An Interview With The Newly Formed Group VISTA, Led By Front-Woman, HOPE VISTA!

Photo Credit- Lauren Taylor

Who is VISTA? Derived from the decade-long solo career of front-woman Hope Vista, the self-described anthemic alternative rock trio, VISTA, is the newest name on the block; and is already resonating throughout a massive audience on all social media fronts.

Rounded out with drummer Wolf Reiter, and guitarist Brian Canfield, VISTA has combined long-loved influences such as the hard-hitting choruses of PVRIS, Set It Off’s unmatchable energy, and the crowd-loving sensation of Against The Current to create and define a new, modern-day sub-genre in the alternative scene: anthemic alternative rock.

Their debut single, “On The Brink,” was the first song jointly written by Vista and Reiter, and introduces a chant-filled, heart-pounding, drum heavy anthemic vibe. Their upcoming EP, “VERSUS,” is slated for release in mid-late April, and will contain 5 upbeat anthems, all written collectively by the writing team of Vista and Reiter.

VISTA is set to expand on lead vocalist Hope Vista’s past thriving solo career, during which she recorded an EP with Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount of ZK Productions (Cartel, Mayday Parade, All Time Low), charted on the iTunes Alternative charts, and collaborated on a track with Nick Thompson of Hit The Lights. Vista’s natural progression from power pop punk solo artist to forming a powerhouse trio showcases an inspiring amount of both passion and camaraderie between all three members.

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Learn more about Vista in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time today! So, how’s 2016 been treating you and the band so far? What were some of the highlights of 2015 for you and your music?

Hope: Hey! It’s good to talk to All Access again! 2016 has been all about VISTA, and we’ve been diving head first into our work and trying to get things done! 2015 was an awesome year as a solo artist, and definitely the best way to finish out that era. I got to work with Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount, which was without a doubt the biggest highlight. Collaborating with Nick, the lead vocalist of Hit The Lights, was insane, too. Just the whole PREVAIL era, my last solo EP, that was so awe-inspiring.

Can you talk about choosing to form this group and not remain a solo artist anymore? What have been some of the challenges you’ve dealt with transiting to a group mentality? What’s become easier for you?

Hope: It was tough. I’d said so many times before that I never wanted to be a front-woman. It was all a control thing, that’s been the biggest challenge. I have a rough time with both change and losing control. I want to call the shots and make the decisions because it’s where I’m comfortable. But this was the biggest challenge I could possibly impose on myself, and that’s what I wanted. As a solo artist, I reached a boiling point where I didn’t feel challenged anymore. My mind was dark, I didn’t write any music, I didn’t feel like I had anything left to say. All the lights shut off and in return I just felt dark in general. There was a lack of drive, and I quickly realized that forming a band was what could re-inject that drive and produce a new challenge! It gets easier as time goes on. Recording our EP right now is without a doubt the toughest part yet, I have to both let go of control and trust my band-mates simultaneously. But it’s all a learning process, and I’m always up for learning something new.

How did you meet drummer, Wolf Reiter and guitarist Brian Canfield? Why do you think you all work so well together?

Hope: Wolf and I met a long time ago, in Jersey at the Stone Pony. We were both playing this showcase with Young Rising Sons. I think it was 2011 or 2012? It was just an introduction and that was it, we didn’t talk again until this past summer. I had to let go of my touring drummer at the time and was in dire need of a new drummer within a few days. Somehow I just remembered Wolf and messaged him on Facebook saying, “do you want the chance of a lifetime?!” It was so ridiculous, he’s never going to let me live down that creepy message. But he became my touring drummer, and him and Brian have been in bands together before, they live in the same town. So that’s how I met Brian! We have this dynamic as a band because we’re all actually friends. Last week we had a major disagreement in the studio, but when we left, we went to Dave & Buster’s for a few hours and didn’t bring any argument outside of the work area. That’s why it works!

What was the inspiration for VISTA’s debut single, “On The Brink”?

VISTA: We had a few major influences. The biggest was probably the feeling you get at a live show. We wanted to bring that energy to life in a recorded track, and that’s where the challenge came in. That heavy bass you can feel in your bones, anthemic chanting, huge, booming drums.

We wanted to combine all of these elements to get that same feel. We did a lot of research beforehand too, we listened to so many different songs to find these little sounds we liked. Wolf would like a snare drum tone here, and there was a clap pattern there that I found interesting. We wanted to go in prepared. PVRIS’ big choruses, Set It Off’s live energy, the way Against The Current commands a crowd. That’s what we looked for.

Photo Credit- Lauren Taylor

Next month, you will be releasing your debut EP as VISTA. What can you share with us about the recording process of “Versus”?

VISTA: Honestly, it’s been really difficult. Hope just moved to New York, so now that we’re in different states, we’re trying to figure out how to get this done while being divided. This is the challenge we wanted, though. We’re still working out our studio dynamic and every other dynamic that comes with being in a band, so this is all very experimental and we’re taking it one track at a time. It’s our time to define ourselves as an anthemic alternative rock trio and also just put forward what we think is our strongest possible material!

You’ve posted about a few upcoming tour dates on Facebook. Do you plan on touring a lot to support the EP?

VISTA: We definitely have some ideas buzzing around for the summer. Nothing else is set in stone yet, everything else is just a set of ideas at this point. But we wanted to kick off with a weekend of shows to just set the tone and get a strong start. Wolf is taking off from school next semester, so we are absolutely going to make sure the fall is booked out!

What musicians have continued to be your biggest inspirations? Who are your favorite artists? Who would you love to work with in the future?

VISTA: There’s a bunch that we’ve had on repeat while working on this new EP. We want to use the inspiration we have to create and define a new subgenre of alternative rock for ourselves, something that we can describe on-hand and really feel connected to. We came up with ‘anthemic alternative rock.’ Big anthem-y alternative rock tracks that are reminiscent of a live show and evoke that same level of energy. Taking seemingly small influences and using those to create something new from something pre-existing, which was Hope’s solo career.

We’ve listened to a lot of PVRIS, Set It Off, Against The Current, All Time Low, Tonight Alive, even Justin Bieber (mostly Brian, he loves the Biebs). Anywhere we can. Any of those artists, we’d be completely honored to share a creative space with.

At the end of the day, what do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope listeners take away from listening to your songs?

VISTA: We want listeners to feel like they just left a venue, we want them to feel the music in their bodies as we do and just feel it pulsing through their veins like blood. We want them to forget about whatever is going on in their world for just a bit and let themselves feel this music instead of just hearing it. Forget the outside world, forget it all. Just feel instead of hear.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers about yourselves or your music?

VISTA: Thank you for the VISTA support and we hope to see you at a show in the Spring! <3