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IN MARCH OF 2006, LeonVest's song "IT WOULD BE YOU" from their first CD, SO BLUE, found itself in the TOP TEN ON NATIONAL RADIO CHARTS - and in the company of major stars Alanis Morissette, James Blunt and Cold Play. "IT WOULD BE YOU was one of the most active singles we've ever promoted, arriving at the FMQB top ten in near-record time for an indie," says Peter Petro of Bryan Farrish Radio Promotions. Petro calls LeonVest "one of the most committed and inspired artists we've worked with...[LeonVest] literally broke a record...[they have] a special sound that is like no other current artist, with an emotional atmosphere that no one else really attempts to create...[they] approach relationships and life with a lot of perspective, not sappy and not angry, but mature and open eyed. "Today LeonVest also has a strong national track record, including charting, at the most successful radio format in the world, AC." Along with their band of world class musicians, LeonVest has accomplished a feat seen all too rarely in the life of independent artists. *********** June, 2006 interview with Russel A. Trunk, Editor of www.ExclusiveMagazine.com ----------------------------------------------------------- INTERVIEW WITH EXCLUSIVE MAGAZINE'S RUSSEL A TRUNK: Hi guys, Firstly, many thanx for doing this interview with us today and here are some non-taxing questions for you to kindly answer: RAT: Taking it from the top and you once jokingly referred to yourselves as "micro nanostars in and around Bolinas," the small CA coastal town where you live and perform. Is that still true today and what will it take to shake such a self-induced label?! SLV: That 'self-induced label' is a JOKE, Russell;-))) Whether or not we can 'shake' it...well, I guess that's in the hands of the gods...besides, having a few fans you can count on isn't such a bad thing in a small town like Bolinas...the room is always full of smiling people when we play...it's a feel-good deal all the way around. RAT: For the Average Joe who may not have heard of you and was thinking of buying either 'So Blue' or your upcoming 'Alive By Request' CDs, how would you yourself describe your sound? SLV: Actually, Average Joe has heard of us. He lives in Bolinas...you didn't know that???;-))) But about our 'sound': Our sound guy, Derek Tracy (also our good friend and manager) describes our music as "sparkling with originality, yet waxing evocative of the idealism and romanticism that graced the music of the sixties and seventies...the songs of LeonVest are lyrically poetic, while at the same time reflecting Sandy's fiercely political point of view..." I think that's a good description. Our upcoming album (ALIVE BY REQUEST) is less 'California pop' sounding than SO BLUE and more focused on the rhythms...more powerful stuff - lyrically, melodically and groove-wise. RAT: Your album title 'So Blue' was an interesting choice, but perhaps it originates from a more personal standpoint for you? SLV: Nah...I'm just a depressed person who happens to like blue...nothing personal. RAT: And was the new title 'Alive By Request' inspired by the classic Peter Frampton album, perhaps? SLV: Ummm...no, but I love Peter Frampton. He's really, really small, a very tiny fellow...When I was a teenager someone gave me a backstage pass to one of his concerts...I was like seventeen and I was so excited about seeing him...I was stunned when he walked backstage wearing those seventies-style British platforms - not about the platforms, but that they were twice as high as mine and he was still only about 5'3! About ALIVE BY REQUEST...The title was inspired by the fact that three years after I was diagnosed with a supposedly terminal and incurable type of blood cancer, my songwriting partner and best friend, James Vest, was diagnosed with Leukemia (CLL), also considered clinically terminal and incurable. In both of our cases, the treatments are often worse than the disease - and a lot of people die from them. We pretty much had two choices: to either sit around and wait to die or line ourselves up with the gods or whomever it is in the universe that makes all those bizarre decisions...we opted for the latter and we're both defying all clinical odds and thriving - for now anyway...that's why the record is called ALIVE BY REQUEST - because we are. IF you want, check out our bio at www.leonvest.com or www.cdbaby.com/cd/leonvest RAT: If there was one track on 'So Blue' that truly encapsulated LeonVest at their musical and lyrical finest, which one would it be? SLV: Now there's a question after my own heart...But it's hard to answer because I hope LeonVest hasn't yet reached our 'musical and lyrical finest'...the music evolves faster than we're able to keep up with. If I had to pick a cut from SO BLUE, 'Color Me Blue' has some pretty dark and intense lyrics...I think a beautiful melody as well...it's deeply personal...I remember I was attempting to process a sense of betrayal I felt...the betrayal came from someone I never could have imagined could do what they ended up doing...interestingly, it's not about a romance gone wrong or anything romantic at all...just a deep sense of betrayal and despair over a relationship that should have been very different