Vacation Music Club

When veteran producer, songwriter and bassist David Filice told one of his musician pals about the first writing session he had arranged with singer/songwriter Matt Hartke, the friend asked the pointed question, “How can you schedule creativity? Isn’t it supposed to be organic?”

Filice thought he had a point – until he met Hartke for the first time, the two hit it off, enjoyed an immediate rapport and quickly became friends and collaborators. Though their initial get-together was arranged by a mutual industry friend who had worked with Hartke, the flow they created made it seem like they’d been sharing transcendent musical vibes all their lives. The New York (Hartke)-L.A. (Filice) distance and their insanely busy recording/touring schedules made the long term writing and recording process a challenge – but the payoff is sweet and soul-transporting. Filice and Hartke, along with some of their longtime friends and first call session players, invite everyone to join the Vacation Music Club, the name of their fresh new indie island pop acoustic ensemble and infectious debut EP.

“We both have busy careers under our own names,” Filice says. “So we were kicking  around different band name ideas for a while that would reflect the fact that this is sort of a veiled project, not about Matt and David but something fresh and unique that can only happen when two musicians and songwriters connect so well. When the name ‘Vacation Music Club’ came up, we thought it was perfect, because this we’ve created lighthearted, beachy music that you’ll want to listen to when you’re on vacation, enjoying a cocktail on the beach, or driving down the road to get there. That’s the energy and vibe that naturally flowed when we started writing together.”  

Once Filice and Hartke decided to turn their original gathering of demos into a full-fledged recording, they knew the key to creating a great production was combining a contemporary recording approach with the kind of live instrument recordings that were standard in the golden era of pop/rock music. While Hartke sings lead vocals and Filice plays the rollicking basslines and serves as engineer and producer, the two flesh out their sound with the help of drummer Randy Cooke (Mick Jagger, Colbie Caillat, Kelly Clarkson), guitarist Steve Fekete (Gwen Stefani, Avril Lavigne), keyboardist Michael Klooster (Smashmouth) and percussionist Demian Arriaga (Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande).

The trip with Vacation Music Club begins with the lilting, dreamy love song “Hear Me Out Evelyn” and takes a colorful spiritual/philosophical turn on “I Believe,” a tune balancing hope and doubt on a bed of playful, organ-infused pop, blues and rollicking reggae. The other tunes are lighter thematically, including the hopeful, breezy and bluesy, Jack Johnson-esque “Magic,” the jangly and sensually soulful “Morning Serenade” and a lightly funky, mid-tempo plea to join with a lover to stave off another “Heartbreak Melody.” Perfectly capturing the musical and cultural aesthetic of Vacation Music Club is the final song, “Beautiful Day,” which leans into tropical country territory with steel guitar and mandolin as it urges the listener to sing along and feel the joy as Hartke sings of “dreaming of being around the fire with you.”

Filice and Hartke pack a lot of rich individual musical history into the luggage they carry to their Vacation Music Club. Filice is currently touring with The Party Crashers (America’s Premier Corporate event band) and Darryl McDaniels (aka DMC of legendary rap trio Run-D.M.C.). Over the years, he has toured and/or performed with Bono and The Edge (on “American Idol”), David Archuleta, The Rembrandts, Richie Kotzen, Jordan Knight, The Motels, Bret Michaels, Cassadee Pope and Macy Gray. His film and TV credits include shows on A&E, Bravo, Discovery, MTV, VH1 and Cinemax.

In addition to being an independent recording artist, Hartke is a multi-platinum selling Billboard Top 40 songwriter who has collaborated with Avicii, Adam Lambert, Cash Cash, The Chainsmokers, Matisyahu and Tiesto. He has also worked with producer Mikal Blue, whose resume of pop greats include Jason Mraz, Colbie Caillat and OneRepublic. As an unsigned artist, Hartke has achieved the incredible feat of having his song “Gold” score over 7.4 million individual streams on Spotify as it climbs the service’s charts. His last two singles have also been spun heavily on SiriusXM’s The Coffeehouse. Throughout his diverse career, Hartke has been praised by everyone from Bob Gulla of Rolling Stone (who called him “The Pick of Destiny”), Motif Magazine (“Pitch-perfect unaffected splendor!”) and Brightcover, who praised him for “a sound as good as the best in the business.”