SET THE CHARGE is a four piece “Diamond Rock” band hailing from Port Chester, New York. Mainly a studio band until 2014, founding members Anthony Vincent Valbiro, and Frank Valbiro connected with Derek Ortiz and Tom Dicarlucci. Anthony plays guitar/vocals, Tom on lead guitar, Derek on bass, and Frank on the drums. The band released their first E.P. in 2015 titled ‘Auditory Insemination‘ and has recently released their first full studio album on Sept. 26, 2017 entitled “Sky Goes On“. The band has a plethora of different influences between the members which has allowed the band to create a unique sound, and pay homage to musics past while staying contemporary and in the now.
You may recognize Anthony Vincent as the mastermind behind the youtube sensation “10 Second Songs” where he takes popular songs, and sings them in a multitude of different styles that showcase his phenomenal vocal abilities. His youtube page has garnered a massive 2.4 million followers, as well as an astonishing 139 million video views! I was lucky enough to have the chance to ask front man Anthony Vincent some questions about his music, and his band before the album was released. Read below!
Metal Nexus: Do you feel that 10 second songs has played a big part in getting the SET THE CHARGE name out there?
Anthony Vincent: Yes. Through the past 4 years I’ve managed to convince close to 2 and a half million people to hit the subscribe button on my channel and luckily the basis of my channel is my singing voice and production. Naturally people have been curious as to whether or not I have a band, so I took my time with the guys and we cultivated a sound we feel represents us, we finally packaged it in a professional way, and I’m sure a percentage of my audience will like it.
Metal Nexus: Do you feel that having a strong online presence has been beneficial to the band?
Anthony Vincent: Yes. There are some record labels that don’t even have close to the amount of followers I have on my platforms, so I like to see my online presence as being my own record label in a sense. I know that many people use online services that help them to grow their online presence (see the Skweezer dot com review), but we have been lucky in the sense that our fans have grown our Instagram and other social media accounts to the level they are at now. Only we reap all the benefits, since we’re independent.
Metal Nexus: Since you have the ability to sing in a wide variety of styles, do you plan to use several with SET THE CHARGE or stick to one?
Anthony Vincent: SET THE CHARGE is already a melting pot of many different sounds, the biggest challenge is was to find a way to narrow it down just enough to keep it from being completely confusing. Naturally, I have a tendency to not stick to one direction of music, some people WANT to do that, I have no choice. It’s a blessing and a curse I suppose lol
Metal Nexus: You’ve proven to the world that you can sing in almost any style, how did you harness such amazing vocal abilities?
Anthony Vincent: All I can say is there’s nothing I won’t try and if I don’t get it the first time around, I’ll keep doing it till I get it right. I have always believed that potential can grow far beyond what you can imagine, and I believe that limits are meant to be met, then pushed passed. I don’t think much about it, if there’s something I want to achieve vocally, I just do it.
Metal Nexus: Since you can sing in almost any style how did you decide what styles you use in SET THE CHARGE?
Anthony Vincent: It’s all a matter of just letting it flow naturally. I write words that mean something to me, words that are attached to emotions that are too real to fake and in the process I don’t question it or think too much about it. When you sing from experiences that are personal, your real voice will always find a way to pierce through.
Metal Nexus: What was the inspiration for your upcoming album?
Anthony Vincent: I’m inspired to write about something every day, instead of tweeting my thoughts on the drop of a dime, I save them, I collect them and I work them into songs. Me and the guys worked hard over the past couple of years to develop a sound we can proudly call our own and that’s something I’m excited to showcase to the people who have been watching my videos over the past 3 years.
Metal Nexus: Is their a title yet for the upcoming album?
Anthony Vincent: Yes the album is called “Sky Goes On”, it will be released on September 26th.
Metal Nexus: Are there any songs on the upcoming album that have a big emotional connection to you personally?
Anthony Vincent: I have a deep connection to all the songs because I feel I’m saying exactly what I want to say but the most personal song on the album is “Betsy Brown”
Metal Nexus: Are there any upcoming touring plans?
Anthony Vincent: Hope to have an answer to that shortly!
Metal Nexus: For someone that has such unique vocal abilities, do you feel you would get tired if singing in one style for a long period of time?
Anthony Vincent: Im not sure, all I know is I always incorporate different kinds of vocals every time I write music, it’s just a natural occurrence. This quality may work against me in appealing to specific target audiences, but I don’t want to tame the writing process.
Metal Nexus: How do you keep yourselves unique in the age where there are so many different musicians?
Anthony Vincent: I don’t think too much about it, all I do is write and write honestly. Me and the guys have so many different influences, each of us listen to a wide range of music. So when you combine all of what we listen to, it will only naturally result in the creation of something different. It might be a good idea to take the unique result and promote it through social media channels, if you’re starting out in this area I hear that socialfollow can provide some help. It may not appeal to a wide audience, or it may. But if you’re writing the stuff you want to write and not caring about writing hits, sticking to a specific sound or doing what you think people will like, you’ll always produce something unique.
I want to thank Anthony Vincent for taking the time with all the chaos of releasing a new album to answer my questions. Be sure to check out “SKY GOES ON” by SET THE CHARGE, and check out the music video for ‘Everything But Me’. You can order the album here, and watch the music video for ‘Everything But Me’ below!
