It's finally here guys! Here's the transcript of the interview I did with the wonderful Vinny Rugnetta of The Backbeat!

Melissa- How did you get started into music?

Vinny-  I got started into music pretty much by my parents. They were always playing music when I was growing up. I was always hearing the Beatles and oldies, and Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack. I really took to the Beatles in my style, even though I love Frank. I started playing the trumpet and piano when I was nine, and then went to the guitar when I was twelve. I first wanted to play the bass and not the guitar because Paul Mccartney played bass in the Beatles, but my parents talked me into playing the guitar first, and they were right in doing that because it really worked out for the better for me in helping create my own music and style.

Melissa- Personally, who are your musical influences?

Vinny-  My musical influences are of course The Beatles. They are really the reason why I wanted to play music. I just love everything about them. I also like Dave Matthews, Oasis, Donovan, Chris Isaak, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, Pink Flyod, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, and pretty much all 60's music, and whatever catches my ear or I can relate too.

Melissa- How did it feel to be nominated for the Best Pop Band at the 2007 Asbury Awards?

Vinny- It was pretty cool seeing that we were nominated for best pop band at this year's Asbury Park Music Awards. I remember going to the show last year, and thought it would be cool to win or to be nominated. And we were this year! I thought, if we got nominated it would be EJ for best guitarist. I didn't think the whole band would get nominated yet, but we were. It's nice getting a little recognition.

Hey thanks to P. Magnum (the best photographer in the world) we have some new really kick ass pics up of the band. Yesterday we were walking in the rain in downtown Freehold, and decided to take a few while we were at it. It rained pretty hard, but that inspired us to take a couple cool shots we might not have taken. All in all, we got drenched, but the pics came out pretty sweet. Just have a look for yourself. Check out our galleries and the two new slide shows on our page!!!

On Aug. 3rd we played at the Stone Pony with our good friends Status Green. Paolo got some sweet live shots of us on stage. Even Lou popped up to join in on the fun. All the bands played killer sets that night. Thanks to all our family, friends, and fans for coming out to see us. We'll be playing with Status Green again at the Andy Hampel Cancer Benefit on Sunday Sept. 9th at the Stone Pony. We hope you all can make it out to support this really important cause.

Setlist from 8/3/07 at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park

Just So You Know>>Don't Move On, Girl of My Dreams, Just Like This, Definitely Baby, Without A Gleam, Girl From Montreal, Fish to Fry, Somone Like You, Twist and Shout (featuring Lou Montesano on backing vocals)

By now most of you may know that Eric and Kurt Loegel are no longer with The Backbeat. Due to creative, irreconcilable differences the four of us could not work together anymore. EJ and I wish the best for Kurt and Eric in their music, and in their lives.  They are very talented musicians, which no one can take away.  We had lots of fun playing with them, and it was a great ride.  May they have success in all of their endeavors, and may they be blessed with a bright future.

The new recordings you hear on our myspace, and the album will still feature Kurt and Eric Loegel as they were still with the band when we finished the drum and bass tracks of the album.

But EJ and I would like to welcome Paul Coraggio as the new, talanted, and versatile bass player of  The Backbeat. We are looking forward to what hopes to be a new, long, and prosperous relationship.  Paul made his official live debut as the bass player of The Backbeat at the Internet Cafe in Red Bank, NJ this past June 15th. The show went great, and was tons of fun. Thanks to everyone for coming, and supporting the important cause that we were playing for that night.

We would also like to welcome Ken Masson as the new drummer of The Backbeat. He has fun fills and a solid beat that add that nice touch back to The Backbeat. Ken used to be the drummer of the popular NJ funk band Red- Headed Boogie Child. He was also a freelance drummer, and has played with major recording artist, Joss Stone on ocassions. His seniority and experience will surely help The Backbeat move up in their professionalism as a band.  

Thanks for stopping by and remember to keep checking back to our page for updates!!

thank you,

~Vinny Rugnetta

We'll, there was once again another full, all- out weekend for The Backbeat. This past Friday we got the filming done for our video for "Definitely Baby." The filming was a long and tiring process. We finished filming it at Monmouth Academy of Musical Arts after closing at 9:00pm. We went until 3:00am shooting the different shots we needed for the video. This time around we had a special guest star in the video. Our friend Christa plays the object of attraction. She's muy caliente lol.  Troy once again did a great job coming up with the different scenes with directing us in his vision for the project. We can't wait to see how the finished product comes out!!

On Saturday Vinny and EJ played an acoustic show at their old stomping ground the Cornerstone Caffe in Freehold. The crowd was great and we had a fun time playing our originals and covers. Thank you to Don Lee for showing up and playing during our break. We really enjoy seeing him play. It was fun having him up for the finale, singing the harmonies on "Twist and Shout" with us!! Also, we had another surprise guest come up. Our drummer Kurt Loegel came up and did an "interesing" job singing "I am the Highway" lol. We'd like to thank Cole and Eric for having us. We always love playing there.

Finally, on Sunday we played at the Jersey Shows Battle of the Bands at the Court Tavern in New Brunswick.  It was the first round out of five. We went on last and played one of our finest shows. Kurt finally got a new drum set and show cased for the first time. It looks beautiful and sounds great. It is a cherry birch wood Gretch set. It is very classy. We opened the show with "Just Like This."  then, we went into a real speedy version of "Definitely Baby," followed by "Don't Move On," then came "Girl From Montreal," follwed by "Fish To Fry," then "Just So You Know," and we closed with "Someone Like You."  We came in first out of the three bands scoring a 48.5/50!! We would just like to congratulate the other two bands for moving on as well. We have to thank all our family and friends for coming out and supporting us all the time. Without you we wouldn't have won. We hope to see you all and more at the next round on April 15th. Same place, and I believe same time. We'll keep you posted.

Don't forget to keep checking our myspace for updates!!

Have a good one!!

Thank you,

The Backbeat