It was the harmonies of John Lennon and Paul McCartney that made Vince Vaccaro fall in love.
“I just remember hearing Day Tripper by the Beatles for the first time and just falling in love with rock ‘n’ roll and that whole sound,” Vaccaro recalled. “That was the beginning for me.”
Since then the Vaccaro’s love for music has taken him to the golden beaches of Australia and across Canada.
On Thursday (Sept. 18) Vaccaro will be performing at the Queen’s.
“I am just going to come and do the best that I can do and connect with people and play the songs from the heart,” Vaccaro said about his upcoming show in the Nanaimo. “That’s what I always try to do.”
Vaccaro was born in Montreal, but has spent the majority of his life living in British Columbia. He began playing the guitar when he was eight years old and has never looked back.
“I’ve been playing music since I was high school, or even younger than that,” Vaccaro said.
Since becoming a regular touring musician a number of years ago, he has shared the stage with a respectable list of bands, which include Mumford and Sons, Weezer, City and Colour, the Sheepdogs, Bedouin Soundclash, Matthew Good, and Jets Overhead.
Vaccaro originally began as a rock singer, but has become more of an acoustic singer-songwriter.
“When I started out, I think I was more kind of into that traditional electric guitar, bass and drums and vocals kind of rock band thing. I’ve gone from there back into singer-songwriter style,” he said.
Vaccaro has also played to crowds in Australia, where he has spent many months living as a musician.
“I would play on the streets. I would talk to people. I would play in hostels and cafés. I would just do whatever I could to get my name out there,” Vaccaro said. “It was a really grassroots approach to starting out.”
It was during his time in Australia that he created Byron Songs, a 12-track record inspired heavily by his experiences in Byron Bay, Australia.
“I just soak in the good vibes of Australia and try to synthesize those feelings into music,” Vaccaro said about the record.
Vaccaro explains that when it comes to writing lyrics, he is very connected with nature and whats going on around him.
“I draw from the environment a lot. Especially the West Coast,” Vaccaro said. “I am not a fluffy writer. I like to go deep and introspective in my lyrics. I like to tell stories. It is somewhere in between telling stories and connecting with everything around me.”
Vaccaro has completed one EP and is working on another, although he isn’t sure when either record will be released.
Vince Vaccaro performs at the Queen’s on Thursday (Sept. 18) at 8 p.m.
For more information, please visit www.vincevaccaro.com or www.vincevaccaro.bandcamp.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at @VinceVaccaro.
arts@nanaimobulletin.comTwitter: @npescod