The Vinyl

Having it all, being in love, signed with Columbia Records, touring the world, and then losing it in a blink of an eye is something David Lareau, lead singer/songwriter of The Vinyl, calls “home.“ You see this is a story told numerous times, a story of bands getting lost in big money at the big label and ending up with empty hearts and empty pockets. What’s different about this story is the brashness and heartfelt angst this singer/songwriter has developed from all of this. Not only did he get up and brush himself off, he also twisted it all into a masterpiece.

The Vinyl came together in late 2002 following the breakup of lead singer David Lareau’s former band Mile. After playing lead guitar for the Columbia signed band and touring extensively with bands such as 3 Doors Down, Nickelback, and Creed, the band came home and essentially retired. Following the collapse of Mile, there wasn’t much to turn to or many who could possibly understand… not even the ones closest to him. “I was stuck in the middle of nothingness really. I had the drink and the ability to write a decent song... that was it, so I did what anybody else would do.... I dove heavily in to both.” Lareau picked up the glass and the guitar every night and began piecing together what he likes to call “little ditties.” Over the course of the year, Lareau would have penned closed to 200. While balancing writing and his regular attendance in local bars, Lareau reached into an extensive network of friends to create the band The Vinyl. Before having the band, he describes this period of time cleverly as “being caught in a lion’s cage and not realizing you are the lion.”

After a few hits and misses, The Vinyl finally took shape with Kelly Chavers on Bass, Tom Wilson on Lead Guitar, and Paul Malesweski on Drums. All three musicians were hovering in and around Tallahassee, FL. which is a unique town draped in a rich music scene. Each member trying to find a project they felt worth devoting their time to, they were able to find each other. “It’s like we are an amazingly, function-able hand with four fingers” says Lareau, “it’s hard enough finding people that can play, but then having them turn out to be great people with great ideas is just insane."

After intensive Southeast touring & writing from 2003-2005, the band packed up their songs and ventured to Nashville, TN to record their first full-length album, “Addition.” Producer Stan Turner and engineers/mixers Ben Strano & Charlie Brocco signed on to the project and it’s here where The Vinyl put together an album nothing short of a classic. With tracks such as Useless and Please Surrender, The Vinyl pulls you through the feeling of being lost and then found and then lost again. The music tricks you into feeling like it is a cold outside, while the lyrics intellectually makes you feel like you are wrapped in a warm blanket. A recent article written about The Vinyl had this to say about them: “The Vinyl are blessed with an incredible gift for melody, coupled with a no-punches-pulled lyrical arsenal." Not only true, but also something The Vinyl isn’t worried with. "I write what I write, these songs are meant for those who want to listen and for those who happen to stumble across it. “ Lareau says, “I don't care if critics give me an A+ or an F-. Christ, the whole point over the album title Addition has to do with a) losing yourself b) finding yourself and the ability to move on and make things better and c) my hatred toward my math test scores in high school as my papers were littered with that god forsaken red ink..." Red ink is something in the past for The Vinyl.

The Vinyl's album, Addition, is chucked full of huge anthem-like tunes while also inviting fragile delicate sing-a longs to its side such as Honestly and The Actor. Blending atmospheric sounds, swirling guitars, and melodic hooks, The Vinyl has created a distinctive and rare blend between Brit-Pop and Americana. The Vinyl are on their way to a place not well known for artist’s whom hold such an importance to a song. In a world where bands are a flash in the pan and where one hit wonders seem to come and go The Vinyl put the legend and meaning back into songwriting. They are the band that young kids sitting on their bed, with a guitar, long to be. The Vinyl were once the kids, with their guitars, becoming what they are now. Having a band around like this isn’t just important, it’s necessary.

Album release is set for August 29th, 2006