than it ended up... RAT: Noting that Sandy's last name is Leon Vest and that James is simply Vest, at what point did the former beat out the latter for final band name?! SLV: LOL...that's a good one... My name was Sandy Leon and because I was a journalist, that was also my byline so I wanted to keep some continuity. When James and I got married back in 2000, I just tacked his last name onto mine, so people could still google me and know who I was...just a fluke. RAT: With Sandy being such a longtime political journalist, I was wondering what her quick take on the government of today was ... and what changes could/should occur to enhance matters therein? SLV: Oh, pleeeeese...do not get me started...government - what government??? How about a MASS CONGRESSIONAL, JUDICIAL AND EXECUTIVE LOBOTOMY??? How about some leadership...vision...??? Still, if you really want to know what I think, google 'Sandy Leon Vest' or go to www.leonvest.com and click on 'Writings.' If you click on the 'Live Journal' link, I promise you'll find more than you ever wanted to know...! RAT: Can we expect to hear any different sides of LeonVest on the upcoming 'Alive By Request,' perhaps? SLV: Oh, yes...russellrussellrussell...I'll even scoop you a copy of our upcoming single from ALIVE BY REQUEST...it's called QUEEN OF NOTHING, and it speaks for itself... RAT: Just for fun, and taking the titles of a few of your album tracks, please let us know: 'Color Me Blue' - OK, if you could paint your bedroom any color - but one color - what would it be ... and why?! SLV: Ummmmm...forest green? RAT: 'If Wishes Were Horses' - If you really had one wish, one that would come true instantly, what would it be?! SLV: I would wake up tomorow and find out that everything really is a dream and that the dream goes on forever, shape-shifting its way through time and space...Love really would be the Answer, there really would be such a thing as karma and there would be no wars, greed, power-playing or betrayal and I would have a brand new life and a baby in my arms...we'd be touring the world with U2 and all of our songs would finally be realized as the classics that they are...Everyone would have solar or wind power and there would be no nuclear power or oil pipelines to blow up...Death really would be just a passageway into a bright new dream and no one would be starving or thirsty or dying of AIDS in some godforsaken dust pit somewhere...ummm...that's my one wish... RAT: 'City of the Angels' - Have you ever seen an Angel or ghost, perhaps? If so, where and what happened? SLV: Yeah, Russel...in fact, I was saved once by an angel...someday we'll sit down over a shot of something or other and I'll tell you all about it...BTW, 'City of the Angels' is actually about my dad...he really was a cabbie; he sort of disappeared when I was eleven years old; he really did die in a hotel room in LA, the tv really was on and the phone (just like the song says) really was disconnected...poor guy...he was soooo lost...and I followed... RAT: What '80s (and possibly cheesy!) pop/rock song would you love to cover today if asked ... and why?! SLV: Now, I like cheese as much as the next guy but eighties cheese...? LeonVest is actually famous for never doing covers and there are two reasons for that: 1) We have more originals than our band has time to learn and 2) I don't really consider myself a singer...I have a very limited vocal range so I kind of have to write for myself...But OK, I'll play...If I could, I'd sing 'One,' from U2's 'Achtung Baby.' I love U2 like a mother...my dream is to open for them and rock so hard that Bono would proclaim to the world that LeonVest now owns the rock world...Oh yeah...I'd do Tracy Chapman's 'Fast Car' in a heartbeat... RAT: Lastly, I like Penguins ... do you?! SLV: Yeah, they walk really cool... RAT: Thanx again for doing this for us today, and we wish you all the best for the future. **************** THE MUSIC LeonVest's compellingly original material hearkens straight out of the SF Bay Area music scene - and that's just what their Bay Area fans want to hear. As songwriters, the team of Sandy LeonVest and James Vest are as gifted as they are prolific. "We used to include a couple of covers just to please club owners," says James. These days, the duo and their band don't need any covers. "We don't get through a fraction of our own material during a show," says Sandy. "Why would we do covers?" LeonVest is currently recording their upcoming CD, ALIVE BY REQUEST, at Red Rooster Recording Studio in Berkeley with their band (featuring saxophonist Paul McCandless, of Bela Fleck and Oregon). BAND FEATURES: singer/songwriter SANDY LEON VEST - keyboards and vocals, JAMES VEST (other half of Leon Vest songwriting team) - keyboards and bass, Tom Duarte - guitar (played w/Merle Saunders), Garth Webber - guitar (played w/Miles Davis, Greg Allman, Mose Alison, Bill Champlin, Kingfish with Bob Weir, Cold Blood...), Brent Rampone - drums (New Riders of the Purple Sage), Mike Prichard - percussion (It's A Beautiful Day). LeonVest's local fan base has recently fanned out to the east coast and as far away as Latin America and Europe. ****************************************** Review appearing in the local "Bolinas Hearsay News": LEON VEST AT SMILEYS FRIDAY