One2One With 'Vince Kline'.

There’s no rest for Vince Kline it seems. He spends over 12 hours a day working on his music – and with the results to show for it. His immense music collection delivers heartfelt songs that are performed with passion and soul. A truly exemplary musician, this artist combines genres from folk to pop to rock and classical in order to create an immensely natural sound which is cohesive and sonically homogeneous. Kline's voice takes center stage along with his impecable playing of either the guitar or piano. With not enough time in the day, Vince was still able to manage an interview with One2One Pro Media.

O2O: You write on your myspace page that you use a Pseudonym to keep your life separate. Does this ever get complicated?
V.K.:The pseudonym is a funny thing with pros and cons. When people recognize me and ask if I am Vince Kline I can say yes or no depending on my mood . Sometimes when I deny I am Vince they do not believe me so I have to admit and play along. Sometimes it is fun to play rock star but I do not make a habit of it.
I do like the anonymity when dealing with people in day to day life.

It makes things easier since they do not have expectations of me. Sometimes if I am perceived as an artist people expect more from me, so it is cool at times to be incognito and just kind of blend in.

O2O: After all those years in the music business you decided to go back to school to improve yourself musically. Did you find this difficult?
V.K.:Yes it was very difficult, the professors were very hard on me knowing my background and gave me trouble right from the beginning. They rejected my request to major on piano since they knew I had a reputation as a session guitarist. They were very insistent that my main instrument be the guitar and wanted me to play lead in the jazz band but my heart was not in it. I had to appeal to the Dean and fight for the right to major on piano and finally I kind of got my way. I had to compromise and play guitar in the jazz band and take some classes for that instrument but was able to double major on the piano at the same time as the guitar. The end result was that I was able to receive performance degrees for both instruments and I feel very blessed to be accomplished at both instruments.

O2O: Describe a normal day?
V.K.:The alarm wakes me at 3:30 A.M. and I start my day with a cup of coffee and sitting down at the computer. I work the net for all it is worth adding fans, writing letters, blogging, uploading music, videos, pictures and any other type of promotion I can drum up till around 6:30 when I get in the shower.
Around 7 A.M. I drive over to the studio and play my piano for no less than 7 hours a day writing songs , playing scales, arpeggios, etudes and working out classics by the masters. My favorites are Liszt and Beethoven and I have spent many a day working on just a few passages trying to get the fingerings and timing right.
By 3 P.M. I am home and eating my one meal of the day, almost watching the tele. From 4-7 P.M. I am reading and then napping. When I wake up I hang out with my family until around 11 P.M. when the news comes on. I lay down and watch the news until I drift off and the alarm rings at 3:30 A.M.

O2O: How do you deal with disappointment?
V.K.:I’ve had a lot of disappointment and heartbreak in my life as far as my career and personal relationships and I do not always take things well. If I get upset I tend to isolate and sit at my piano for longer periods of time reflecting and writing songs. It seems like my songs are an open diary and the place where my feelings come out. Songwriting is great therapy for me and surly the way I deal with disappointments in my life.

O2O: Which of your songs effortlessly wrote themselves and which did you have to wrestle out of hiding?
V.K.:A quick song that comes to mind from the last album is Kay. I had been away from my piano for awhile and one night just sat down and started playing. I began to remember someone special and played the main motif of the tune. I had not tried to write a song for some time but in about a half hour I had this one finished words and all. It seems when songs are meant to be they just flow.
When those special moments come along I am like a medium and the songs seem to just flow through me. I am sure that feelings welled up inside play a part in the process and timing is everything. When inspiration hits it is important to know what is happening and seize the moment since it may never come back.
Child Of Nature was a tune I truly struggled with. I had a few ideas as to what I wanted to say but it took a few weeks to string it all together in a logical way. On the last day of tracking for the album I added the vocals as scratch and an afterthought. I was not thinking the tune would make the album and would just end up a demo. When we started mixing we came across it and listened. It had a great hook, vocal track and flow, so we kept it on the album.
Many tunes take years. I am currently working on one I wrote back in 1986. I have always liked the song but never found the right verse to fit the chorus. Going through a notebook I finally found some verse lyrics that fit the chorus lyric and the mood of the music. I do that a lot. I have written in excess of 500 songs and frequently find myself listening to old tapes and scanning notebooks re writing and defining tunes I had written many years ago.

O2O: Who are you listening to these days?
V.K.:When I get a chance to listen I enjoy Judy Garland, Fred Astaire and even Cole Porter who had a cool voice. I love the reality of the old recordings of artist like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Robert Johnson, Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie.O2O:What would be your dream collaboration?
V.K.:I would love to work with Jimmy Webb for sure and if Oscar Levandt was around I would have him play some of the piano Sonatas I have written. I am also thinking song writing would be a lot easier with a guy like Ira Gershwin around to write lyrics.

O2O: Do you get a chance to read? If So, What book is on your night stand table?
V.K.:I do not have a lot of time for reading but do make time for the Bible every day and agree that it is the greatest story ever told. I really love the psalms as use them as a form of relaxation and a way to stay close to the Lord.

O2O: What do you consider to be your greatest musical accomplishment so far?
V.K.:The ability to write music and relay my emotions to others is the greatest privilege or accomplishment in my musical life. I feel that God has allowed this form of expression in my life and it is for his glory that I am a song writer slash entertainer and have the ability to touch others.

O2O: How have you changed or evolved as a musician since this all started?
V.K.:When I first started playing I was very selfish and didn’t realize what it was all about. In time I found that having the ability to actually share feelings and emotions with others and communicate through music is the purpose rather than being a hot guitarist or star producer.

O2O: Finally, where do you go from here?
V.K.:I will continue to write , record and perform music and have also some interest in the theater. I have agreed to a small part in a production next January. I am really excited to be back on the stage as an actor. I took a few theater classes in college and really liked it when we did shows. It is another form of expression that I am very interested in and hope to keep active in for years to come.

"In November only a few weeks away I begin tracking pianos for a new album. I have about 20 songs that were written in the last year or so. The time seems right to be in the studio and I feel this is some of the best material I have ever written so I am pretty excited.
In March and April of 2010 I have some dates booked and will do some storyteller type shows. Just me and my piano. I am looking forward to presenting the new songs along with some old one’s and really being close to the people explaining the themes and what led to the writing of the songs."