New York’s Vincent Poag

Born and raised in a blue-collar section of Massapequa, Long Island in the 1950’s, Vincent Poag’s influences run deep, and include the music of Gershwin, Porter and Rogers and Hammerstein, along with crooners like Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, and even 60’s icons Bob Dylan and the Beatles. Vincent got his first guitar about the age of eight. By the time he went to college, he was already fronting his own three piece trio.

A run at a full time musical career wasn’t in the cards, so Vincent took on adult life and family responsibilities driving a bus in New York, but the dream of writing and recording music never went away. In 2008, for his 60th birthday, Poag’s wife bought him some guitar lessons. It was the spark his smoldering flame needed. According to his recent press release, “Somewhere between hope and possibility, in a voice somewhere between Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, and Randy Newman, Vincent Poag was reborn.”

“My songwriting was limited to family get-togethers for many years,” Vincent said. “I was fully engaged in making a living while my songwriting remained dormant to nonexistent. My lessons were with a great musician named Slim Francis, who also had a makeshift studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. After a few lessons, we decided it might be a good idea to record some of the songs I’d written before going off to Never-never Land.”

After recording some songs alone one day, Slim suggested they bring in some other musicians. “My juices started flowing, the songwriter in me awoke, and I owe it all to my wonderful wife for setting the alarm,” he quipped.

Vincent just released his 3rd CD, Heroes and Demons. “I thought of the title after finishing the songs,” he said. Looking back, they were about many of my heroes as well as my inner demons. I just couldn’t fit it into the title.”

To find out more, visit
www.vincentpoag.com