Exposed Vocals interviews seasoned duo ‘A&L’

Seasoned duo A&L is back with their third release. Hot Mess is an upbeat, pop/rock song with catchy hooks and killer guitar riffs. The in-your-face vocal will have you singing along. “We wanted to rock out a little harder on this release” say Casuccio. Hot Mess takes a comedic look at the various characters (some unwanted) that you often interact with at a bar or club. We are sure that you will recognize these misfits that Lana sings about.

A&L is the melding of Anthony Casuccio and Lana Marie. Anthony is a 20 year music veteran whose production work has been nominated for three Grammy awards, been featured in major music publications and topped the music charts. Lana is an award winning vocalist who has been a long-time force on the WNY music scene and voice to many jingles on radio and television. They have released 2 single to great reviews The 3rd song Hot mess spent 6 weeks on the European PICA charts before being released in the USA.

Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?

 Anthony: UI grew up in Amherst NY. For me it was hearing the The Beatles then Van Halen. I was hit by the songwriting and the fame. I thought it was so cool. But I was more interested in the technical aspects of recording and songwriting. That led me to getting into recording production. I have been fortunate to have worked on some amazing projects. But I have always worked on original music.

 

Lana: I grew up in Buffalo NY, I had a big family; sisters 1 brother. I remember anywhere we went I always needed to standout and get the attention. In school I tried out for numerous musicals and in 7th grade I was the lion in the Wizard of Oz. In 9th grade I wrote my first song and had a friend in the musical with me play it on piano and we got a standing ovation. I knew right there that’s what I wanted to do; entertain and sing.

Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?

 

This is kind of boring. We used our initials from our first names. We figured it was simple and straight forward. Turned out to be not so simple for ITunes, It has a problem with publishing the “&” symbol and we have had to make a stink to ensure we were labeled correctly. No offense to anyone names Al.

Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?

Anthony: I understand that music discovery is very important for new artists. Unfortunately making money on sales is very difficult. But if sharing your music helps to build a fan base then it is essential to success these days. We do give out free promo copies and links if we feel it will further our cause. We are concentrating on our videos as opposed to giving free downloads.

Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?

Anthony: Work hard and realize that this is a job, a profession. It takes work. If you are not going to work at this everyday, then you should just consider your musical career a hobby.

Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?

 Lana: I sure do, most of the time my mistakes are forgetting lyrics, so I just repeat the same verse, I don’t think a lot of people notice.

Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?

Lana: We are working on some spring/summer show dates. We’ll keep you posted if anything crazy happens. We are to goodie, goodies (wink, wink) so nothing exciting except our live show ever happens.

Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?

 Anthony: I try and harness the creative flow whenever it hits. I have been so crazy busy that I need to go with it when I get an idea. I usually get a musical idea on the guitar and work on some words. I’ll throw down a rough drum beat and finish up the structure and finalize the words. With our latest song Hot Mess, we started playing live so we were able to work with our drummer Rich Smith before we hit the studio. This gave us a chance to get a little more creative with the song structure. The vocals usually are recorded after the basic parts are finished. This gives us the opportunity to capture Lana’s vocal vision and play around with harmonies.

Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?

We do. We primarily push people to our twitter and facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/AandLmusic

 

http://www.twitter.com/AandLmusic

 

Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?

Lana: Milli Vanilli girl you know it true , lol. Anthony: Taylor Swift, sorry just love her…production that is.

Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?

Lana: I am an animal lover so I would buy land build a shelter, hire very caring workers and save as many abused homeless animals that I can. I would nurse them and put them up for adoption to safe loving homes.

Anthony: Buy a boat and going on a long vacation with my family and write a bunch of killer A&L songs.

Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?

Anthony: Not at the moment. I use a lot of different programs and tools. Pro-Tools, Nuendo, Acid, Reason. I am always looking for more microphones.

Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?

Anthony: I read a lot of follow other bands. I see what they are doing and what works. I also am a big believer in networking.

Lana: I am out playing quite a bit, so I see what others are doing from a touring, live perspective.

Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?

Anthony: John Lennon, enough said. Lana: Janis Joplin, she was a big influence on my musical upbringing.

Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?

We are working on promoting our new single Hot Mess. We’ll be playing shows this summer and hitting the studio to work on some new material for a late summer/fall release.

Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?

Lana: I would probably be waiting on tables. Anthony Ha, she’d be the owner of the restaurant. Me, teaching audio production (which I am doing )

Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?

Lana: Supertramp, loved them. Anthony: I cannot remember. But I know my first 45’s were Queen’s another One Bites the Dust and ELO’s Evil Woman.

Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?

Anthony: It’s tough. Music chooses you so you have to go where it takes you. Lana: Just work hard and follow your heart.

Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?

More great music from A&L.