‘Secondhand’ serenades Spokane

He lights go up and the neon pink "Secondhand Serenade" banner shines against the pitch-black stage. Standing beside me,  a girl in a homemade  "I Love John Vesely" T-shirt etched out in black Sharpie stands on tiptoes, trying to catch a glimpse of the tattooed singer backstage. Tears run down her face as she mumbles a string of "ohmygods" under her breath. Behind her, thousands of girls follow in a similar suit.

Two hours beforehand, I sat with John Vesely, the man behind the name "Secondhand Serenade," in a neon green room on an upper level of the Knitting Factory. Laid back and boyish, wearing a pulled down baseball cap and a vinyl jacket, Vesely seems unaware of his effect on fans.

Two years ago Vesely went from being a Myspace favorite to a Billboard king with the chart-topping album "Twist In My Story." The album's hit song "Fall For You" topped charts at No. 13 on the American Top 40 and was certified platinum.

Vesely's third album, "Hear Me Now," released Aug. 3 of r, is more upbeat and fast paced than his previous albums. The lyrics, written by Vesely, are poetic and poppy, but still contain the heartfelt songs his last two albums are known for.  

On Aug. 27 I met with Vesely to discuss his new album and what it's like to be the man behind Secondhand Serenade.

Stephanie Brooks How's the tour going so far?

John Vesely The tour's going fantastic. We're almost to the end of it, only about a week left. We're out with some great bands except for "Runner Runner" [laughs as band member walks into the room]. No but really, it's been fun, "Runner Runner" are been good friends of ours from Southern California and "Camera Can't Lie" came on halfway through the tour and they've been fantastic as well, and "White Tie Affair," we have been on a gazillion tours with them.

SB Why did you choose the name "Secondhand Serenade" instead of going with John Vesley?

JV I wanted to focus more on the music rather than the person, so I went with the name. The idea is that when I write my songs they're always written about something or someone and that person will usually hear the song first. Then, when I go on tour, it's like I'm giving the secondhand serenade to all those lovely fans.

SB Your parents were both musicians. Did they influence you?

JV It did but at the same time it pushed me away. But music was always around me so it made things easier.

SB How did you get your start in the music industry?

JV I recorded an album, put it up on Myspace and started spending hours a day promoting it. After that, it kind of went out of control. I sold a lot of albums and people just seemed really into it.

 SB  How does your new album "Awake" differ from "A Twist in my Story"?

JV I took a few more risks and was more creative on this album. Last time I was a little bit shyer because it was my first time working with a producer but this time around I was more confident.

 SB  What was it like working with producers on your last album?

JV It was great. I learned so much and it allowed me to come off of that and produce some of the songs myself this time.

SB When "Fall For You" came out last summer, it was a huge hit. Did you see that coming?

JV No way. I hoped the song would do well, I wasn't even sure if it was the right single but I guess it was.

SB What was the transition like from being an unknown to a famous musician?

 JV Exciting but uneventful. It's not that different, it happened so gradually you don't even notice it.

SB If you weren't playing music what do you think you would be doing?

JV  I'm not really sure. I could be in a gutter dead somewhere [laughs]. All I know is that I need to be playing music.

  SB What's up next for you?

 JV More touring, more albums, more music. I just want to get around the world and play to as many people as possible. That's what I love to do.