VICTOR
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VICTOR

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"VICTOR winning fans throughout Brevard"

Amidst an industry awash with cookie-cutter music, an up-and-coming band is gaining a local following with its distinctive sound. Victor's music can be described as a hybrid of straight-up punk rock with a metal twist. What does that translate to for the average listener? Lots of hard, fast drumming, timing changes, guitar solos and vocals you can sing along to. It's the type of music that could go along with a favorite surf or skate video. "Victor is a great local, upcoming band. Their music is fresh and a bit on the edge," said Metro Entertainment Complex owner Wendy Hale in an e-mail. Mrs. Hale has booked the band at her club several times. The band was founded by vocalist Andy Bilak and bassist Noble Dean, who met while working at Harris Corp. "Andy was talking with (our old drummer) about getting together and playing, and I stuck my head up and said, 'Do you need a bassist," said Mr. Dean. After a few lineup changes, Mr. Dean and Mr. Bilak hooked up with fellow Harris employee Andy Vassar and drummer Charles Holloway. Between them, the group has more than 30 years of musical experience. Mr. Bilak was in several punk bands in New Jersey before moving to Brevard County in 2003. Mr. Vassar, who's been in Melbourne for about two years, was in the band Misconception, a well-known rock/metal band in the Chicago area. The band members, each in their 30s, attribute Victor's sound to their diverse musical tastes "I didn't get into punk too much before I got into (Victor)," Mr. Vassar said. "We have completely different influences," said Mr. Bilak. "Noble's really into Tool and Andy comes from an alternative and modern rock background." Though the band's influences are varied, Mr. Noble said the musicians just gelled. "The blend of our different influences ended up (creating Victor). None of us were beating our fist on a table saying 'We have to sound like this!'" Mr. Noble said. "We were open to explore where it went." "Our biggest goal is to make everything sound the best that it can," Mr. Bilak said. Both Mr. Bilak and Mr. Dean said that the addition of Andy Vassar and drummer Charles Holloway helped solidify the group. "Andy's (Vassar) playing style compliments Andy's (Bilak) style," said Mr. Noble. Though the band has only been performing live since early 2005, Mr. Bilak said the feedback from audiences has been encouraging. "People tell us they like the timing of our songs," he said. "How every song doesn't sound the same." Metro owner Mrs. Hale said that Victor is attracting the attention of out-of-town bands who come through the area. "We have had them play for tour bands who come through and their comments are 'When are you coming to our hometown?" she said. Victor is currently recording its nine-song debut CD "The New Alcohol Smell," which the band hopes to release in December. Victor will perform an all-ages show with with Ten 13 Concept and Oh Romeo Saturday, Nov. 10 at the Melbourne Jaycees, 2401 Post Road. Show starts at 5:30 p.m. To sample music or view upcoming performances throughout Brevard County, visit www.myspace.com/listentovictor. - Hometown News - Lisa M. Onorato


"SCENE: VICTOR"

