been compared to a combination of the Black Crowes and Maroon 5.

In March of 2005, Greenstreet put the finishing touches on their new EP, Let's Talk About Some Music, which was recorded in Royal Oak, Michigan under the direction of Producer Marlon Young and Engineer Al Sutton (Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow). In addition to the expertise of Young and Sutton, legendary Detroit pianist Peter Keys (George Clinton, Parliament Funkadelic) also appears on the EP, accentuating the groove and allowing the true soul of Greenstreet to be heard on the record. Greenstreet has performed from coast-to-coast and shared the stage with many national acts,including O.A.R., Virginia Coalition, Ari Hest, Run DMC and Uncle Kracker. The group, which prides themselves on their loyal grassroots following, has been focusing their efforts primarily on the college market in and around the Midwest, and has received heavy airplay on college radio stations across the country, as well as the internet.

JOE BELLANCA • (586) 212-6506 • greenstreetband.com • Listen to Song
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