John Vesely, also known as Secondhand Serenade, makes being a pop star look easy. With the help Myspace and AOL, Vesley’s first effort, Awake, cultivated a fan base that most musicians can only dream about having.  Now with his newly released second album, A Twist in My Story, Secondhand Serenade is looking blow the 2008/09 pop rock scene wide open. Boosh Magazine recently had the opportunity to catch up with Vesely and discuss his newest album, his appearance on the TV show L.A. Ink and his soon to be released EP, which is intended to give his die hard fans a further taste of Secondhand Serenade.

Where did the name Secondhand Serenade come from?

It is a pretty simple story.  The word serenade came to mind immediately because it fits with my acoustic sound, and I came up with the secondhand part because I am singing to the fans through my CDs.  They are hearing it for the first time then, and when they come to see my live shows, I am giving them the song they have already heard. So in a way it’s secondhand.

You have played in a bunch of different bands that have covered many different genres that include ska, indie rock and punk.  When you were exploring these other genres, did you ever imagine that you would end up here?

Well, my style has changed a lot. I never imagined playing this specific type of music. But over the years my taste has been changing from one thing to the next and now I am here.

Tell me about your hair. It stands up really straight. How much hair product do you use to keep it that way?

I use bottling clay. A company called Sebastian makes this stuff. It’s in a line of their products called Xtah. It gives a really strong hold, but it doesn’t make your hair hard.

So your head isn’t a weapon ?

Haha. No.

Without the initial help of a major label you made a pretty big name for yourself. You were even beating out John Mayer. 

Yes, I was getting huge coverage on the AOL radio station. I was the number one artist on that radio station for two months. On top of that, the Myspace thing definitely helped.

I’ll say. You have over 39 million song plays on your page. That’s up there with Kanye.

Yep. It’s pretty amazing. Without the recognition from Myspace my current manager would’ve never contacted me and I would’ve never had the chance to shop around for a label.  I’ve always been against the whole idea of sending out demos to labels. It doesn’t work and it’s a big waste of time and money.

Really?

Yeah, I mean you can’t put all your energy into something that will lead to chance. That’s naive. You have to focus on doing things that will benefit you the most. People won’t help you if you don’t have something substantial. You have to make the best product. Then it’s no longer a conversation where people say, “Well, you have a lot of potential.” It becomes a conversation where people say,  “This is something we want to be apart of.”

You signed with Glassnote Records. I’m wondering why you felt the need to join a label when you were beating out people like John Mayer on your own? 

There was a lot of stuff that I didn’t have. I had online resources, but I didn’t have the connections to reach MTV, VH1 and all that stuff. I didn’t have access to physical distribution. In order to get my game to the next level, I had to make the switch over. And it was definitely the right decision to have made.

What is the reaction when you take the stage at a live performance? Is the noise level from all the screaming reminiscent of a Beatles show in the 1960’s?

Yeah. We try to build up the anticipation to me taking the stage by having the band play for a little bit, and then when I take the stage everyone screams.  It’s really great. I love the fans. Because of them we have really great shows.

What further goals are you looking to accomplish with A Twist in My Story as opposed to what you did with Awake? 

Well, I want more people to hear Awake. I’m nowhere near done with that record. It's still selling tons of copies.  But with A Twist in My Story, I want to have three hit singles.  I want to play bigger venues. I want to have a bigger run with it. 

What can Secondhand Serenade fans expect in the near future?

I just recorded a four- song EP that will be exclusively on I-Tunes.  It’s called From Me to You. It’s  an intimate release that is meant to go to my long-time fans that want more of my music. On it I do a cover of the Coldplay song Fix You.   I’m also doing an episode of L.A. Ink that will be on in September.  Also, I’ll be shooting a video for the next single Your Call.

What tattoo are you going to get on L.A. Ink?

I’m going to do a paradise landscape across my arm.  It’s going to be awesome.

Thanks for your time John. 

Thank you.