Although Secondhand Serenade's CD, "A Twist in My Story" was released in January, SS's main guy John Vesely remembers the recording sessions like it was yesterday.
"It was done on and off from five to six months," Vesely said during a phone call from St. Louis, Mo. "We had a bunch of songs we had in mind and did as much as we could."
That was a far cry from how Vesely recorded his first CD, "Awake."
"I did that album in eight days," he said. "And so 'A Twist in My Story' was a far different approach."
Vesely grew up with his parents' music — the Beach Boys, the Beatles — but discovered Guns N' Roses, Nirvana and Soundgarden on his own.
"I was in a lot of bands when I was younger," he said. "And I played a lot of different kinds of music."
However, the acoustic emo-style is where his heart lies, he said. Because he can write songs that are about his experiences. He said it wasn't hard writing songs the revealed things about his life, but the issue, for him, was having the public hear what he had to say.
"All the songs I write are autobiographical," he said. "It took a while to get used to, though.
"But what helped was the aspect of having the fans come up and tell me how much the music means to them. There's nothing more rewarding than that. Another thing that makes my career worthwhile is playing live. That's why I make music."
Vesely knows the music business is fickle, and he approached his career with caution.
"I don't know how long this will last," he said. "I didn't know if I would get to where I am. There is a lot of uncertainty in this line of work. Nothing is definite. But it's what I do."
Vesely said he was surprised "A Twist in My Story" peaked at No. 44 on Billboard's 200 album chart.
"I did know I had a strong fan base because of my first album," he said. "And I was expecting some success, but it is nice to see people like what I've been doing."
If you go ...
What: Secondhand Serenade, Cute Is What We Aim For, Automatic Loveletter
Where: Saltair, 12408 W. Salt Air Drive
When: Wednesday, 5:30 p.m.
How much: $19
Phone: 467-8499, 800-888-8499
Web: www.smithstix.com
E-mail: scott@desnews.com