Britt Cannarozzi & Band
Members: Britt Cannarozzi – vocals/songwriting, Chris Durham – bass, Vinnie Espinosa – guitar, Steve Filippone – drums
Genre: Pop
How did you guys decide to form a band?
Britt: Originally, I wrote this melody and these lyrics, and then I asked Vinnie a while ago to help me out with it, and we did the music and everything for it. Then we asked Chris and Steve to jump in on it, and it kind of just happened like that. And now we jam a lot and they helped me record the demo.
What got you interested in music?
Britt: I’ve been singing since I was little, and I love writing words, so I’ve just always done that. Then I switched my major a few times and switched schools a few times, and now I’m doing this.
How long have you been playing music?
Chris: Me and Steve have been doing it for a couple months.
Britt: Me and Vinnie have been doing it for about a year.
What artists have influenced you?
Britt: Sam Hunt, Halsey, Olivia O’Brien.
Vinny: John Mayer, B.B. King.
Chris: Pink Floyd, Rise Against, Angels & Airwaves, Incubus.
What has been your biggest musical accomplishment so far? Have you had any big gigs?
Britt: Not so much gigs, but just writing really great songs, or thinking I write really great songs. Three years ago when I was dealing with everything, I wrote a song, and it was horrible, but now I can write a song and I think it’s good. It’s just cool to see yourself grow personally. Performing at Langosta was really cool too.
Chris: Being able to perform with a lot of different people has been really fun. At a show with my band in high school, there was the biggest crowd we ever had. There was a couple hundred people at our release show, and the feeling was awesome. That’s what really made me fall in love with doing it because it was just the first time that everybody really got behind what we were feeling, and it was a really cool experience.
What do you hope to accomplish in the future regarding music?
Britt: I personally want to move to Nashville when I graduate and just write with everyone. That’s what I want to do more than anything.
Chris: I would like to get to the point where I could go on tour.
Vinnie: I wouldn’t mind being a studio musician for a while, but then I’ll probably be a teacher or do music therapy.
Blue Hawk Records is Monmouth University’s student-run record label. Each semester, the club works with the Applied Music Industry class to produce a compilation CD that features Monmouth’s aspiring musicians. This semester, students and faculty members auditioned for the label and six artists were chosen to be on the new CD. The artists are recording their original songs in a professional setting at Lakehouse Recording Studios in Asbury Park. The album will be released on April 20, and a release show will be held on that date. For more information about the artists, visit the blog at bluehawkrecords.wordpress.com, or follow Blue Hawk Records on social media.
IMAGES COURTESY of Gabriella Soroka
