Vint, Guzzo, Bales band reignites passion for music with debut show at The Kingston House

By MATTHEW STEPHENS

As we age, so do our passions – with many often finding themselves lost to the activities they once held dear to them.

But local resident Richard Bales, alongside Chris Guzzo and Josie Vint, have rejected that mentality, and have instead decided to reinvigorate their long-lost passion for music with the introduction of their new trio band known as Vint, Guzzo, Bales.

“I haven’t played in 16 years, but I’ve always wanted to do my own arrangements. So, I co-opted a keyboard player and spoke with a neighbour – who happens to be a singer – and asked them both ‘Are you guys interested in forming a project?” Bales told Beach Metro Community News in an interview leading up to the band’s debut performance last month.

Performing their own arrangements of classic songs from the 1960s and ’70s, the trio’s debut performance took place at The Kingston House (676 Kingston Rd. just east of Main Street) in a room full of neighbours and community supporters.

“We’d been working on this arrangement for almost two and a half years,” explained Bales. “As much as I would like to have arrangements played the way I hear them in my head, the arrangements are difficult.”

Bales said it was important that he didn’t “stifle” the creativity of his bandmates, and they all three contribute their own personal flare into the trio’s sound.

“The more we worked on it, the more we got the feel for each other’s place in the band, and it really started to gel,” said Bales.

Drawing inspiration from cover songs such as Gloria Estefan’s Breaking Up Is Hard to Do (a cover of the original 1962 hit song by Neil Sedaka), Bales said transforming songs into something new is a big part of what compelled him to form a cover band.

“She made it sound almost like a modern-day ballad — a truly beautiful arrangement,” said Bales. “It got me looking at other material and thinking about how I could interpret it.”

Rather than focusing solely on the music itself, Bales said the band’s performance at The Kingston House was equally about community building.

“The pure joy of this performance is that there is no underlying intention. It’s really just about bringing the community together in this great venue to celebrate friendship and great music,” said Bales. “That’s the world we want to create, which to me, is very inspiring and motivating.”

To show support to Vint, Guzzo, and Bales, head to their Tiplor page at https://tiplor.com/@vgb