ALTON - The band Little Victory, represented by Alton-based record label Harbor Music, released their single “Asleep at the Wheel” on July 31, 2024.
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Based in Chicago, Little Victory is composed of husband-and-wife duo Vince and Erika Camerano. The band has rock and blues influences, and their latest single is the first from an EP set to be released later this year.
“When you feel such a deep passion towards something, I do believe that you owe it to yourself to at least give it a solid go-around and really commit to it at least once in your life, whatever that passion thing is for you,” Erika said. “We both agreed that if we didn’t really fully chase it and give it our all, we knew that we would have regrets later on in life, because it’s something that is very much just woven into the fabric of who we are.”
Erika was in L.A. auditioning for “The Voice” when she connected with a fellow Chicagoan who happened to know Vince. The two of them hit it off, but they didn’t start playing music together until they were married. After a successful open mic night performance, Little Victory was born.
“Now it’s a full-blown music project, and I think we’ve enjoyed playing music now together more than we ever did before on our own,” Erika added. “It’s been a really special thing.”
Through a series of social media posts and messages, they eventually connected with Harbor Music in Alton. Harbor Music is a record label that aims to support indie musicians with resources and people who can help them on their path to success.
Nick Bifano, owner of Harbor Music, saw something special in Little Victory. He compares Vince’s guitar-playing to The Allman Brothers Band, and he believes Erika is “a powerhouse vocalist.” When they agreed to partner, Bifano was ecstatic. He committed to doing everything he could to help Little Victory succeed.
“I just believe in them,” he said. “I knew that there was something there. I knew that there was a sound. I knew that there was a vibe. And most important, I knew that there was a story there.”
Little Victory’s song “Asleep at the Wheel” is the first collaboration between the band and Harbor Music. Erika shared that Vince was playing a guitar riff one day, and Erika began humming melodies in the other room. They quickly wrote a verse and chorus, then worked out the rest of the song in the Harbor Music recording studio.
Starting July 31, 2024, “Asleep at the Wheel” is available on all streaming platforms and wherever you get your music. They plan to release a new song every month until November, when their EP will come out. Erika and Vince believe the new songs are a different sound than their previous music projects, and they’re eager to share them with a wider audience.
“I think this next batch of songs, you really hear the growth and you hear the maturity of the songwriting and the lyrics and the melodies,” Erika said. “I feel like that is also what makes this next group of songs stand out from the previous projects. You can really hear that next step of growth.”
These days, Vince and Erika balance music with parenting their 18-month-old son, who loves to bang on his dad’s drums and hang out in the middle of the room when Little Victory rehearses. After Giuseppe was born, Erika and Vince realized that they owed it to themselves and him to commit to their music. They want him to follow his dreams; it only makes sense that Erika and Vince do the same.
“After you have a child, you want to tell them that they can chase their dreams and they can do whatever it is that they want to do and they’re smart enough, capable enough and talented enough,” Erika said. “If you yourself don’t live that out, how is your little one supposed to believe that they can, too? So it was almost like a duty to ourselves that we have to live by example and hold up our end.”
And they’re proud to be doing just that. “Asleep at the Wheel” is out now, and “Hummingbird” will be released in August. Their EP is set to come out in late November or early December. Little Victory will also be playing locally on Aug. 17, 2024, at Old Herald Brewery and Distillery in Collinsville. For more information about Little Victory and their music, you can visit their official website at LittleVictoryBand.com.
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