Photo Credit: Holly Turner
How did you guys become a band?
Greg: I basically heard Hope was looking for a serious bandmate through Facebook. I messaged her from there.
Whats the meaning of the name VISTA?
Greg: It’s Hope’s middle name!
Hope: Yeah, it’s actually my middle name. The meaning of the word ‘vista’ kind of just ended up matching us though.
Can you tell us a little something about each of you?
Greg: I can turn my tongue upside down. I guess that’s a little something!
Hope: I collect the Disney Animated Classics VHS tapes! I have a print out list of all the ones that exist and cross them off when I find a new one. I only need a few more to finish the collection, but they’re hard to find so I have to order them.
What is it like being in a band? And what’s the difference from going from being solo artists to becoming a band?
Greg: The collaboration of everything i’d say – not just music. Business ideas. Branding. It’s a lot!
How would you describe your musical style as a band?
Greg: I’d say it’s alternative rock with a lot of flare to it. We try not to be boring.
Hope: Alt rock with electronic elements and influences.
What artists/bands are you influenced by?
Greg: I’m influenced by a lot. Lately I’ve been super into Dance Gavin Dance, and checking out the new Now, Now record. My music taste is very very wide.
What’s the difference from your band and all bands that have come before you?
Greg: When you think of guy and girl two-piece, you usually jump right to The White Stripes. However, we sound pretty damn different from them, although I love them.
You guys recently released your new single, “Witch Hunt”. Can you tell us how this song came about and the meaning of the song?
Greg: We went into the studio in January with the intention of writing two songs. We wanted to go into the studio with nothing pre recorded and see what went on. The only thing we did go into the studio with was the lyrical concept for “Witch Hunt”. We knew we wanted to write a song about that “who can you trust?” type of scenario in today’s society, one that’s all too common and really haunts us.
What do you hope to gain out of your music careers?
Greg: Just enough to get by and be comfortable. I don’t a need lavish lifestyle. I just wanna not worry about money and play music.
Hope: I want this to be what provides me steady income. What a world it would be if we could all make a living out of our passions; that’s what I want with this. I want to feel accomplished in my work and comfortable in our creativity, while simultaneously being able to live comfortable and pay all my bills.
You guys just announced you’re heading out on tour, Can you tell our fans what they can expect from your shows?
Greg: You can expect an honest and hopefully intense live performance, one that just makes you rock out hopefully.
Hope: We bring forth a ton of energy live. Greg and I just connect live for whatever reason, which is a main part of the reason we’re in a band together. We really want everyone to come into our shows and leave their life stressors at the door for the night, enjoy the set, and feel like they’re in a safe spot.
What’s the feeling you guys get when performing in front of your fans?
Greg: If everyone’s into the show and vibing, so are we. It’s hard not to feed off the energy directly!
Hope: Yeah, we feed directly off of the crowd’s energy. The more energetic and excited the people there are, the more energy we have to pull from.
Does your fanbase have a name?
Greg: The Allegiance (loosely).
Hope: I think it’s The Allegiance! We haven’t really pushed that though, it’s just something that came from a lyric of ours and people took to it, which is cool.
How do you want your relationship to be with your fans?
Greg: The same as the next guy pretty much. We want to help as much as you’re helping us. We wanna give the best we can to you.
Hope: We try to be very personable with everybody! That’s something we’d always like to maintain. If they didn’t listen to our music, come to our shows, buy our merch, post about us on social media, we wouldn’t be able to do any of that continuously. So it’s only fair and right to make sure we always try our best to remain personable, honest, and keep the door open for communication and conversation with everyone. We talk to every single person inside the venue at shows.
What social media platform do you use most to stay connected to your fans?
Greg: I’d say Twitter probably. Twitter is just great. But also the worst, lol.
Hope: Twitter is definitely the best for me because it’s the most readily available and immediate. You can do everything on that platform. Post photos, threads, replies, video, GIFs, promotion. It’s a one stop shop and it’s the quickest way for word to spread. Greg actually said yesterday Twitter is the most plausible for viral marketing and he’s 100% right. We also utilize Instagram stories quite a bit, which I think is potentially the best idea since Twitter.
What was the craziest fan encounter you guys have had?
Greg: I’m not sure. We just ran into a fan at Wawa the other day, that was really funny.
Hope: Oh my god, that was so funny. He was looking at me, and I knew who he was but I wasn’t sure. So I was online at Wawa going onto this fan’s Twitter account to make sure it was him before I said something. While I was on Twitter, Greg comes running into Wawa with this guy, his name is Matty and he’s super fucking cool, saying HOPE IT’S MATTY!!!! And I was like, I’M LITERALLY ON YOUR TWITTER RIGHT NOW DOUBLE CHECKING TO SEE IF IT’S YOU, and ran out of line to show that I was scrolling through his Twitter trying to find an updated photo. It was so funny and just ironic, I couldn’t stop laughing the whole ride back to New York.
Will there be an EP/album out soon?
Greg: As of now, “Witch Hunt” is all we have in the foreseeable future. We’re always planning though 🙂
Hope: We just put out a 7 track EP in July, so right now we’re still touring to support that and “Witch Hunt.”
What’s an average day for “VISTA” look like?
Greg: Me and Hope just texting about random bullshit. It’s pretty sporadic lol.
Hope: I work three jobs, Greg works nights at Madison Square Garden. So honestly, we really don’t see each other all that much because we’re constantly working trying to save money for tour. We text almost all the time though to keep each other updated on stuff and just chat.
Where do you guys hope the band is in 5 years?
Greg: Touring regularly, with a good following. Hopefully getting radio play, having a record out, signed. I wanna tour internationally.
Hope: All of the above.
Do you guys have any last things you want to tell your supporters?
Greg: We love you so much. Thanks for such an awesome response to Witch Hunt. Let’s keep breaking records. Let’s make a noise so the world can’t help but notice. Join us. \/ /\
Hope: The reaction to “Witch Hunt” has brought a lot of life back into us. Thank you for streaming the song, helping us break some personal records, and opening your ears up to our creations. We love you and see you on tour!!!
Stay Updated On All Things VISTA:
“Witch Hunt”: https://open.spotify.com/album/5LyLct89RqZGxRTnlU9b3M?si=Lee3MfOeQ7qRL4cIJgb7Fw
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2kB0EAn1CFaf8CVMScxF8q?si=-S75moC0QEKbvs-tAhzP5A
THE BLOODLUST TOUR: www.bandsintown.com/VISTA
Greg: @grooglesVISTA (Twitter/Insta)
Hope: @hopevista (Twitter/Insta)