by Ernie Thomas
Vocalist/guitarist Mike Brezen of the South Side alterna-rock trio, V90
profoundly states his personal mantra – “The problem with following the herd
is stepping in what’s left behind!”
Not wanting to dodge the musical cow pies of the Chicagoland scene, the
Tinley Park-based “pop power trio” has taken a more focused view of the
music business and drawn up a personal blueprint for success.
“Music is something we’re all very serious about,” he stressed, e
xplaining that it took him and bassist/vocalist Mike Greene six years
and nine false starts before finding the perfect drummer in transplanted
Hoosier Luke Smith.
“Mike [Greene] and I are both full-time music teachers. We met at a
local music store where we both gave lessons. We found we had the same views
and opinions about the local scene...why some bands make it and some don’t.
It was just a natural progression for us to start writing together and put a
band together.”
The duo’s first band, Fahrenheit, was a short-lived effort that eventually
morphed into V90. Since Smith joined two years, they average about a dozen
shows a month.
For those unfamiliar with the band, Brezen describes V90 as having high
energy music with zippy hooks and harmony-filled melodies.
“To survive in most of the clubs around here, a band has to do a certain
amount of coves,” sighed Brezen. “Our focus is original music, but since
covers are a necessary evil, we stay very current in what we cover. Whatever
is on the radio today is fair game. We learn things real fast.”
Songs by Alien Ant Farm and any of a dozen other new radio acts pepper
V90’s live shows, which also include a healthy amount of originals. “We
released a 12-song CD this past June,” he said. “And that’s just the tip
of the iceberg. We have almost three hours of original music and we’re
constantly writing.” The creative process usually finds Brezen bringing
skeletal songs to the table and from there the trio collaborate to flesh them
out.
“We’ve concentrated our efforts up until now on playing the suburbs
first, building up our name and following. The next step is to do the same
in the city clubs,” he said.
They have made many inroads, including the development of a solid
internet presence, that found them voted “Chicago’s Top Band” by surfers
on – www.Barstar.com.
This summer, the marketing savvy group have handed out nearly 3,000
copies of their full-length CD, which brings recognition to their site thro
ugh it’s clever title, www.V90music.com .
“We have videos, songs and all kinds of stuff on the site,” said
Brezen. “Since we maintain the web site ourselves, it’s constantly being
updated with new stuff.”
Having succeeded in establishing a strong presence in the suburbs – to
the point of being voted the “Best Original Band In Chicago” by the readers
of“Suburban Nightlife Magazine” – V90 are now working adamantly on cracking
the city clubs along with invading those in N.W. Indiana. A second
full-length CD is presently being planned for a December/January
release.
“We’re talking with a few different management companies,” said Brezen.
“We want someone who has a great track record and who can take what we’ve
already done to the next level.”
Once management is secured, V90 plans to start focusing on securing a
national record contract.
“We’ve got something solid to offer people,” he said, citing what he
terms a unique sound, a solid body of original songs and an enthusiastic and
entertaining live show. “We have a [collective] dream and a determination to
see it come true!”