Randy Vera

"Randy Vera. Sounds Like: Tom Waits, Gil Scott-Héron, Warren Zevon:
When you listen to a lot of music for your entire life then one day decide to write about that music as a critic, everything changes, you become by default...more critical. As such that increases over the years and it thereby becomes more difficult to find anything that actually gets your attention in such a way that you are genuinely intrigued and pleased enough to want more. This is how I felt when I first heard the music of Randy Vera. One of the things I do is make my assessment and ask myself, who does he remind you of? Then I go to the artist page and look at the "sounds like" references to see if I was spot on or not. The first artist that came to mind was Tom Waits, bingo! He is the first one mentioned. I then thought of Randy Newman and Leonard Cohen. Those two are not mentioned however I felt there was a little bit of each artist in Vera's sound and Warren Zevon? Yes, particularly with the lyrics and the way he delivers them. I am not fimilar at with Gil Scott-Heron's work but it proabably is a reflection of him as well. All comparisons aside, this gent has his act together and is one of the more unique and engaging singer/songwriters I have heard in quite some time.

I have no idea what Flash Folk is nor have I ever heard of such a genre or sub genre but I do know that this is an amazing concoction of folk, jazz, alternative and whatever else you could dream up for explaining a cleary undefinable and unique sound. Its all very hard to put your finger on and put in a nice little box but that is what makes it so much fun. If you are looking for good sounds and thought provoking lyrics, listen to Randy Vera now!"

- Muzik Reviews Indie Spotlight

“My Mom worked at St Elizabeth’s ER, overnight, when we were kids,” the handsome Musician, Randy Vera tells us. “She would be back just in time to help me get to school. I had my share of trouble. Mom stuck by me.
She never complained, even through her cancer treatment – it was “aren’t we lucky to live in Boston with the best hospitals in the world” – “why me” never crossed her mind. This Mother’s day, I made a video of her grand kids impersonating her. “Randall, your hair looks like a derelict! When you get a real job you will need short hair. Etc Etc” she is the rock of my life.”

- Hollywood East Connection

Holy crap. It’s the second coming of Eno & Byrne with Tom Verlaine riding shotgun. Boston-based Randy Vera’s hallucinogenic ‘CFA’ is the latest add to the Big Med Playlist for The Big One and this tune will most assuredly carry you through any parts of your next shift that threaten occasional bouts of weirdness. Extremely well-produced and creatively chaotic, ‘CFA’ is a wild romp. Turn it up & enjoy the ride.

- Posted by Hal Newman on Apr 8, 2012 in Music, Playlist for the Big One

Randy Vera:
This was close to being the feature because I absolutely LOVE the idea behind the writing of the songs. Vera is a family man with a master’s in comparative literature who claims his three daughters are his life and that hits home to me as well. His poetry-into-songs style of writing means that the accompanying instrumentation has specific reasoning like the creeping bass line that represents the art thief on “Here Made of Gone,” which is the title track on the album produced by AIAA platinum certified producer Anthony J. Resta (Elton John, The Twilight Films Soundtracks, Shawn Mullins, Duran Duran, and more). The song is about The Gardner Hiest in Boston. The Heist is being made into a Matt Damon/Mark Whalberg Film. This is feature worthy, but just wasn’t the choice I ultimately made. Do yourself a favor and check out: http://www.reverbnation.com/randyvera

- Target Audience Magazine on April 2, 2012 (Atlanta GA)

PAGE 21,22,23 - Solely Independent
- MCL Talks In Depth With Randy Vera

- VANDALA CANADA, MARCH 2012

Randy Vera sings and jokes his way to a master's in philosophy
By Sean Smith
Staff Writer
There are far easier ways to put yourself through graduate school than the one Randy Vera chose. In the course of his duties, he's sustained a cut on his head from a ceiling fan, had his wrist stuck in a lighting fixture, and taken a spill off the hood of his car.
Vera's job as a night club performer ordinarily might not entail such dangers, but Vera is not an ordinary night club performer. He combines music and comedy with such zeal that a stage literally cannot contain him - he'll often dance out onto the sidewalk, stand on a table, even hitch a ride with a mounted policeman, singing and strumming guitar all the while. His act has proven popular enough to have landed him several weekly gigs in Boston, an impressive achievement in a highly competitive entertainment marketplace. He has also made spot appearances at the Hard Rock Cafe in Manhattan. .......

