Interviewed by Brian Rademacher
Date: October 2008

Brian Rademacher: : Hey Vic and welcome to RockEyez.com! Our friendship goes back quit a few years and I really want to focus this interview on the new Poley/Rivera CD, “Only Human”.

Vic Rivera: Hey Brian, nice to talk to you again as always…yep, we go back to 2005 if I’m not mistaken, a year after the CRUNCH CD (from ADRIANGALE) was released. Thanks for having me for another interview! Ted would have loved to be a part of this piece, but he has a very busy schedule right now so he’s asked me to do the interview on behalf of us both.

Brian Rademacher: : Supposedly, this release was being worked on three years ago, true or false?

Vic Rivera: Well, it was two years of actual production on the CD – but you have to factor that we were in pre-production on this thing while we were recording his first-ever solo CD, Collateral Damage. There was a break in the recording and Ted – ever with the forward vision! – knew we would be working together for a long time after we’d finished “Collateral Damage” so he said “hey, why not start demoing some of those new tunes you’ve been telling me about?” The demoing for “Only Human” took just about a year, then we went into actually recording the CD for real, which took almost two full years. So yeah – while technically only two years of actual production of the real thing, it was three years from vision to reality. Before we even go on – MUCH thanks to Eddie Campbell and Brent Rusche for their stepping up and helping me when I needed it (hence their co-production and mixing credits) and of course to the ever-amazing Alex Salzman for his wizard-like mastering, general counsel and overall friendship. He’s really the best there is…

Brian Rademacher: : Was the delay because you and Ted were working on other projects?

Vic Rivera: Not really. The main reason was that Ted and I are extreme perfectionists and wanted to get it truly right before we called it a fully done project. Another other reason was that it turned out that the first batch of recordings wasn’t up to snuff sonically for where we were at, so I had to re-record the ENTIRE CD a second time – and in some spots, three times! I used to joke to everyone while we were recording and mixing the record that at the pace we were going, DEF LEPPARD’S mid 80’s output was going to seem very prolific next to us!! LOL! There were certain side projects both of us did independently and together as well – Ted’s Smile CD being that second collaboration. Ted and I are always cross-pollinating our projects…wait, maybe we should call it CROSS POLEY-NIZATION, ha ha!

Brian Rademacher: : The new CD “Only Human” should be out soon, even on your MySpace it says it would be released in Sept, what happened?

Vic Rivera: Nothing but a printing/art error that was discovered and necessitated the entire pressing having to go back for correction, save for a small batch that was sold at Firefest V in England this past October to capitalize on Ted’s appearance with DANGER DANGER …I used to privately think that the “artwork delay” excuse offered by bands and labels for late product was complete BS, until it happened to us! Boy, does that crow taste good – a little more pepper please!

Brian Rademacher: : You worked with Ted on “Collateral Damage” and “Smile”. What did you do differently on “Only Human” that would be noticeable?

Vic Rivera: I think that Ted and I went outside what would be considered “normal” boundaries for us on some of the material. I wanted to showcase different sides to the both of us, a different dynamic, that would show that (a) I’m not just your typical melodic rock songwriter and (b) Ted is not your typical rock singer – not that he has ever been ANYTHING near typical!

Brian Rademacher: : I recently had a chance to listen to “Only Human” and I must say that the harmonies, which I am a fan of, are excellent. Was that any kind of goal to make the harmonies stand out as they are?

Vic Rivera: Thanks. Ted and I, like much of our constituency, are fans of huge harmony vocals, so we went the extra mile to make sure that they stood out. That included making sure to once again incorporate Mike Ledesma (backing vocals on “Collateral Damage”) into the mix; I also sang all of the backing vocals with him this time, with Ted joining in as well. Mike’s a really talented dude with an amazing voice, he’s a great friend and I think he’s integral to our signature backing vocal style. Ted loves him every bit as much as I do!

Brian Rademacher: : Now you signed to Angelmilk who only have maybe eight artists, why would you sign to Angelmilk instead of going with a well-known label?

