Interviewed by Brian Rademacher
Date: December 2010

Brian Rademacher: Hello Vince, Brian from RockEyez.

Vince Albano: How are you?

Brian Rademacher: Good. Let start back in the 80’s when you opened for KIX, RIOT, and ANTHRAX which band treated you the best and why?

Vince Albano: I would say the band that treated us the best would be PROPHET. We were real young at the time and they gave us a lot of respect. We were talking with the stage crew and at the time we were very progressive, I wouldn’t call us a metal band at the time. They were amazed at the talent we had at such a young age. Usually when you played L’Amours or the big clubs back then you wouldn’t get sound or lights and they gave us everything. It was a little different playing with a band like KIX.

Brian Rademacher: How did you find out you had a talent for singing?

Vince Albano: I don’t think of myself as a great singer, I do the best of what I got. Back in the day, I started to like being a front man due to my mother. At six-year- old she took me to see Tommy THE WHO, she was buying me Elton John albums and AEROSMITH and she really is the one who got me started. She really pushed it and at six, seven years old I was singing to my dog at six O’clock in the morning singing a long strung out twenty-minute song and she put a lot of influence on my singing. I took lessons, became more technical, and tried to sing higher in the whole 80’s style. As I said before, I don’t think of myself as a great singer, but I’m an all-around singer I can sing in all registers and my thing is putting on a great show and having fun.

Brian Rademacher: Tell me a little about your youth growing up in Staten Island, NY?

Vince Albano: Me Keith and Dean grew up in Heartland Village and we’ve known each other since we were ten-years-old. It was based around music and we were all heavily into KISS, AEROSMITH and Ted Nugent at the time. At about ten-years-old we were hanging out in my basement blaring music acting like fools with sticks in our hands making believe we had guitars. We started in my basement with 1 snare drum a bass guitar that had only two or three strings on it and we knew nothing. We started with QUEEN "We Will Rock You".

Brian Rademacher: How were you in school?

Vince Albano: (laughing) Up until high school I did extremely well. When I hit high school, the whole band thing kicked in I passed but I wasn’t a straight ‘A’ student but I got through. I honestly just wanted to be onstage at that point. We got a lot of attention at an early age playing with big bands at age thirteen/ fourteen-years-old, we were on cloud nine playing the Staten Island Mall at one point with two-thousand people in the mall.

Brian Rademacher: So when you were young and at home standing in front of the mirror who did you imitate?

Vince Albano: Steven Tyler he’s my man and then it was Robert Plant AC/DC Bon Scott. I was also heavily into David Coverdale and DEEP PURPLE and that was all due to my Mom. She would say go down the stairs and give it a try. She bought me a little microphone and a monitor system and I practiced, I wasn’t that great at the time. (Laughing)!

Brian Rademacher: So what record or CD did you play the most as a kid?

Vince Albano: I would say “KISS Alive” it’s probably one of the best live albums ever! Another big one was "Toys In The Attic" by AEROSMITH.

Brian Rademacher: Do you remember your first gig and how it went?

Vince Albano: Shit man the first gig was at The Factory. Back in the day kids would flock to the shows we had like four or five-hundred kids following us.

Brian Rademacher: Did you play any sports in school?

Vince Albano: I went to Port Richard and I played football that’s the reason why I went to that school. I pulled a scam on my father… I was at St. Joseph’s by The Sea , and my friends were at Port Richard. So I told my dad I wanted to go to Port Richard because they had a football team but the real reason was because my friends were there… and a month into the football season I quit and it was all rock ‘n’ roll after that.

Brian Rademacher: As time went on did the band have many changes?

Vince Albano: Actually, up until recently Tony Lazzara ,Dean Santa and I were always the original members of CASHMIER. There was one more original member named Mike and we had different bass players, some were good some not so good Chris was a phenomenal bass player. About 1980 we hiredHugh Essay. Tony left the band about two three years, since we had some discrepancies with him and we hired Keith Lopez to play drums.

Brian Rademacher: When writing a song how’s that work?

Vince Albano: All our songs are based around true life experiences, Dean and I do most of the writing, and it’s always about something emotionally that happened. Some songs take years… you never know when the time comes.

Brian Rademacher: Compare the eighties to our present time in music?

Vince Albano: That’s a good question. I think the 80’s were amazing. People were different, the music was different; the record companies towards the end were fabricating bands and putting them together. People went out to have a great time, have fun, sing-a-long to music and follow the bands. Now the industry is completely changed with the internet and people downloading the music for free and stealing it. Things are completely different. I would much rather have the industry back in the 80’s compared to now, it’s one man for all now. Today you have bands that are writing a couple songs and the next year you never hear from them again. Back in the 80’s we would send out demos and we would get a lot of responses and the responses would be "We have a band but just want the singer from your band" so we can put him in another band or we just want your guitar player and drummer there was never we want CASHMIER. Probably all four of us could have made it in different bands that were fabricated and put out there and each of us could have had an album out with the bands we joined and that whole scene got really weird nearing the end of the 80’s and it died. If you look at THE WHO, AEROSMITH and bands back in the day they all had distinct sounds. Now you get bands that are good ,but two or three weeks later there are three more bands that sound just like them. It’s funny I was listening to the band called REDLINE something and I thought it was ALICE IN CHAINS, it was a totally fucking different band. The melodies are the same, the guitars are the same everything was the same, and they are on the radio. A few days ago I heard another band I thought was the new SOUNDGARDEN but again it was a totally different band.