- Chronicle

RANDY VERA Our second guest tonight hails from Brighton, Massachusetts, a multi-talented actor and musician who was described as:
“A consummate professional, Randy gets the party going with a great voice, great musical chops and a genuinely fun personality to boot." The Boston Herald
and we heartily agree ! Randy can simply play and sing anything from the Stones to the Police to Hendrix with his undoubted singing and guitar playing abilities complemented by a highly charismatic on-stage persona which never fails to delight and entertain. His own material, though, is where Randy really shines. "Its Who I Am", "I Win" and "Bigger Better Deal" bear comparison with the likes of Ryan Adams and even Gil Scott-Heron in places, and his album simply entitled "Randy Vera" is well worth a listen.
Set List - Its Who I Am, Open Door To Your Heart, I Win, The Bug Replies, Bigger Better Deal, Various covers - The Icarus Club, London UK

Randy Vera sings and jokes his way to a master's in philosophy
By Sean Smith
Staff Writer
There are far easier ways to put yourself through graduate school than the one Randy Vera chose. In the course of his duties, he's sustained a cut on his head from a ceiling fan, had his wrist stuck in a lighting fixture, and taken a spill off the hood of his car.
Vera's job as a night club performer ordinarily might not entail such dangers, but Vera is not an ordinary night club performer. He combines music and comedy with such zeal that a stage literally cannot contain him - he'll often dance out onto the sidewalk, stand on a table, even hitch a ride with a mounted policeman, singing and strumming guitar all the while. His act has proven popular enough to have landed him several weekly gigs in Boston, an impressive achievement in a highly competitive entertainment marketplace. He has also made spot appearances at the Hard Rock Cafe in Manhattan.

Vera, who earned his bachelor's degree at BC in 1993, has his hands full completing a rigorous master's degree program in philosophy while performing to well past midnight nearly half the week - and with a nascent family life and his professional future to contemplate - but he is not about to sing the blues.

Randy Vera outside the Purple Shamrock, one of several Boston clubs where he performs regularly. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)


"It's a big time commitment, when you factor in the hours to rehearse and prepare, as well as perform," said Vera at Sweetwater Cafe in Boston as he prepared for an evening gig. "It means quite a few late nights and some tired days. But having the chance to do music and improv, to just come out, be yourself, have fun - and, hopefully, to help other people have fun - you can't ask for a better life."

Musical expression and comedy seemed to come naturally for Vera, who took up guitar at age 8, aided by a gregarious temperament that is as evident in conversation as it is on stage. Having performed mainly for fun while growing up, towards the end of his undergraduate years at Boston College he turned to it as a way of supporting himself.

"I figured, 'What else do I do well? I mean, there are unemployed philosophers all over the place,'" said the Brighton native. "I just felt that I could present something different. If people just want to listen to music, I can play what they would like to hear. But why not do something a little outrageous, to make them laugh and have a good time?"

"Randy's like an emcee for the evening hours," said Eric Aulenback, general manager at the Sweetwater Cafe. "He can certainly attract attention, but he won't overwhelm the place like a loud live band might. When he's around, people can sing along, they can dance, they can laugh, they can just relax and enjoy themselves - whatever the situation calls for."

Vera's success stems partly from his use of cordless vocal and guitar microphones, which allow him to move around freely as he performs. But from there, he must rely on creativity and instinct to liven up the atmosphere. In one of his more memorable feats, Vera encountered a mounted policeman outside the club where he was working and talked the officer into letting him ride along on the horse - singing the theme song from the "Rawhide" TV show as he did.

Above all, Vera strives to be versatile. Some nights he can be a one-man show, but other nights he is happy to bring along his college buddy Mike McAuliffe '93 as accompanist - "We'll just come up with fun things like a medley of bad '80s music," Vera explained. There are also those times when the audience is clearly uninterested in hearing comedy, so Vera trots out his repertoire of popular songs and his own compositions to provide entertainment.

Although Vera doesn't often utilize his scholarly background in his club work - "The post-structuralism one-liners and Martin Heidegger and Bernard Lonergan jokes just don't go over well, for some reason," he quipped - he finds the perspectives formed from each complement one another.

"Listening to the discussions around you at the club, it seems there is not much concern for anything outside of the pursuit of what appears to be important, like material things," Vera said. "But then you get up the next day and go to a lecture on Lonergan or Plato and you rediscover the appreciation for the examined life. I guess you could say I try to bring that viewpoint with me when I perform."

Vera's outlook on life has changed considerably of late with the birth of his daughter, Caroline, this spring. Her arrival prompted Vera to shelve some of his music-related projects, at least for a while, and he realizes that more tough choices lie ahead after he receives his degree later this academic year and considers pursuing a doctorate. But he appears more buoyed than intimidated by parenthood.

"Caroline is the greatest part of my life," Vera said. "Who knows, maybe I'll wind up playing kids' mus - Chronicle