Vic Rivera: We signed with Angelmilk because they were up front with us from the start, and because Ted and I both have long-standing mutual relationships with Mr. Andrew McNiece, who we both love! Other labels were involved and/or expressed interested at several points but Ted and I decided Angelmilk was the way to go, for many reasons. No need to elaborate – all is well that ends well!

Brian Rademacher: : On Only Human you did vocals, drums, bass and guitar, just wondering why Ted didn’t do the drums since he is originally a drummer formerly of PROPHET?

Vic Rivera: Ted is an AMAZING drummer, but he loves the way that I played drums on all of the ADRIANGALE stuff as well as the “Collateral Damage” CD, so he insisted that I do it again here. His position is that I have the top view of the song since I am the principal songwriter, so he wanted it to retain whatever feel I had in mind for it. I happily deferred to him and his wish to have me play drums again (okay, I just love playing drums ANYWAY!), although I think it would be pretty neat for Ted to play drums on a song or two on a future POLEY/RIVERA release. Time will tell, let’s see where it ends up!

Brian Rademacher: : Were you and Ted ever having any thoughts of other musicians being on the record?

Vic Rivera: We wanted to keep the record close to our vision, since we’re both accomplished musicians with strong track records behind us. So for the most part, that meant keeping it down to the two of us, to truly make it “POLEY/RIVERA” as much as possible. We DID have the ever-amazing Eric Ragno contribute some stellar keyboards for one tune and of course the aforementioned Mike L. did an amazing job contributing backing vox on all tracks, but the idea was to keep it as pure as possible to show what we can really do as a team.

Brian Rademacher: : Before we get into the new CD “Only Human”, Can you tell me were certain tracks recorded at different times of the year?

Vic Rivera: Oh man – this thing was recorded all over the map, literally and figuratively! No one tune sticks out in my head as being recorded at any particular time…Ted might have a different take on this but since he’s not here, let’s just say that the songs spanned all four seasons quite evenly over the course of recording!

Brian Rademacher: : Let’s get into some of the CD, starting with “Keep On Fighting”. Listening to the track that seems a little heavy for Ted, it has a sense of AC/DC with some VAN HALEN musically. Yet once Ted’s vocals come in you have a fantastic melodic track. What’s your take?

Vic Rivera: Oh yeah, right off the bat I wrote this song to showcase a harder edge to Ted’s voice that I had discovered he had while demoing, and he was all over it! I think that the track has an almost European feel to it, especially in the chorus. Ted immediately said “Bro, first song on the CD, no way that it can’t be!” And there you have it…

Brian Rademacher: : “Top Of The World” has some great harmonies and your guitar is trance-like with rhythmic strumming, this is a good pop tune? What’s your take?

Vic Rivera: I’ll reference back to my answer to an earlier question in this interview, where I said I didn’t want to pigeonhole myself as a particular type of writer. I set out to make this an almost modern “power-pop” tune, wrote everything but the chorus, got stuck, gave it to Ted, he came up with one of the most brilliant choruses I have ever heard to match my verses and bridges, and we really feel this is one of the strongest tracks on the record!

Brian Rademacher: : Next up “Only Human” a tasty title track and your adrenalin is pumping. Poley is unbelievable on this one, What’s your feelings?

Vic Rivera: You know, difficult times can make for great songwriting, and that’s what happened here. All I will say is I wasn’t in a great place when I wrote it. But it’s easily one of my favorite songs I have ever written – and its Ted’s very favorite of all my songs. He sang it with such passion, such feeling and he nailed every bit of emotion that I wanted the song to elicit. He’s freakin’ amazing…

Brian Rademacher: : Ya know it’s usually the title track being the favorite but my favorites are the next two that I’m undecided, which one I like better. “Did We Just Have A Moment” has to be one of the strongest tracks on “Only Human”. The power and music and Ted really capture’s the heart. How do you feel about this track?

