“Assisted Living always wants to one up there next song.” @ALGroovesmusic

GETTING TO KNOW ASSISTED LIVING
by Jacqueline Jax host of A.V.A Live Radio

Challenging yourself..
Assisted Living always wants to one up there next song. We have a belief that the next song needs to be better than the last one. Steve and I have a personal belief that whether we are writing , recording, marketing, etc it must be better each time.

Success…
Every musician wants financial success. That is a given. I believe getting our music out there, finding our niche, and continuing to improve our skills is a personal success. Having your fans ask for more music or requesting something from the past is so COOL!

I am most afraid of…
staying as healthy as possible. I always believe that if the MAN upstairs will help me take care of my family, I will take care of the rest down here 🙂

I am hoping …
To be able to do music full time. I have a great day job but music is what keeps me going!

Social Media is…
an amazing thing! We have garnered fans from all over the world. We have also had the opportunity to discover very talented artist with great songs. YouTube allows your audience to see you and your ideas in action. Facebook connects with friends, family and musicians around the world. It’s never easy getting your music out there and more difficult to get heard. A good marketing plan is a must and a never say never attitude.

Starting early…
JOHN-Honestly my Mom & Dad bought me my first guitar when I was 5. I remember arguing with my first grade teacher that the alphabet stopped at G 🙂

STEVE-My grandmother bought me my first drum set.

Trapped…
was originally written by Steve and I many years ago and performed in a group named Mythology. When we got back together we thought it would be a great song to revisit and turn it into an instrumental. Trapped always was a crowd favorite.

Balancing Tends…
Music is so diverse now, I believe just follow your heart, you will find your audience. Assisted Living keeps writing different material from song to song. It’s our way of being diversified and challenging our musical journey.

Creating the music…
Writing is done on a Stellar 6 string acoustic guitar. Recording we us a Tascam 2488, ESP LTD guitar, Ibanez bass, Arturia Mini Lab keyboard, Alesis drum set and a Roland Sample pad.

Assisted Living is planning…
on a EP release late fall of this year. No name for the EP has been decided on just yet but we plan on 5 songs and 3 video’s to be included on the CD. To release an EP after so many years and to have the response we have received from ReverbNation, Akademia Music Awards. AVA Radio is amazing. We are humbled and grateful for everyone’s support.

Texas…
We live in Richmond/Rosenberg Texas a suburb of Houston. Music scene is very diverse in Houston. Great venue’s, unique bands and a melting pot of sights and sounds. To be honest Music is our “FUN” thing to do! Writing a new song, recording, working on a video is the most fun in the world.

I would love to have 5 minutes alone with…
JOHN-Mr. Alan Parsons (The Alan Parson Project). Alan’s writing and recording skills are amazing. When you work with the Beatles and Pink Floyd plus have a successful solo career what more could you want musically. Alan has evolved his sound through the years and is still as current today as he was when he started.

STEVE-Rush. love there outside the main stream attitude and how they didn’t bow down to the music industry.

What’s ahead…
More Music! We are having to much fun with everything to ever stop. After almost 30 years apart Steve and I are just getting started!

Listen to the interview: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/avaliveradio/2015/08/13/episode-248-ava-live-radio-behind-the-music-with-jacqueline-jax

BIO: Assisted Living’s instrumental melodies hearken back to the glory days of classic rock, when guitarist John Madeiro and drummer Steve Hennesey first picked up instruments and discovered their unique—and long-lasting—sense of rhythm. In 1978, their very first band, Paragon, was invited to audition for an opening act on The Eagles’ nation-wide tour. Tragedy struck two days before the audition, however, when their lead singer suddenly quit the band. In the years before the Internet, no quick replacement could be found. Paragon’s meteoric rise came to an abrupt end, and John and Steve separated until 1981, when they reunited with a new vocalist to form full-blown southern rock band Mythology. Their second effort gained rapid popularity throughout Texas, both for their blues-based anthems and the professional production Mythology brought to venues all across the state. Though poised to reach even further than their first attempt, Mythology also suffered a fatal blow. In one two-week stretch of 1985, three of the band members were forced to relocate to other states; here again, in the days before the web, the band could not continue with most of its members flung far across the country. Steve moved to California, where he spent a few years moonlighting as a studio drummer. John decided to hang up the guitar once and for all and focus on his family instead. Both men lost contact for nearly thirty years. For the first twenty, music took a backseat; in that last decade, however, both men dusted off their instruments and began to shake off the rust. John dug up his acoustic and spent several years writing music, while Steve sat back down with the drums. Both moved in and out of bands and small side projects, but they didn’t reconnect until 2013, when a chance encounter online reunited them for a jam session for old time’s sake. Immediately, they rediscovered the friendship and rhythm that had laid the groundwork for Paragon and Mythology so many years prior. A one-off jam session became a weekly event, and the two friends capitalized on the latest technology: recording high-quality productions in home studios, creating their own music videos, and crafting a unique sound from their own whim and strong musicality. AirBorne debuted first, both a nod to their own storied struggle with music and their simple desire to just have fun. Assisted Living, tongue-in-cheek from the start, emerged shortly thereafter, finding critical success with their next track Wishful, which took home an Akademia award in May 2015 for Best Instrumental/Rock song. The classic rock anthem Trapped was soon to follow. Both AirBorne and Wishful have accompanying music videos. Each feature the distinctive green ‘running man’ from Assisted Living’s official logo, and each have outperformed all expectations, garnering thousands of views across the internet. A third video to accompany Trapped will be released summer 2015, and will raise the bar even higher. Writer. Web Developer. Dork. Matt Madeiro