Brian Rademacher: Do you think there will ever be a band that really stands out? I mean bands like FLEETWOOD MAC, JETHRO TULL these are legends and now all I hear are the sound alike alternative shit that sucks because everything sounds the same. I’m not saying it isn’t good but everything sounds the same. It’s kinda like boy bands that are a little poppier.

Vince Albano: Exactly! With a little heavier guitar. All those bands you mention back in the day are original sounds. That is what made them and that is why they stand the test of time and also that is why people still go to see them when they tour.

Brian Rademacher: Even record companies cater to certain bands, like Victory Records all I get are press releases from fucking screamo bands. Like I said I’m not saying they are bad just repetitive. I can’t tell who is who.

Vince Albano: My daughter can tell the difference but I guess it was the same when we were kids your parent’s who say it all sounds the same what are you kidding me. With the scream I would never want to sing like that one is because you will not have a voice in three or four years and I can’t even distinguish what the fuck they are saying.

Brian Rademacher: You think New Jersey is a good place to start a music career?

Vince Albano: I know there is a lot of stuff going on in Asbury but it’s a small click. Are there great bands that come out of Jersey, yeah look at AMERICAN ANGEL they are phenomenal and never really got what they deserve. There is a lot of talent in Jersey and I don’t think it really has anything to do with location anymore with the internet plus everyone has a recording studio now in their bedroom. I don’t see the Jersey scene being a rock n roll scene anymore it’s the fourteen year old kids that follow the Emo screamo bands. When I go out, I see more respect for cover bands than original bands these days. Back in the day, people would laugh at a cover bands and we played originals and people would respect that, now it’s the complete opposite.

Brian Rademacher: Is it even worth being signed to a label anymore?

Vince Albano: Listen if you have music that’s going to sell to the masses, Yeah because you’re going to make some money. I mean these days anyone can put out an album and get on satellite radio. I think “signed” means nothing these days you are not going to be given a million dollars anymore. You know going to be given a tour bus and dates set up for you, it doesn’t work that way anymore. The way it is now if you’re eighteen years old you can jump in a van and fucking tour the country on your own. Maybe just Maybe you will get a record company to throw you some money. The last contract I’ve heard of was TYKETTO and they fucked up that whole deal. Bands that my daughter listens to they jump in a van and drive around getting gigs.

Brian Rademacher: I do plenty of interviews with young bands and they say one of their favorite times is stopping at the dollar menu… (laughing)! So would you say your part in CASHMIER is to have fun, enjoy life and stay in Jersey or Staten Island?

Vince Albano: Yeah I’m having a great time. Would I like to go out and play bigger venues, absolutely! I would love to play Rocklahoma or bigger venues but to even get that is a big headache. I made the phone calls and tried to get into those but it’s just a hassle.

Brian Rademacher: You have a new album?

Vince Albano: We are working on it, we put a couple new tracks up on MySpace but we are keeping tracks for the new EP. Our goal is putting twelve songs on a full CD.

Brian Rademacher: Yeah I just listened to a couple tracks on your Facebook "Can’t Go On Like This" I liked that a lot, I also liked "Spaceland" but my favorite was "Insane".

Vince Albano: Our last release was back in 2008. We have a lot of interest from our fans that want to hear new stuff and we really are shooting for the twelve song CD. We are trying to get passed that 80’s sound and incorporated some newer sounds. We don’t want to put tracks on there that fans say are dated that’s the reason why we posted "Can’t Go On Like This". We just finished a song called "You Threw It Away" it kinda has the GODSMACK feel.

Brian Rademacher: What are your plans for next year?

Vince Albano: We want to play bigger venues; I mean I don’t want to sound cocky but I’ve played these clubs a million times. For me I don’t like standing on the floor staring at someone in the face. I want to be on the stage having fun. I don’t want to get through a set because I’m miserable there is a folding chair and refrigerator next to me singing on stage. (laughing)

Brian Rademacher: So if you gave advice to a new young band. What would you tell them?

Vince Albano: I do come in contact with a lot of young musicians. There are so many bands that have the same sound and I would tell them to find a sound that is a little different then what everyone else is playing or a little more original. I tell them sit down and imagine what you would want to hear. I just saw this young band called BREATHING BLUE who were phenomenal and when they were done with their set and coming off stage I told them they were really fucking talented. I told them their harmonies were great, they had a great bass player and all great musicians. The only negative thing I told them they need to get away from that fucking boy band thing you’re doing on stage. They had a sound like COLDPLAY and they should have that emotion. The kid looked at me like I had fucking ten heads. I wasn’t knocking them and the kid had a phenomenal voice, check them out!

Brian Rademacher: If you could describe yourself, what would you say?

Vince Albano: As a person, I’m genuine and up front. You might not like what I have to say and some people might take it the wrong way but I say what I’m thinking and I say it with the bottom of my heart. I’m not a cocky guy but when you’re playing in bands and the singer, people might think that but quite honestly I’m just a shy guy. Obviously not onstage that’s where I shine. I’m very caring, I care about my friends and family. If you’re my friend I’ll do anything for ya, anything! But don’t cross me.

Brian Rademacher: What would you say is your biggest achievement in life is?

Vince Albano: My kids, you don’t know what life is until you have kids and watch them grow.

Brian Rademacher: Hey man I wish you the best and have a happy holiday. Would you like to say anything in conclusion?

Vince Albano: I would like to thank you for taking the time to interview me. It means a lot to me.

Brian Rademacher: I wish I had a little more time to do more research.

Vince Albano: Don’t worry about that! What are you going to find? All the porn’s I was in... (Laughing ) only joking!