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Vinnie Guidera & the Dead Birds

  • Genre
  • Indie
  • Awards and Nominations
    • SAMMIES 2020 Nominee★ Indie ★
    • SAMMIES 2019 Nominee★ Indie ★
  • Musicians
    • Ian McDonald — drums
    • Kevin Hayes — bass
    • Vinnie Guidera — guitar, vocals
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Q & A

Can you describe a moment in your musical career, where you felt like you truly reached somebody or made a difference?

01.24.20

We’ve played two shows where somebody has drawn us while we were playing. Having your art inspire other art feels pretty good.

If your band was a movie, what movie would it be?

01.24.20

We got to flesh out a visual piece for one of our songs this year when we made our first music video. I’m a huge David Lynch fan. I like intangible horror. The song is about dissociative depression, and I drew a lot of visual inspiration from Lost Highway. The whole video is shot on tape, there are TVs surrounding us and the only time you see my face, it looks wrong. Jake Kilgore directed it and it turned out great.

What message do you hope to give with your music?

01.24.20

I don’t think we get to control what anyone takes away from it. Just what we put into it. Lyrically, I’m just reflecting and processing. Musically, we’re emoting that reflection. It’s a selfish process and nobody will/should try to follow what’s in my head, but hopefully it’ll be a kind of catalyst for someone listening to reflect on whatever they need to that’s personal to them.

What's the worst part of this experience?

01.24.20

I wouldn’t make music if it wasn’t mostly positive, but it’s a really expensive hobby. I broke a string at practice the other day and thought, “Wow, playing this song has cost me $15.”

What's your favorite local artist/group?

01.24.20

Mondo Deco, Chrome Ghost, any project Noah Nelson is involved with, Ghost Mesa, ATM Machine, Oh Lonesome Ana, and many more. Some of the best songs I’ve ever heard have come from my friends.

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