Lindzi.com: How'd the Creed tour
go?
Vaughan of
Vonray: It was our first real tour.
The Creed guys were super nice to us. To be in front of that kind of crowd,
it was amazing. The Creed crowd is so diverse. We aren't hanging buddies
or anything, but we hooked up with their management. We know the guys pretty
well. Our guitar player grew up with Scott Phillips.
Lindzi.com: What's the craziest thing
you did with the guys while on tour?
Vaughan of Vonray:
Goodness, man. The craziest thing
we did was drive all night. I know that Dave and Garrett went out with the
Creed guys one evening. I don't go out much. I usually stay in after a show.
They went out and tore up the town. I enjoy people and I love social stuff,
but I don't party much anymore.
Lindzi.com: So, what do you like to
do after a show?
Vaughan of Vonray: I hang out with the guys and chat about the show and upcoming
shows. It's not a big party scene, but it's a lot of fun. We enjoy after
show get-togethers.
Lindzi.com: You guys recently performed
Inside Out, your first single, on the WB's Smallsville. What
was that like?
Vaughan of Vonray: We played in "The Tavern," their coffeehouse [on the show].
I was surprised how nice everyone was. Everyone was easy to get along with
and there weren't any egos involved. I'm a huge fan of the show so being
able to see them shoot any episode was fun. They're as good looking in person
as they are on TV. They're the best looking kids on television.
Lindzi.com: I understand that you dropped
out of college to pursue music. What was that decision like for
you?
Vaughan of Vonray: Within the second years of college I had written a bunch
of tunes. I was staying up all night and writing. I was getting to my classes
on time. I became nocturnal. Writing at night was my big thing. I knew by
the second or third year of college that I was going to have to give it up
and move on with music. "Life's too short, " I kept saying that in my mind.
"Just go for it. Go for what you love."
Lindzi.com: How much pressure were
you feeling?
Vaughan of Vonray: Terrible pressure. My family thought I was going to be
an engineer. I had gone through three years of college and that was tough.
There had been a lot of money spent on education. In retrospect, it was all
worth it. I would've been sitting in a cubicle solving problems all day.
Lindzi.com: What sets Vonray apart
from other groups?
Vaughan of Vonray: Originality in the sound of the vocals. We write straight
up rock tunes. We don't use scratching or loops. We're a five piece rock
band. We're heavy, but not really heavy. We're on the cusp of mainstream
and rock radio. We're somewhere between Creed and Goo Goo Dolls.
Lindzi.com: You left Tennessee to pursue
your dream in Orlando. Why Orlando? And how'd your brother get involved in
the act?
Vaughan of Vonray: I was fifty miles south of Nashville and I knew there
was so much going on there that I never would've made ends meat. I moved
down to Orlando, where my mom lived. I started playing the solo shows and
my brother enjoyed the music so much that he picked up the bass. We started
writing songs together. He's quite the wordsmith, an amazing poet, and great
musician. We grew together into music.
Lindzi.com: What's your favorite song
off your debut album?
Vaughan of Vonray: Part of Me is one of my favorites. It's inspired
by one of my best friends. She went through a painful time in her life when
she was between twelve and fifteen. She was sexually abused by a stepfather.
That's what it's about. I was done with the first verse and called her for
help on the second verse. She was open to this because you want awareness
to be raised by whatever means can get it down. She was able to give me a
feeling of drowning. A feeling of having to separate yourself from what's
going on. It made for an emotional tune. The first few times I sang it on
stage, I teared up. It started hitting me the way I hoped it'd hit other
people. It opened my eyes to the evil it is.
Lindzi.com: I think it's admirable
that you put a song out there about something like that. Musicians today
don't seem to be singing about anything. The message seems to be unimportant
these days. Would you
agree?
Vaughan of Vonray: I agree that there's not as many. It's all about the hook
and delivery. Message doesn't seem to be as important these days. I think
Creed did a fabulous job of portraying a positive message. There are plenty
of bands that still do it, but they are few and far between.
Lindzi.com: What's your favorite childhood
memory?
Vaughan of Vonray: We would make forts and do stuff all summer long. I think
about that all the time. I wrote a song about it called "Small Things." It's
about how things that look so large as children, everything looks so small
when you go back. Most of the songs that I wrote back then won't see the
light of day.
Lindzi.com: What were your high school
years like?
Vaughan of Vonray: I was voted Class Clown. I wasn't into music. I loved
it, but I wasn't playing guitar until the end of senior year. I grew up in
a ho-dunk town, graduated with like forty-eight people in my class.
Lindzi.com: What makes you
insecure?
Vaughan of Vonray: Sometimes the media makes me feel insecure. I worry about
what they might say or think. In reality, I'm trying to address the people.
I'm getting over it. That was one of my main downfalls. I worried about how
we'd be portrayed.
Lindzi.com: What's something you've
learned about yourself in the last
year?
Vaughan of Vonray: I've learned how much family means. I've also learned
that music runs a close second. I love what I'm doing so much that it's the
only thing in the world that would take me away from my family. Family and
music are the only things in my life. Sometimes it seems difficult to balance
both, but you have to rely on the relationships. You have to perform the
mental kung fu out here. Your own mind will work against you faster than
anything. You start missing the people you love and make mountains out of
molehills.
Lindzi.com: What's your life
philosophy?
Vaughan of Vonray: My life philosophy is based on faith in God. I had a real
bout with pride for a bit. I thought I was the shit. I ended up losing my
voice. I wasn't allowed to speak for some time until I got my voice back.
It grounded me so much. I now know where the credit goes.
Lindzi.com: What makes you
happy?
Vaughan of Vonray: Knowing that I'm able to pursue this dream and having
such a wonderful family keeping me grounded. I've always pursued this, but
there were times where I wondered if I should pursue this. It feels good
to have Elektra believing in this so much. I feel lucky.