NIGHT In the world of music, the songwriting team of LeonVest is nothing less than a breath of fresh air. Whether you're already a diehard LeonVest fan or only recently heard the buzz, you won't want to miss LeonVest at Smileys on Friday night. Once you've experienced the compelling sounds of this original songwriting team and their remarkable cast of musicians, you'll know why their grassroots fan base in West Marin has blossomed into a local phenomenon. Together with their band, Sandy Leon Vest and songwriting partner James Vest have managed to create a sound that sparkles with originality, yet waxes evocative of the idealism and romanticism that graced the music of the sixties and seventies. LeonVest's songwriting has been finely crafted over their years of performing and playing in Marin County, and it shows - more today than ever before. The songs of LeonVest are lyrically poetic, while at the same time reflecting a fiercely political point of view. Sandy LeonVest's melodies, lyrics and whimsical vocal style supported by a driving percussion section of world class musicians (see flyer above) simply deliver the goods. LeonVest offers much more than a musical performance of the highest order. Their music produces an undeniable high that transforms the room - and the people in it. See you at the show! Derek Tracy (DTI Records - President) *************************************** A word from Sandy Leon Vest: I think probably the most compelling thing about LeonVest is our unabashed originality and our love for playing the music...we dont pretend (nor aspire, for that matter) to be anything other than who we are - and who we are is a diverse group of SF Bay Area musicians who love the songs and love playing them together - and our sound reflects exactly that...we all grew up with the (Marin-based) Sons of Champlin, the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Miles Davis, Hendrix, Dylan, Chrissie Hynd, Fleetwood Mac, Traffic... LeonVest - and the material - is quite literally in a class all by itself and our audience is growing rapidly as the material evolves. I think what resonates with our fans is that while LeonVest's songs are uniquely original, they hearken back to a more idealistic era - melodic and even romantic, yet with a great groove. We've been described as 'psychedelic, hard-driving and idealistic all at the same time,' and I think that's accurate... These days I listen a lot to Cold Play (love Chris Martin), MJ Blige, Dave Matthews...I like Sara McLaughlin, Alanis Morissette, of course, U2... Enjoy the CD! Sandy Leon Vest LEON VEST'S PERSONAL STORY: On August 6, 2001, after working for years as a political journalist and songwriter/recording artist, I was diagnosed with a sub-type of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma considered "clinically terminal." Two surgeries and a couple of treatments later, I am more of an optimist than ever, and have made it my mission to prove that statistics do not always tell the story of the person. In December, 2004, just before Christmas, my songwriting partner and husband James Vest was diagnosed with Leukemia - also currently considered an incurable hematological cancer. Today our primary source of hope and inspiration is eachother, our band and the music we write and play together. We both hope and believe we can save our lives through the performance, recording and subsequent sales of our original music. Our community in West Marin has been amazing. When I was first diagnosed, a group of friends set up an account, "Friends of Sandy Leon Vest." The donations to that fund helped save my life. But these days LeonVest would prefer to garner support through our music. We have a beautiful gift to offer and our new CD is scheduled for release Summer, 2006. "Alive by Request" takes a huge leap, musically and stylistically and we all think it is the best work we've done - as artists and as a unit. It features (again) Blues guitarist Garth Webber and our drummer Brent Rampone. We think once people listen, they will want to have both CDs - and the added satisfaction of knowing that by purchasing these CDs, they are quite literally "keeping the music alive."Our first album, SO BLUE can be purchased now at www.cdbaby.com. We have a lot of faith in ourselves, the universe, our friends and families, our karma, and most especially our music. We continue to believe that our hard work, determination and love will see us through...and that attitude seems to be paying off - Big Time. In March, 2006, we were amazed when our single, "It Would Be You" defied all industry convention, skyrocketing up the national ACQB charts to #6! Now there's a message from the gods(!) Today our mission is to keep ourselves and the music alive by continuing to write and play great original material. If you do want to donate, checks can be sent to: Friends of Sandy Leon Vest, Box 734, Bolinas, CA 94924; checks made out to: Friends of Sandy Leon Vest. Check out the artist's website: http://www.leonvest.com Track List: 1. Color Me Blue 2. Fashion 3. If Wishes Were Horses 4. So Blue 5. Until I Saw You Again 6. It Would Be You 7. City of the Angels 8. Over and Over Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
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