Vince Vaccaro is of many minds when it comes to his roots.
The singer-songwriter, who was born in Montreal, is a proud French-Canadian. But he is also a flag-waving B.C. boy, having lived in Victoria since he was 12.
Though the two places seem like polar opposites, they live harmoniously within his personality.
“I’ll always be a product of the things from which I come,” Vaccaro said. “My roots are in French-Canadian culture, and I could never turn my back on that. But I am absolutely loving living in B.C. It has definitely become who I am, as far as my lifestyle. I couldn’t get up and drive a couple of hours for a surf if I’m living in Quebec City.”
Complicating matters further, he recently found a spiritual home in Byron Bay, an area on the east coast of Australia. Vaccaro visited the well-known surf spot three times during the past year, after having spent an extended amount of time there in the past.
“It’s a real magical place. It changes me every time for the better. You shed a little bit of your ‘stuff,’ and come back a little lighter.”
His ties to the area have grown deeper in recent years. Not only was Vaccaro’s music featured in The Meeting Place, a 2011 documentary about Byron Bay, his new album features songs written mostly during his trips to the area.
Eight of the 11 songs included on Byron Songs were conceived in and around the region. Though most of the album was completed at his home studio in Victoria, one song, If You Believe, was recorded on a friend’s front porch in Byron Bay.
Vaccaro was last there a year ago, mostly to surf and play shows. “I was trying to get the seed planted over there, with a real grassroots approach,” Vaccaro said. “One person at a time.”
He kept writing when he returned, cobbling songs together with “a whole bunch of pieces” that got their beginnings in Australia. Vaccaro got sidetracked soon after — not only with surfing, his passion, but also with making a ukulele-based record. Byron Songs took a back seat while he pursued his new musical direction. It wasn’t until he herniated a disc in his back, while helping a friend fix his car in January, that Byron Songs was put on the fast-track for release.
“I ended up spending a lot of time sitting, and laying down,” Vaccaro said of his recovery period. “I knew what I didn’t have — my back — because I couldn’t even put a pair of shoes on. But I could mix in the studio. I got really focused and mixed down 11 tracks, and basically made a record.”
He is celebrating the release of Byron Songs with a concert featuring his full band on Friday at Sugar. He is planning to expand his repertoire in the coming months by bringing a saxophone player on board. He’s doing so in anticipation of summer sets at festivals like the Burnaby Blues and Roots festival, where he will appear on Aug. 10.
Vaccaro’s sound varies from show to show, but is almost always guitar-based. His recent exploration into the ukulele has broadened his horizons and he hopes to continue discovering new tricks.
“I realize that there are other instruments out there that I can play, and do play, and played long before I ever had a band or touched an electric guitar.”
Where were you born and raised?
I was born in Montreal. But I was raised here. I got my education in the West.
When did you arrive in Victoria?
My parents moved out West when I was 12. They thought moving out here would be the best thing, and so far it has worked out pretty well for me. There’s ocean here, there’s mountains here. Those are the reasons why I will always make this my home.
What brought you here?
In the late ’60s, my mom visited Victoria and really fell in love with it. She never looked away. She was always thinking one day she would live here again. And she did.
What is your favourite thing about Victoria?
Definitely the proximity to some pretty amazing waves. My favourite thing, guaranteed. I also really like the pace here. I think Victoria has a small-town feel to it, but has all the things of a city. I love coming home to Victoria when I’ve been away. It’s special here.
What is your greatest accomplishment as a person?
Working on being as real and as present as I can. The world around me is on a whole other mission, it seems. A lot of people seem to be out there to get the most they can get, and are in pursuit of things that are essentially not going with you when it’s your time. I try to live in the moment and trust what I call the creator — a god, or whatever you want to call it. I trust that blindly, and allow that to flow through me.
And as a professional?
So much love comes back to me. It’s not really a tangible thing. I can’t measure it. But it feels so amazing to get that feedback from people. If I’ve had a bad day, I remember that people have been so encouraging. That’s a gift.
First album you purchased?
Eight years old. Montreal. The mall in the neighbourhood we lived in. I went in there with the five-dollar bill I had. I bought Michael Jackson’s Bad on vinyl. I remember dropping the needle on it and hearing, “I’m bad, I’m bad.” So good.
Favourite album?
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Déjà Vu.
First concert you attended?
I went to see Pearl Jam in Vancouver when I was 16. It was the first concert I went to with just my friends, away from my parents.
Favourite concert you attended?
There have been so many things at concerts that have moved me and changed me. But seeing Bruce Springsteen at GM Place in 2008, watching from the side of the stage, was the craziest night. Making eye contact with the man was a whole other level.
If you had one motto, or rule to abide by, what would it be?
It’s a Jimi Hendrix lyric: “I’m the one that’s gonna have to die when it’s time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to.”
Vince Vaccaro is performing Friday night at Sugar. Doors are at 9 p.m. Tickets are $15 at Lyle’s Place. To buy his new record, Byron Songs, visit vincevaccaro.bandcamp.com.
