Zachary Vella
Zachary is a musician originating from the Southern Highlands. He is a bassist, pianist, guitarist, and singer. He moved to Wollongong to continue his music practice, growing his skills in song writing, producing, and composition. Zach is inspired by the styles of rock, funk, and pop, by Australian and international artists from present and past scenes.
“‘Meet Me Under Spotlights’ is an EP in the styles of funk, rock, and indie folk. Writing this album was inspired by diversifying the styles of my song writing. Coming from a comfort of pop rock, I was keen to explore neo soul artists and techniques from the 1960s and 70s, such as James Brown and Sly Stone.
Tracks 1 and 2, were created through the collaboration of Oliver Shoebridge on keyboard, Ashton Low on drums, Gerard Smith and Max Ramirez on guitar, and me on bass guitar. Improvisation was starting point, riffs, rhythms and chord progressions were found. I arranged progressions into hooks and verses to create an ultimate groove.
Track 3 is inspired by a folk, indie rock sound of Julia Jacklin, Joni Mitchell, and Phoebe Bridgers, and covers the experience of Covid-19 lockdown while devising a plan to escape and be happy. This song was written by me and developed and performed by Gerard and Max.”