By DONNA BALANCIA
Vista Kicks opened for The Rolling Stones at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara and it proves that hard work and good timing pay off.
The band, comprised of bassist Trevor Sutton, singer Derek Thomas, drummer Nolan Le Vine and guitarist Sam Plecker will open for The Rolling Stones in Santa Clara on the No Filter Tour.
“It’s pretty crazy, we got lucky,” Thomas said. “Our management made it happen.”
But it was a chance meeting with the Rolling Stones’ manager while Vista Kicks were playing in London that got them noticed. When the Stones’ manager told them they had a shot at opening for The Stones, the guys didn’t think too much about it. But then the phone calls started.
“Every few months we would get a call, ‘Ronnie Woods heard your music and he likes it,’ Thomas recalled. “Or ‘Mick Jagger heard your music and he doesn’t hate it.’ It seemed so unbelievable to us that we were even in the group of bands that were considered.”
Vista Kicks Plays Teragram Ballroom Wednesday Night – Tickets
The guys has been working at building their music and a following for a few years. But they’ve been together as friends for a long time — they grew up together in Roseville, Calif. near Sacramento.
“We’ve been at it for about five years,” Sutton said. “We grew up together in grade school. As for the last five years we have tried to build up our business as much as we can playing shows, recording albums, doing a few tours and we’ve been doing what every other band should be doing. We’re travelling and making music.”
What’s the style of music they play?
“We’re rock and roll and we like it,” Le Vine joked. “We’re very oldies-inspired, but we play a wide range of music.”
While the guys are from Sacramento, they’ve been living in Highland Park and have adopted Los Angeles as a second home. They’ll play The Teragram Ballroom on Aug. 21.
Get Tickets to Vista Kicks at Teragram Ballroom here.
“We’ve been living here for five years and haven’t had a show here in a year,” Thomas said. “We get good audiences in Sacramento and Los Angeles. We feel like we have two home towns right now. We played the Troubadour, the El Rey and now we’ll be playing the Teragram.”
The band has plenty of music that makes the hit list, but it’s “Marceline” that’s most well-known.
What do the Vista Kicks guys think are the qualities that make The Rolling Stones so great?
“The Rolling Stones have an incredible past, they’ve written such wonderful songs,” Sutton said. “The pure amount they’ve added to the world of music is undeniable and we’ve all benefited from that. They kick ass and there’s so much raw energy. They’re such a great band. Over the years we’ve listened to them and over the decades they’ve changed into such a different band. The name is so famous around the world.”
Vista Kicks – Marceline