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HZ: When I talked with you last, you had already recorded Awake, what was repackaging it for retail like?
Vesely: We added two songs to the actual album, so we had to
update the insert and we gave it a bit of a more updated look, but for
the most part it’s still very similar to the original release.
HZ: Very nice. So you’ve been extremely popular on MySpace, and I’ve
seen you in the number one spot multiple times. How has MySpace been an
effective tool for you in your musical career?
Vesely: MySpace
really helps out on all fronts. It really helped boost my album sales
before I even got signed, as well as it’s really supporting my tour
right now. I’m having several hundred kids come every night, and it’s
really honestly my first tour, so the turnout isn’t from previous
touring, it’s from MySpace. It’s pretty amazing.
HZ: What was the experience like for shooting the music video for
“Vulnerable” with Frank Borin (who has worked with Good Charlotte,
Simple Plan and Eminem)?
Vesely: It was one of the coolest
experiences of my life. It was very surreal. I was going into it
expecting like Frank and a couple people working with him, and I got
there and it was like 30 people running around this huge mansion. It
was just chaos; it was nuts. Our budget was pretty low for the first
video, and it was a surprise that we got Frank to hop on board, he
really supported the project and really liked the song, and I think it
was the perfect choice.
HZ: Has signing with a label changed your musical vision at all, or has it helped it?
Vesely: Not
at all—getting together with a label, it’s a means to an end. It’s only
a vehicle, and the last thing I wanted was it to effect what I did
musically, and I mean, of course it comes with the idea that you have
to think about more than just making songs. You have to think about
MTV, about radio play, about retail, about all these different elements
when you’re writing, but the thing you have to think about most of all
even, is that all that stuff doesn’t even really matter when it comes
down to it, you know? If something is working for you, you have to keep
on doing it, and that stuff can get it in the way, and it’s going to
get in the way, you just have to block it out.
HZ: Is the next album going to be similar to the style of Awake?
Vesely: Yeah, my songwriting has definitely evolved and grown since I wrote Awake,
and I really like the songs I’ve written since then. And you know the
album is going to be a little different, it’s going to have some full
band stuff, it’s going to have some piano, definitely lots of acoustic
stuff, and it’s just going to be a little bit more interesting. There’s
going to be more elements of orchestration involved.
HZ: What can fans and newcomers look forward to in 2007?
Vesely: They
can definitely look forward to the new album coming out by the end of
the year. [And] to the video coming out, it’s just about to go up on
Fuse, and we have it on MTV downloads so that will be really cool, and
we have some touring planned, so they can definitely look forward to me
coming to see them.
HZ: What was the motivation for partnering with Target for distributing it?
Vesely: (Laughs.)
Well, it was kind of both sides coming together. The label had meetings
and Target just seemed to be really on board and really liked the
project and wanted to support us. They totally supported us in finding
us a spot. We just shot some extra footage at SXSW for the next album
to do some exclusive stuff with Target, and they’re totally into it,
and being really good to us.
HZ: Very cool. Do you have any last thoughts or comments?
Vesely: I just want to let everyone know that Awake
is available in stores now at Target—among other retail facilities—and
I’m super excited to see everyone at upcoming shows and write some
great music for them.
For more news and info please visit www.myspace.com/secondhandserenade
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