Lucy Vincent sets its sights on larger fan base
Martha's Vineyard power-trio transcends the Burlington scene to move towards a mainstream market

Power-trio Lucy Vincent at Higher Ground on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2007. Jon Stewart, photo

Jonathan Stewart | copy editor
jstewart2@smcvt.edu

Shortly after forming in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. in the summer of 2005, Lucy Vincent moved to Burlington, Vt. with the hopes of starting a rock band that would one day reach the masses.  Lucy Vincent is a power-trio consisting of bassist Jordan Lee Berger, guitarist and vocalist Kelly Ravin and drummer Matt “Matty Ro” Rosenthal.  Two years after its formation, the group has taken its self-proclaimed “feel good music” across the nation without the support of a record label or form of outside management. 

Lucy Vincent has played over 120 shows in its first year together, as well as more than 100 shows since the release of Head of the Tide this past February. Lucy Vincent has also opened for Blues Traveler and Galactic to name a few. Having conducted its own merchandising, publicity, management and up until recently, its own booking, Lucy Vincent has begun to generate a fan base across the nation and is currently working with this momentum towards a more mainstream market. 

From left: Kelly Ravin, Matt Rosenthal and Jordan Lee Berger get the crowd dancing at Higher Ground. Jon Stewart, photo

Playing with a double-edged sword  

There are other bands on the road and in the studio with elements of Lucy Vincent’s motivation and talent, says Ron Peleg, booking agent for the band.  However, he says that what separates Lucy Vincent from other artists is the group’s tenacity, musical talent and dedication to do whatever it takes to succeed. 

“Lucy (Vincent) is willing to tour anywhere with the group in one car with all of their instruments,” Peleg says.  “Whether they are playing to 12 people in Georgia or a packed house at Nectar’s, they are going to get the crowd dancing.”

Unlike many independently financed bands, Lucy Vincent has not been willing to hire friends to do merchandising or be its road manager, Peleg says.  Instead, Lucy Vincent does all of its own work leading up to a show for the sake of the music, he says. 

“Just like in any business, when you truly believe in your product you are going to eventually sell it,” Peleg says.  “They really believe in the music they are making.” 

Susan Weber, CEO of Ego Management, a talent management firm in New York City and Louisville, Ky. that is not associated with Lucy Vincent, says that a band cannot ultimately manage the business aspects of music while also being in a creative mind-space to write and record.  The interpersonal relationships of a band and how they coincide with each other can create a dynamic that causes groups to fail, she says

On the other hand, Berger says that the reason Lucy Vincent has been successful in managing itself is because of the unique dynamic between its members. While Berger has the business background, Kelly and Matt are the creative and progressive forces in the band.

“Generally our three personalities work at very different extremes,” Berger says.  “But it is good that we are so different because that is how we accomplish everything you need to do in a band.  If we were all the same, we would never progress.” 

Sell out with me tonight? 

While Lucy Vincent has recorded two full albums as well as played hundreds of shows around the United States, Peleg says that Lucy Vincent is on the brink of moving to the next level in a more commercial market.

Nevertheless, Lucy Vincent’s sound and style are blending genres that appeal to college students as well as a more mainstream demographic because of its power-trio structure, Berger says.  The group’s complex rhythm, harmonies and song structures are what makes the group stand out he adds.

“Our songs are high-quality and in-depth, as well as a mainstream and marketable sound, so we bring in fans of all different levels of musical appreciation,” Berger says. 

The group is currently in the process of booking tour dates down the East coast to Florida and in California, but in order to reach the attention of large record labels, Peleg says the group needs to be on the right tour with large support.

He says that Lucy Vincent needs to make sacrifices in order to reach a status where it can showcase its music to the masses, however, the group will not sell out on anybody else’s terms but its own.  It is crucial to the band to save the music’s integrity, Peleg says. 

Lead singer and guitarist of Lucy Vincent, Kelly Ravin. Jon Stewart, photo

No rest for the future

In addition to touring this fall down through Florida, Lucy Vincent plans to do three shows in the British Virgin Islands in December.  The group will also be recording its third studio album this winter, and Berger says it is going to be a true rock album.

Berger says that Lucy Vincent will also be looking to put together a team in order to book and promote the group further. Since its success and popularity has grown rapidly in the past two years through relentless touring, Berger says, Lucy Vincent is at the point where in order to move forward more people need to be involved. 

“We need more people in order to accomplish everything and move forward,” Berger says.  “I believe in aggressive business and when you hit it, you attack it as hard as you can.  But if it were all over tomorrow, I am so proud of what we have done on our own.”

While Berger says that Lucy Vincent has accomplished more in two years than most bands are capable of, Peleg says the group still has a long road ahead. 

“Lucy Vincent has not yet hit their peak,” Peleg says.  “There is such a great relationship between the members musically as well as real life that works well together, but they are at the point where they need the financial backing before they pop.”

As Lucy Vincent rapidly builds its fan base all over the nation and creates another full-length album, Berger says, there is no reason to change its sound while reaching out towards a more mainstream audience.  Since the band believes in the content and style of the music it produces, the masses are going to be able to connect with it on some level, he says.

“Our sound is marketable on the radio while having a grassroots feel,” Berger says.  “We are not going to sell out and sound like Maroon 5, but it is smart to make a conscious effort to make your music sound good to a mass audience.”