It turns out that work and play can, sometimes find a happy medium. At least that’s been the case for Melbourne based- hard-rock and impulsively punk band, Victor. In 2005 the group’s founders met while working at a local Melbourne corporation. Fast-forward two years, the band has played countless shows, a decent fan-base, amassed some 2500 myspace friends, and now, a debut CD. Kicking off what the group hopes will be a victorious year, on Friday January 11, hard-rock band, Victor will unleash its debut album, “The New Alcohol Smell,” with a performance at The Metro in West Melbourne. (If you can’t make that show, catch the band on Saturday, January 26 at the Sports Page in Satellite Beach.) Compared to the band’s far rougher older myspace (http://www. myspace.com/listentovictor) material, a sampling of the band’s new material is both extraordinary and extraordinarily more pungent. Comprised of Andrew Bilak (vocals and guitar), Noble Dean (bass), Andrew Vassar (guitar) and Charles Holloway (drums), Victor challenges rigid hard-rock/punk/ metal sensibilities, churning genre energies into a vat of non-stop melodic intensity. At times this hard-rock band’s music is surprisingly conducive to singing along with. Brevard Live recently got together with band founder and front-man, Andrew Bilak, to get the goods on the new disk and what to expect from the show.
Brevard Live: You just finished recording a nine-song disk, “The New Alcohol Smell.” For those who haven’t heard you, what can they expect on this disk?
Andrew Bilak: Listeners can expect a lot of diversity, with respect to genre. We feel that there is an “in your face” element to each of the songs, but the melodic choruses and harmonies set us apart from most other “heavy” bands. This CD, as a whole, is a singular production with each song carrying over to the next. Our goal in recording this CD was to create an album that people could listen to the entire thing and not get bored. People can expect a unique blend of metal, punk, hardcore, and rock music. We hope this is a disc that people are going to keep in their CD player for quite a while.
As you went through the recording process were there any surprises as to how the songs turned out?
AB: Yes! And fortunately they were all good. During the mixing and mastering of the recording, we were pleasantly surprised with how the drums turned out. Sometimes certain aspects of the drum kit can be difficult to capture and accurately reproduce on the final copy. On our disc, the snare and kick don’t get lost in the mix, which is an element we feel hurts a lot of recordings. The vocals also presented their own unique challenges as many hours were spent getting the right take and making sure everything would sit well when it all came together. Ultimately, the guitar and bass tone combined for a nice heavy and clear sound, which we were totally going for. So you have this CD-debut show coming up, January 11. What can people expect from a Victor live show?
AB: People can expect energy from VICTOR. We put our heart and soul into our music, and it comes out during a live performance. We like to play loud and wake up the crowd. We have a great time playing live shows, since everyone in the band is really into music in general. People can also expect to hear songs with catchy hooks that they will be singing in the car on the way home. We have free stickers, as well as t-shirts and CDs for sale at every event. Basically, if you want to go see a boring band, don’t come out to a VICTOR show. - Brevard Live Magazine - Jeff Nall


Discography

LP - "The New Alcohol Smell", released Jan 11th, 2008.

Photos

Bio

Official Website: victortheband.com
Official MySpace: myspace.com/listentovictor

It all started when Andy Bilak moved down to Florida from NJ in late 2003. Up in NJ, he was in several successful punk/metal/hardcore acts, including the popular NJ band Deepsix. After he got used to the new local environment, he was on a mission to assemble another successful band. Not being a local, it was hard to find the "right people" to talk to, and connect with. Soon he ran into Noble Dean, who also recently relocated to FL. Both guys had the same vision of creating a melodic heavy rock/metal band, that wasn't afraid to play hard, and also produce songs with hooks that people could sing along to. The two guys set out on a mission to find a drummer. While writing new material, the band used a local drummer, that eventually could not continue with the band. After countless local auditions, Charles Holloway (from Rockledge, FL) walked through the door. Within minutes, the two guys knew they had found the right drummer. Soon after, the band decided to add an additional guitar player and another search was started. At this point, the band was still writing material, and had only played a few local shows. Within a few weeks, the band was getting tired with poor local auditons. Soon after, Andy Vassar (who had also recently relocated to FL) came out to audition for the spot. That night, the band knew they had the final "knockout" lineup. The band played countless shows all over FL, and finally released their debut 9 song CD titled "The New Alcohol Smell" on Jan 11th, 2008. While recording the album, Andy Vassar (the new guitar player) was offered a position in NC he just couldn't turn down. The band decided they would start looking for a replacement before he left. Josh Curchy, a die-hard VICTOR fan, stepped up and ended up being the perfect man for the job. Immediately he brought new ideas and input into the band. The band has played many shows with the new line-up and has been touring constantly to support the new album. They are also in the process of writing new material for a late 2008 LP release.

It's best to listen to the music of VICTOR for yourself, but it is best described as a melodic blend of rock/metal/hardcore and punk. The new material the band is working on is more on the "radio-friendly" line, but still contains many heavy rocking elements. This band definitely knows how to blend the best of both worlds into something that everyone can enjoy.

Band member influences vary greatly. Andy and Josh listen to the newer metalcore/rock type stuff that is really popular right now. Noble is a huge tool fan and enjoys progressive metal and rock, while Charles listens to anything from Third Eye Bling to As I Lay Dying. All of these unique tastes definitely influence the music of VICTOR.

There are definitely a few things that set VICTOR apart from many other bands. One thing that comes to mind is, HEART. VICTOR puts 100% into every song, every performance, and everything they are a part of. Their music is pure and comes from the inside. The band also focuses on writing material that spans many different genre's, therefore attracting many different types of listeners. They feel that one element of the music, or a performance, shouldn't stand out. The whole performance, or song, should. You can really feel the energy at a live VICTOR show. This is where the band shines, and the audience really gets to feel their message.