Victor DeFlorio...Lead Guitar / Harmony Vocals                 <Previous Page>

 
Vic was born at the end of the baby boomer generation and, as far as he can remember, there was always music in his life. There’s also a good chance that it’s in his blood as well. His great grandfather played the French horn with an orchestra and his aunt was an opera singer. Some of his earliest musical memories include the lullabies his mom used to sing to him as a baby and the AM radio in his dad’s old Pontiac. “William B. Williams on WNEW AM….. in our ’64 Catalina 2+2 to be exact!”

“My parents would always play their old swing records and my mother also loved her Ramsey Lewis Trio records. The melody from “The In Crowd” is permanently tattooed on my brain!” It was that and her Herb Albert Tijuana Brass “Taste of Honey” album that would form the basis of his musical vocabulary. Throw in his uncle’s love of 60’s soul music (“he used to do a great James Brown imitation!”) and you have a veritable musical stew.

Vic was like any normal kid in the sixties. He listened to his AM radio and would sing along with the pop tunes of the day. That was all to change around the age of 10. His older brother’s constant playing of his extensive album collection would change Vic’s musical focus from then on. “I can remember as if it was yesterday. My brother would play the “Woodstock” album over and over until the grooves were so worn that he had to buy another copy!” After hearing bands like Santana, Mountain, CSN&Y, The Who, and, of course, Jimi Hendrix, there was no turning back. He immersed himself deeply in that record collection and his life was now changed forever. Some of the first albums (or eight track tapes!) he can remember wearing out were “Flowers of Evil” by Mountain, “They Only Come Out at Night” by The Edgar Winter Group and “Duane Allman: Anthology”.

According to Vic, “From then on, music was all I could think about. If someone wasn’t totally into music, I felt I couldn’t relate to them. I started reading my brother’s Creem and Circus magazines cover to cover, trying to absorb as much information as I could. I was infatuated with the whole rock ‘n rock experience.”

It was while in High School that Vic realized it was time to do something serious about his love for music. He received his first guitar as a Christmas present from his parents and started taking lessons. A black Sekova Les Paul copy! “I wish I hadn’t waited that long to pick up the guitar, but when I was little, they only offered the traditional band instrument lessons in school. At that point, I was more interested in playing sports.” It wasn’t long before Vic started playing with friends and gaining the experience he would need to land a spot in his first band. His first gig was playing at a high school graduation party. “I’m sure we sounded like shit, but the feeling that came from playing live music and seeing the feedback from the audience was exhilarating.”

Not long after that, Vic joined his brother’s band, Resin, as rhythm guitarist. The band played mostly local clubs and bars and used to draw large crowds. “My brother played bass and we used to rehearse in my parents basement on Sunday afternoons. We would rattle the plates in the hutch upstairs, and as loud as we were, my parents NEVER told us to turn it down. I will always love them for that. The thing was….these guys were all older than me and used to be somewhat of local legends when they were in high school. So the word got around that they had reformed and were playing out. The places we played were tiny and used to be packed to capacity with people. I’ll never forget those gigs……it was quite a learning experience! I also had the chance to play with one of my biggest influences, my good friend Mike Byrne. He’s an amazing playing and I will always remember him waking me up on Saturday mornings. He used to come over after a late night out and sit at the foot of my bed, smoke a butt and play guitar. Man…..even back then he could do Cream era Clapton to the T.”

Vic’s next band was called Eliminator. The band started out as a ZZ Top tribute band, but evolved into one that played other cover songs as well. The band played a lot gigs at biker clubs and poker runs. Vic says he has a lot of interesting stories to tell about those gigs! Several bands were to follow, including JRTV, Cold Shot and Never Say Die.

JRTV was Vic’s first original band and, although they did play some covers, the focus was always on the original songs. It would entail Vic’s first experience at professional recording. “Some of those songs were incredible. I learned so much about timing, syncopation and improvisation. I also got to play with great players, including an amazing guitarist named Ray DiGiovanni. The guy is just incredible….like a blend of Carlos Santana and Gary Moore! I’m glad to say we still get together occasionally and jam. And believe me…..I still have to practice the songs each time to get my fingers in shape!”

So that, in a long drawn out nut shell, is Vic’s story, one like so many others from his generation. From a time when AOR radio and vinyl records played such big a part in shaping one’s adult life. Vic remains committed to creating music and taking Quick to the next level. When asked about his musical influences, Vic had this to say: “There’s no way possible I could ever narrow down my influences to a finite number. I’m influenced by everything I hear. Some part of everything manages to lodge itself within my subconscious and resurface at a later time. I am, however, partial to the music of the 60’s and 70’s. It just seems that back then there was a lot more freedom and experimentation. That’s what I strive for in my work with Quick. I don’t ever want to have to conform!”
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