Vic Rivera: Tell you what – this was actually written for the SECOND POLEY/RIVERA CD! There is a reason for it being included on this record, which I will get into fully a little later on, but for this spot, I’ll just say its definitely an indication of where the next record will be – back to a more traditional pop-rock sound for sure!

Brian Rademacher: : “Insanity” is another killer tune that will drive fans crazy, kind of a power ballad that will hit home with melodic fans as well as rockers. You really make a big difference to the sound on this one and Ted and you mold yourself into one. How do you feel about this one?

Vic Rivera: We love it! It’s another one of my “I’m-angry-at-humanity-in-general-and-we-have-no-future” moments, but I always try to temper that frustration with as much melody as possible to sink some big hooks into you and pull you into the song…Ted instantly fell in love with it when he heard the demo and had some great ideas to add to the backing vocals. Magic, pure magic!

Brian Rademacher: : The next couple tracks I felt weren’t as strong as the rest of the CD.”N.W.S”, “The Bigger They Come”, “Delirious”, and “Fire At Will” were these tracks recording at a different time? Just seems to me these couple tracks just didn’t fit. At times I felt Ted tried to get heavier with some tunes and just out of place?

Vic Rivera: I will respectfully disagree here…(smiles)… “N.W.S”, in particular, was one that even Ted was a little leery about when I first brought it to him, because it is easily the heaviest thing I have ever written. But there is undeniable melody and hook in that track and in my opinion Ted knocked it straight outta the park – he loves the tune as well! What a monster groove it has, also! Again, I didn’t want to show the same old side to Ted and I for the entire record and while it might seem left field for some, I guarantee the more spins you give it, the more the tunes you mentioned will grow on you. Personally for me the appeal is there for all of them and is apparent from the start, but what do I know, I’m just the songwriter – LOL!! As far as the “The Bigger they Come”, “Delirious” and “Fire at Will”, I think that they are definitely ALL very strong tunes – some of my best, even…but as I said, to each their own and I respect that, Brian! Just glad you like the CD as a whole – that’s enough for me!

Brian Rademacher: : The next track after that “Breathe Deep” I liked and I feel Ted brought this one to light with his expression on the lyrics. What are you feelings on this one?

Vic Rivera: This was another one I wrote while I was going through a particularly rough period…this is my personal favorite on the entire record. Ted also really loves this and he once again sang it with every bit of the emotion that was necessary to make it a strong personal statement for ANYONE who’s ever gone through some dark times but needed a reason to find a light at the end of the darkness.

Brian Rademacher: : Now the last track even thou I do like it, why wouldn’t you go out with a great rock track instead of a mellow tune?

Vic Rivera: Simply, it was the best spot on the record for it…it’s a thought-provoking, emotional song. While it was written out of observing what someone dear to me was experiencing, it has much meaning for Ted and I as well, and we really felt closing the record with a strong emotional statement was the way to go…

Brian Rademacher: : Have you worked at all on a second release yet?

Vic Rivera: Ahem…working on it NOW….SHHHHH!!

Brian Rademacher: : Now would you say POLEY/RIVERA is basically a studio project?

Vic Rivera: That’s not our intention at all! As soon as feasible, we’re going to take this out on the road and it’s something we REALLY are looking forward to. These are such good tunes; we really want to share them with everyone in a live setting…

Brian Rademacher: : Tell me what it was like recording the CD with Ted? Were there any stressing moments and were their any funny stories?

