BY TALI ISRAELI
Staff Writer
Val Emmich, 25, is continuing to climb the music industry ladder with a sound that he describes as “rock and roll at its core.”
At the age of 15, Emmich got his first guitar as a birthday present. With bands such as Nirvana, Green Day, Pearl Jam and REM as inspiration, he began writing songs. Emmich said that when he started listening to music he was attracted to good lyricists and good singers.
“I wanted them to tell me a story that related to my life. Something that made me feel less alone, that maybe gave me an answer or reminded me that there is no answer to whatever problem I was going through,” he said.
Emmich said he tries to portray that feeling in his own songs.
“I want my music to be something intense that grabs people through their speakers. I want it to be active listening. I want the wheels in the head to be turning and the chills to be spread over the body,” he said.
That is the way Emmich said he feels when he listens to quality music. He said it moves him in a physical, emotional and mental way.
It all started for Emmich at Manal-apan High School, playing at parties and battle of the band competitions with his band, Loose Marvin. When he attended Rutgers University, Emmich formed a new band, Ben Trovato, and began playing at local venues around New Brunswick and at Maxwells in Hoboken.
In 2001, after being in three different bands, Emmich decided to go solo. He said he felt like he was the most dedicated member in each of his bands and that it was hard being the only one believing in a dream.
Emmich said his decision to go solo stemmed from the fact that he wanted complete control over the songs he was writing.
“I no longer wanted to compromise my vision of how I wanted [the songs] to sound,” he said. “Being a solo artist allowed me to not worry about other people’s feelings and just trust my own gut and treat the songs exactly how I wanted to treat them.”
Emmich said going solo has given him more confidence as a writer and has created a limitless writing process for him.
While he still values being a part of a band, he said it often feels like a struggle of egos.
“Being in a band is a magical thing because it’s a bunch of different minds coming together,” he said.
After going solo, Emmich signed with Childlike Records, a small independent label in New York. With this label, he was able to record his debut CD, “Slow Down Kid,” in early 2003. Emmich and his friends also filmed a music video that appeared on MTV2 and on the show Total Request Live (TRL) on MTV.
Music executives were impressed with Emmich because he was the first artist to appear on TRL who was not signed to a major record label or to a label with national distribution. After the music video came out, it wasn’t long before Emmich was signing a record deal with Epic Records.
He then reproduced “Slow Down Kid” with producer Mark Trombino. The redone album consists of six reworked versions of songs from the original CD and four new ones.
According to Emmich, being part of a record label is not always easy.
“Anytime someone’s giving you money they want a say in how [your work] turns out,” he said.
Emmich described it as a struggle with the music. He said executives sometimes have a different perception of what art should sound like in order to make money.
“The art gets watered down and compromised. It’s a tough balance trying to stay true to your art and trying to keep your head above water and continue your career on the label,” he said.
Even though he is a solo artist now, when Emmich plays live shows, he performs with a band. The band includes Eric Micali and Anthony Bianco, both longtime friends and original band members from high school, as well as bassist Jon McGarry.
Emmich and his band began touring the country in 2003 and have since performed in many major cities in America.
He said his biggest break came in May 2004 when he toured the West Coast on the Dashboard Confessional tour.
“It was a market that we haven’t touched upon,” he said. “The bands we toured with were really cool and it was a good learning experience.”
As for the actual performance of a live show, Emmich said he is still learning how to enjoy it.
“It’s a bit unnatural for me. The songs are quite personal and if people aren’t listening I get easily frustrated and angry,” he said.
Emmich said that as his fan base continues to grow, he is becoming more confident with live performances.
“Fans singing along and looking up at the band and [me] with attentive faces is the greatest pleasure for me when playing live,” he said. “I just want people to listen.”
That is why Emmich said his favorite venue is Maxwells, because he’s played at the Hoboken club so often that it has become a home base for him.
“I always have good performances at Maxwells. Probably because those are currently where my best fans reside,” he said.
However, Emmich said that if he had the choice, he would just write music instead of going on tours.
“I like the act of writing music better than the act of playing music,” he said.
Because his lyrics are so personal, he said that some of his own character traits get revealed through his songs.
“I’m sensitive to people, introspective, thoughtful, observant, caring, cynical at times, depressed at times, manic at times, anxious, restless, searching, looking for the meaning of life,” he said.
These character traits are most evident in his latest album, which consists of songs that search for the meaning of life.
Emmich said each song tells a story, however, not all of them are his story.
“I feel that all the songs have a certain searching quality, a worry, an anxious feeling to them. That’s the way I feel most of the time,” he said.
The album’s title “Slow Down Kid” is a reference to a phrase Emmich said he continually heard as a child to try and keep him from growing up too quickly. The last song on the album is called “Slow Down Kid.”
“The CD generates a bunch of questions, which leads to feelings of anxiety, worry, panic, stress and then finally has some sort of answer or element of hope in the last song and the title,” he said.
Even though he’s hoping for a successful musical career, Emmich said his goal does not include being a huge star. He said he does not want success if it means he has to sacrifice his integrity.
“I want longevity. I want to be doing this and nothing else. I want respect. I want credibility,” he said.