Secondhand Serenade
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Growing up in a musical household in the San Francisco Bay Area, John Vesely, Secondhand Serenade's singer-songwriter, was basically bound to end up in music, but he wasn't always so sure. "I didn't really think of it as a full time career until after high school. And even then, I was a bit tentative. Once I made my first album, that's when I knew I wanted to go all the way with it," Vesely said in an email interview.
You may have seen Vesely on shows like MTV's TRL or on the MTV Buzzworthy Blog, but his recent success did not come overnight. Years of musical training on the bass led Vesely to teach himself the guitar and piano. Writing came naturally after he learned how to play guitar. Back in 2004, Secondhand Serenade formed in Menlo Park, California after Vesely had already played a variety of gigs as a solo artist. His roots as a solo performer continue to influence his creative process. In fact, inspiration for his band name came from his relationship with his wife, Breanna Russell and all of his serenades to her. This romantic origin of the band's name speaks to the heart-string-pulling nature of his lyrics and appeal to pop music fans.
The release of Secondhand Serenade's second album, A Twist in My Story, contains a mix of ballads with the potential to make love-song addicts swoon. In the first single, "Fall For You," which topped the U.S. Billboard Pop 100 at number eight, Tesely shares a story about reigniting love in a long-term relationship, "Tonight will be the night that I will fall for you - over again." Acknowledging the ups and downs of relationships, "I know you don't think that I am trying," he professes his commitment with "I won't live to see another day/ I swear it's true/ Because a girl like you is impossible to find."
According to Top-40.com, "Fall For You" went platinum in October, selling over 1,000,000 copies. John Vesely continues to work hard writing, recording and touring across the country, "I definitely have way more material than I'll ever need, which is something I like having. So the writing process never really stops."
For tour dates and more firsthand info from Secondhand Serenade, check out the 2008 Tour Dates and our Q&A with Vesely.
—Christa Fletcher
You may have seen Vesely on shows like MTV's TRL or on the MTV Buzzworthy Blog, but his recent success did not come overnight. Years of musical training on the bass led Vesely to teach himself the guitar and piano. Writing came naturally after he learned how to play guitar. Back in 2004, Secondhand Serenade formed in Menlo Park, California after Vesely had already played a variety of gigs as a solo artist. His roots as a solo performer continue to influence his creative process. In fact, inspiration for his band name came from his relationship with his wife, Breanna Russell and all of his serenades to her. This romantic origin of the band's name speaks to the heart-string-pulling nature of his lyrics and appeal to pop music fans.
The release of Secondhand Serenade's second album, A Twist in My Story, contains a mix of ballads with the potential to make love-song addicts swoon. In the first single, "Fall For You," which topped the U.S. Billboard Pop 100 at number eight, Tesely shares a story about reigniting love in a long-term relationship, "Tonight will be the night that I will fall for you - over again." Acknowledging the ups and downs of relationships, "I know you don't think that I am trying," he professes his commitment with "I won't live to see another day/ I swear it's true/ Because a girl like you is impossible to find."
According to Top-40.com, "Fall For You" went platinum in October, selling over 1,000,000 copies. John Vesely continues to work hard writing, recording and touring across the country, "I definitely have way more material than I'll ever need, which is something I like having. So the writing process never really stops."
For tour dates and more firsthand info from Secondhand Serenade, check out the 2008 Tour Dates and our Q&A with Vesely.
—Christa Fletcher
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