SPARK
SI-020, from issue 4, 2022.
One Must Stay Humble
Dante Vessio is the frontman of the New York City based rock band: Holy Vulture. He believes in the power of music to change lives forever and for the better.
DV Prince. The Beatles. D’Angelo. Michael Jackson. Red Hot Chili Peppers. Alice In Chains. Did I say enough? But all music has elements of jazz and rock-n-roll. They are all intertwined. Led Zeppelin used to play jazz festivals, while Miles Davis used to jam in rock festivals. That’s what I want to be able to do. If there is ever a Woodstock 70th anniversary, I would love to play that because it brings such a varied audience. If they do it right, though. I believe there was a Woodstock anniversary in ‘94, but they say it didn’t go as peacefully as the first one. But I will play at any festival, big or small.
UDÖ What’s your favorite gig so far?
DV Back in 2019, we played together with an artist named Matt Butler, one of my biggest mentors, and he helped to workshop my songs. We met at Rockwood Music Hall 2019 on New Year’s Eve. He was playing after us, and he came to me and said: “Hey man, love your music, stick around if you like.” I ended up listening to his gig, and an instant bond was formed there. We kept in touch afterward, and he brought my sister and me for his tour in Atlantic Music Hall. That was just amazing. There is nothing in the world that inspires others more than music. Whales sing to each other from miles away to meet up. It’s a natural way of communicating that is ingrained in all mammals. When I am writing my music, my mind shuts off, and I reach a spiritual state and bring back phrases to my music. My lyrics come from another place.
UDÖ Was there someone who reached out to you being inspired by your lyrics?
DV Of course. There is Don Carlos, who moved from Peru six months ago. He saw us, and he started coming to every one of our shows. Sixty or seventy shows… We have this one song called “Plastic Cigarettes,” which is about fake people. He told me that he listens to it before work, and it keeps him going. I see him as a brother now. Fans like Don Carlos give me the purpose to keep going.
UDÖ Is there anything you learned through your music?
DV Most importantly, being humble. When a band with a very small following goes on stage, and you can see that they have been practicing five hours every day for years, it really disciplines you. There were points when I was too full of myself, and going to other bands’ shows kept me humble.
UDÖ How did you learn how to be humble?
DV Not directly, but through my father. Many times, he made people around him sad and anxious because he was such a perfectionist. He believed we would become number 1. We can be whatever we want to be. In music, we are not there yet. We are at 0.1%, and we gotta be aware of that to stay humble. We will never be at 100% because that doesn’t exist.
UDÖ What was your last mistake?
DV Mistakes are made; we don’t learn from them, and then we do it again. My sister left the band for health reasons, and I wish I had helped her better when I should. So that’s my last real sin. But, you know, pass some forgiveness, and you will be forgiven.
UDÖ Where is she now?
DV In Maryland, taking a musical hiatus. She will be back with us soon. There are many things we still carry from our dad. Sometimes, it can be hard to understand that he is not around anymore, forcing us to do things. We forget that it’s now just brother and sister. We gotta remember that family comes first. When music comes first, we will start to not get along. Every time we fight, we soften up by remembering family comes first. Our father had this perfect idea that we were going to be rockstars. He pushed us really hard.
UDÖ Do you think your father is proud of you right now?
DV No. I don’t think he ever will. My parents divorced when I was sixteen, and he is not around anymore. He was a great guy but was hindered by mental illness. As a young boy growing up, it’s hard to realize that your father gave in to selfishness.
Follow Holy Vulture here
interview by Utkan Dora Öncül
Spark Interview-020