The key to success in the music business or anywhere else is simple and straightforward – hard work, passion and practice, practice, practice.
That was the message to Virgin Islands students from three young men who are making their marks in the music world. Former St. Thomas resident Verse Simmonds, now a successful recording artist, and the two young men who make up the internationally acclaimed musical duo Black Violin.
Black Violin performed Friday night at the Island Center on St. Croix, and was scheduled to play Saturday at the Reichhold Center on St. Thomas.
Friday the three spoke to a group of more than 100 St. Croix high school and junior high students at the Island Center, telling them about their careers, performing a few numbers and answering questions. Thursday they addressed a similar crowd of St. Thomas students at the Reichhold Center.
Black Violin fuses classical music with hip-hop, rock and a variety of other musical styles into something uniquely their own. Kev Marcus and Wil D – the two men who make up Black Violin – told Friday morning’s young audience that their goal has always been to make music that no one’s ever heard before.
They have been friends since they met at a high school for the performing arts in Florida. Reaching their level of success – the Showtime at the Apollo “Legend” title in 2005, performing in 20 different countries with such stars as Alicia Keys, Akon and Wu Tang Clan – can be attributed to one thing, they said.
“It’s not always the most talented person who wins,” Wil B said. “It’s always the person who works hardest. Always, always, always.”
That hard work pays off. Both men went to college on full scholarships based on their musicianship, Marcus to Florida International and Wil B to Florida State.
“It also helps attract ladies,” Marcus said, adding as he held up his violin, “So guys …”
Asked by one audience member how much they practice, Wil B said in high school they always played at least an hour a day. But the time isn’t the most important thing, he said. It’s doing it every day. He advised the young musicians in the audience to leave their instruments somewhere easily accessible and pick it up every time they pass by. Even just playing some scales or a quick tune before moving on is helpful.
“The important thing is picking it up every day. It’s all about stacking up as many days in a row as you can,” he said.
Another audience member asked Marcus how he could play so well without looking at the instrument. The question surprised the violinist, who said he hadn’t really thought about it. In fact, most of the time they have their eyes closed, he said.
“I’ve been playing so long it’s like an extension of me,” he said. “It’s like my arm. I can reach into my pocket without looking at my arm.”
But no matter what the members of Black Violin talked about, it always comes down to hard work, they said. Talent is important, but the harder you work, the more of it you’ll have.
“Talent is like a bank account. You’ve gotta keep investing your returns,” Marcus said,
Simmonds had a similar message for the students Friday morning. As a student at Charlotte Amalie High School he and friends performed wherever and whenever they could. Then he took off for Miami to try to break into the music industry.
It’s not an easy profession, and Simmonds decided the more he could do the better his chances of success were. So he began writing songs for other artists, then began producing for other artists. He moved from Miami to Los Angeles to Atlanta, where he came to the attention of producer Rodney Jerkins, who signed him to his Darkchild Records label.
Simmonds now has a successful album, “Stories of a Bachelor,” and a first hit, “Buy You A Round.” He is touring, singing his Caribbean influenced R&B, a style he calls “Island B.”
Simmonds told the students they shouldn’t be afraid to dream big.
“Even coming from a small island you can make it out here, you don’t have to be locked into who you are right now,” he said.
Asked if anyone had tried to discourage him from following a musical career, he smiled and said “Of course.”
“You’re always going to have a lot of people saying you can’t do this or you shouldn’t do that,” he said. What those people didn’t see was the vision in his head and the drive he had to make it succeed.
“At the end of the day you have to listen to you. They can’t see your vision, can’t feel what in your heart you want to do, what you were put on this earth to do,” he said.
The sessions with territory youths were sponsored by the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts, the Reichhold Center and the V.I. Department of Education.
Tickets for Saturday’s concert on St. Thomas cost $26, $16 and $13, and can be purchased on St. Thomas at Urban Threadz, Essentric Shoe Boutique, VI Bridal and Tuxedo, Home Again and the UVI Bookstore. On St. John, tickets can be purchased at Connections. Tickets can also be purchased at the Reichhold Center box office by calling 693-1559 or online at www.reichholdcenter.com.