Vic Rivera: Working with Ted, the question should be: were there ever any moments where there WEREN’T any funny stories?! Gawd – I’ve got a million of ‘em but in the interest of not going on for days I’ll just highlight this one… We actually had TWELVE full songs for this CD. Yours truly made the absolute blunder of the decade by NOT backing up the song properly when I reformatted my hard drive to speed my computer’s performance for mixing the record. And I wound up losing Ted’s ENTIRE vocal performance for that song. I was convinced that I was a dead man walking – who wants to break it to their partner that two days worth of absolutely amazing vocal performances were now gone forever? I decided to take my medicine as soon as possible and called him the next morning to tell him – sweating profusely as I did, waiting for him to absolutely freak out. He paused for a good minute, further convincing me that I was the next target to be sighted on Ted’s personal firing range at home (you should see the keyboard that pissed him off, LMAO). Of course he never would do that, but I was so scared I actually used this phrase verbatim: “Please don’t kill me.” When I said that, Ted just said to me, “Well, I can hear the stress and regret in your voice and that must have taken a lot for you to just come out and admit your screw up, so don’t sweat it - didn’t you say that you had a new song written for the next album? We can track that and make lemonade out of lemons, so get to recording it and I’ll sing it as soon as possible. Now I am going to go to my bedroom to curl up into a fetal position and cry all day, see you later.” Click. The song that replaced the one I screwed up was “Did We Just Have A Moment”. After we’d finished the song, Ted said “Yup. Best business decision I’ve ever made was not killing you.” Other than that – NO stress working with Ted. He’s an amazing singer – best out there, really – he is an even more amazing person and friend (more like my big brother, in truth) and I love him to pieces. NOT the type of pieces that resemble Ted’s now deceased keyboard, mind you.

Brian Rademacher: : Would you have done anything different with this release and did you record any footage on DVD for a fan blog or anything like that?

Vic Rivera: Nah. Things are what they are for a reason, and aside from not losing an entire song and taking so long to finish it, I’d do it the exact same way. Ted and I had some truly magical moments of genius recording this record, and it certainly brought us even closer as friends and musical colleagues.

Brian Rademacher: : Now working with Angelmilk was there any restriction in anyway?

Vic Rivera: Nope. Messers. McNiece and Bramhall had a finished product delivered to them and they were and have been nothing but supportive every step of the way with us. It is a real pleasure to finally be working with a record label worth their salt, one that respects the accomplishments, track record, vision and talent of their artist without attempting to impose any unnecessary ideas from left field, as many other labels (both major and independent) are liable to do. It is a true dream so far to be with Angelmilk Records. Thanks Andrew and Andy, from both Ted and I!

Brian Rademacher: : If Andrew from Angelmilk and MelodicRock.com has another Melodicrock Festival in the US, do you feel Poley/Rivera would be up to that if asked?

Vic Rivera: Absolutely. In fact, Andrew, if you’re reading this, please consider this an official petition from Ted and I to be included! (smiles)

Brian Rademacher: : On a side note you were working with Jamie Rowe, Eddie Campbell and Doug Odell with CRUNCH. Is that still a project and do you see a release soon or in the near future, or has that band folded?

Vic Rivera: CRUNCH is very much still together and will certainly be working on a full-length release. Jamie, Ed, Doug and I have such a long history together, we are all the greatest of friends and since we are unshackled by any contractual commitments, we are totally excited to get something happening! Andrew, are you listening? LOL

Brian Rademacher: : CRUNCH did Firefest last year what was that like?

Vic Rivera: Fantastic. Hope I can do it again with them – AND with POLEY/RIVERA of course! Ted even floated the idea of a tour featuring the two acts together, supported by other bands locally wherever we played a show. Now THAT would be something!

Brian Rademacher: : Now you've worked with ADRIANGALE, CRUNCH, Ted Poley is there any thoughts of a solo< b>Vic Rivera project?

Vic Rivera: Someday, maybe! I’d love to do something similar to Pete Lesperance’s solo record Down In It (later rerecorded by his new outfit FAIR GROUND While I will never be the singer Ted Poley is, my singing has come a long way: in fact, I always demo all the lead vocals for Ted so he can learn the songs and its gotten to the point where even HE said that it’s pretty close to where I could branch out and do a solo record if I wanted to. But for now, I’m perfectly happy with Ted as my lead singer, thanks very much!! (smiles)

Brian Rademacher: : Vic Congrats on the new release “Only Human”

Vic Rivera: Thanks