Meet Vic Gregg, the striking and talented singer of the Boston-based band, Pistacia. We had the wonderful opportunity to chat with Vic and ask them about their music and plans and of course, get to know them on a nerdy level.
Hello, Vic. I’m really excited to finally chat with you. How are you doing today?
Great! Ate a pretty sick breakfast I hope you are doing well!
I’n great thank you! You just released your new single a few days ago. How are you feeling about the way your fans have reacted to it?
Oh the response has been amazing! We have been teasing this release for a few months now and our fans are so glad they can finally stream it. It makes me so happy for people to anticipate my music.
How would you describe your sound to someone who hasn’t heard Pistacia’s music before?
Pistacia is heavily influenced by early Nu Metal and 2000’s metalcore. We want listeners to hear our music and feel like they’re in a Hot Topic.
You have a very powerful style in performing your music. Who are some of the musicians you grew up listening to who had the biggest influence on you as an artist?
Our two biggest influences collectively are Pierce the Veil and Slipknot. Beautiful harmonies like PTV and heavy riffs like Slipknot really define our sound. As for performance, I personally look up to Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance. To own the stage in a dark yet flamboyant manner is how I aim to be. The rest of Pistacia just goes ham on stage. Jump around and mosh all while nailing each note. I work with very talented people.
Gerard Way is a legend! I love MCR!
In order to get to know you better and from a different point of view, how about playing some imagination game? I will set a scenario in an alternate universe with new rules and see how you’d react to the different situations. Ready?
Yes let’s go!
In a universe where you are made the queen of a country, what would be the first law you’d make?
Caffeine is free. Coffee, Celcius, Bang, Monster, Red Bull etc. Life is too damn hard to go at it raw.
In a universe where humans can choose either to be able to teleport from one place to another or travel back and forth in time, which superpower would you pick?
Oh I would choose teleport from place to place easy! I don’t want to mess with time that stuff scares me. Adam Sandler’s “Click” is one of the scariest movies ever made. For one wrong move to alter the course of every event proceeding is terrifying. Plus I think it would be cool to go to Vermont whenever I want.
In a universe where you’re the statue of liberty, what object would you be holding instead of a torch?
Okay so I can either be realistic and go with an item I always have on me like my phone. OR I can go with my favorite item I own which would be an anatomy textbook from 1881. So specific but I love that thing.
In a universe where money does not exist, but instead, people pay for things by making other people laugh, how rich would you be considered?
Eh I’d be able to eat but live in a box.
In a universe where the senses of taste and hearing are mixed up together, what food would you imagine Pistacia’s music would taste like?
Kraft Mac and Cheese. Like if you listen to the opening riff of It Was the Cat it kind of feels nostalgic so definitely Kraft mac and cheese or beef instant Ramen.
That’s a brilliant analogy 😂 In a universe where music is illegal and you are sentenced to one year in jail for every music record you own, how many years would you spend in jail?
I only own two records: “Rumors” by Fleetwood Mac and Selena’s “ Selena Live: The Last Concert.” So two years.
Thank you for playing, Vic! I hope you enjoyed this!
We live in an era where social media became essential for musicians to reach fans and promote their music. In your opinion, what are the cons and pros of social media having all that power in the music industry?
Being that social media is all self-made (for the most part) it means that everyone has to work so much harder than one another. With social media becoming a standard, it just means that the industry is more accessible to everyone. While that may seem like pro, the con is that it becomes more competitive.
Have you ever faced any kind of sexism in your professional or personal life? How would you deal with sexist behaviour and what advice would you give young people around the world who face any kind of discrimination?
Yes I have. When I first started out in the scene I was referred to as “the girlfriend.” Even when I was playing big shows like Inkcarceration and making serious moves as an artist people still refused to learn my name. I would be harassed online by receiving criticism from men who were not even musicians. Oftentimes I would be compared to other female artists that look like me even though we didn’t make the same music. For example, “Wal-Mart Ash Costello” was a comment that I couldn’t forget. And that was one of the tame ones. As far as social media is concerned, replying to the bad comments will just keep them coming. I like to see it as just boosting my content. All comments of any kind will grow your numbers. If someone wants to go so far out of their way as to leave some hate, all it will do is make you more popular. As for the real world, it’s much harder to respond to negativity. It’s so hard to shake harsh words when they are right in front of your face. I like to ignore people. If they see they got a rise out of me it means they won. I do not lose. So if someone wants to say something cruel I just look away and finish my drink. Chances are I’m better than them anyways.
Thank you for sharing this, Vic! And thank you for giving us this interview. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I just want to say thank you so much for the opportunity to speak with you! I love what yall do and think it’s important!
