Having the auspicious honor of being the "Elder" in the band could have its advantages...Vac gets the Senior discount on those post-gig 3am meals at Denny's and two-for-one tequila shots with his AARP card!
A late start
Vac got a later start than most of us in his music career, but that has never held him back. A short stint as a singer in a high school band was enough to plant the bug in this rocker. Al soon concluded he was meant to be on the stage and playing to a crowd. However, it wasn't until he entered college that he developed a serious interest in playing an instrument.
A gift of Sir Elton, desire and a good ear
Al says "a friend gave me Elton John's "11-17-70" for my 20th birthday and I was blown away by the amount of music that three people could make with the piano as the lead instrument...I just had to learn how to do that!" Al took a semester of group piano lessons to learn the basics and he never looked back. While he was working at the mechanics of the keyboard he bought an acoustic guitar and started teaching himself to play along with the likes Bob Dylan, James Taylor and Cat Stevens. "Piano was my first love but the guitar was so much easier to carry!"
Early "tributes" and beyond
He hooked up with a friend and started one of the earliest "tribute" bands in the early 70's called Horizon and emulated the songs of The Moody Blues, Elton John and King Crimson. "Back then there were no such thing as "tribute" bands...we were just playing what we wanted to play!" Over the years, Vac has been involved with numerous bands ranging from wedding and lounge acts, Classic Rock, Blues and even a Hawaiian band. "I never understood the words but the music was the universal interpreter. We had some fun and saw the other side of some Hula dancers...literally the "other" side!"
Scooters, Cheeseburgers and Steve
Al Vac met Steve at an instructional motorcycle seminar and the chemistry clicked! "Steve was a combination of the class-clown and irreverent bad-boy! He had this charm and bravado that was magnetic. We talked about jammin' together and showed up for an open mic at a local Cheeseburger in Paradise and played about four songs. Some guy came up afterwards and said we sounded great and asked how long we'd been playing...I told him it was our first time! He dropped his jaw, shook his head and said "You guys should start a band!" Sometimes good advice is just too hard to ignore!"
