Vilano
Vilano is a modern rock band from St. Augustine, Florida. The band consists of vocalist Stephen Drawdy, drummer Longineu Parsons III, guitarist Adam Otoski, and bassist Nick Holtz. Formed in April of 2019, Vilano has been a band for almost 3 years. As a band, they have performed at various venues across north Florida, including 1904 Music Hall, Underbelly, Colonial Oak, and Archetype. They have provided local support for touring acts such as Fame on Fire, Aim High, and The Second After.
Vilano has released an EP, LP, and stand alone single in the last 3 years. Their first EP, Everthing's Copacetic, has received over 75,000 plays on Spotify alone. Vilano's album, No Rain, No Flowers, has received over 150,000 streams on Spotify. Their second EP, Changing Seasons, is now available on all streaming platforms.
Stephen Drawdy
Vocals
Stephen was born and raised in the small town of Plant City, Florida, he was brought up by his brother and mother for the first part of his life until he was 7 when he met his father. He graduated from strawberry crest high school in 2016 and Stephen did not pursue a college career, and instead went into the work force at Publix Supermarkets. Stephen’s dream had always been to perform and write his own music someday but he had to pay the bills for the time being.
Stephen knew about his passion and love for music at young age when his mother introduced him to bands like Metallica, Pantera, The Who and so many more. The way music made him feel and the the therapy it served for him spoke volumes to his soul. With inspirations coming from these great bands, it wasn’t long before Stephen found his voice for the rock/metal genre. Through the years, Stephen typically sang to himself and to close family-friends. It wasn’t until he entered his early twenties when he started singing/performing for large groups and putting on shows with local talent. Stephen didn’t join his first musical project until 2021 when he met Adam Otoski and Nick Holtz of the band VILANO, and it’s been history ever since then, with the EP CHANGING SEASONS on the way; Stephen took to social media’s to try and expand his network. Stephen’s most dominant platform is TiKTok where he has already amassed an impressive 40,000 followers and over 1 MILLON likes on the platform, with all this done by Stephen posting videos of himself singing his own songs with a mixture of popular songs requested by the audience.
After the release of Changing Seasons, Stephen and the other band members continue to work on creating their next project with hopes and aspirations of making it to the top.
Longineu Parsons III
Drums
Parsons joined Yellowcard in 1997 along with Ben Dobson, Todd Clary, Warren Cooke and Ben Harper after meeting at Douglas Anderson School of Arts. He was with the band ever since 1997's Midget Tossing until 2013's Ocean Ave Acoustic.
On March 13, 2014, Parsons left Yellowcard. By this point, Parsons had been the only remaining member of the original lineup. According to their Facebook page, the band said in a joint statement, "Longineu has decided to pursue other musical interests. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors."
Other work: 2008–present
During the Yellowcard hiatus, Parsons played drums for Adam Lambert from October 2009 through September 2010. Parsons founded rap-rock group LPMD with producer Miles M. Davis. Their debut album, Off The Record, was released on September 27, 2011. Parsons formed a new band, This Legend, in early 2014. Ben Harper, another former Yellowcard member, also is a member of the band.
This Legend: 2014–present
In June 2014, Parsons and former Yellowcard bandmate Ben Harper formed a new band with Chris Castillo (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) and Steven Neufeld (bass guitar) called This Legend. They released their first album It's In The Streets on November 11, 2014. The band played several shows across the U.S. to promote the album.
As of 2017, the band is on hiatus due to band members' other interests. Parsons began playing drums with Ten Foot Pole and Stages and Stereos.
Vilano: 2022
In the early spring of 2022, Parson's joined the band "Vilano", of St. Augustine, Florida.
Adam Otoski
Lead Guitar
Adam was born in Boston, MA and grew up with a more sports background than anything until about the age of 8. When Adam hit this age he got his first guitar from his father because of his addiction to the video game "Guitar Hero." His father said the game was a waste of time, so he should pick up a real guitar. So that year on Christmas he received his first guitar. From there on, Adam was absolutely hooked on music.
Flash forward to the age of 12 when Adam joined his first band and started song writing. He attended "The Deangelis School Of Rock" to learn how to play better, write better, and perform better. He started playing in bands at local restaurants around town and eventually started his own band at the age of 13.
When Adam hit 13 years old he started his band "Chasing The Fall." They were a local Pop Punk band who was short lived after only about a year of playing together. From there on, Adam met other musicians that were more his style in the "metal core" world.
He joined a band in high school called "Proxy War" who released one EP and 2 singles over a few years. They opened for bands such as Paris, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Famous Last Words, etc. They played venues such as the Worcester Palladium, Simons 677, among other NE USA concert venues.
At the age of 18, Adam moved to St. Augustine FL and tried for about 3 years before he met Nick and formed Vilano in early 2019.
Nick Holtz
Bass
Nick was born in Mason City, Iowa, and raised in the town of Clear Lake, Iowa. He grew up playing sports such as baseball, football, and tennis. His dream as a child was to become a professional baseball player, but his dreams fell short after suffering from shoulder problems as a young teenager. Nick graduated from Clear Lake High School at the age of 18, and moved to St. Augustine, Florida to attend Flagler College.
While at college, Nick studied sport management and picked up various jobs with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Daily's Place Amphitheater, and the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. It was not until Nick was 19 years old that he discovered his passion for music. After he attended the 2017 Welcome to Rockville music festival, Nick quickly realized that he wanted to be a guitarist. That summer, he worked odd jobs with his father to save up money for a guitar and amp. He was initially inspired by bands such as Pierce the Veil, Crown the Empire, and Parkway Drive. In February of 2019, Nick met Adam Otoski, whom he would form the band 'Vilano' with. Nick decided to take up playing bass for the purpose of the band, since him and Adam were unable to find a bassist who had the same drive and passion as them.
Nick helped write and record Vilano's fist single, "Greetings!", in the summer of 2019. The single later turned into a 6 song EP titled "Everything's Copacetic", which released at the end of summer 2019.
After releasing the first EP, Nick took up a job at United Rentals, where he worked in inside sales and outside sales for the next two and half years. During this time, Nick helped write and record the album "No Rain, No Flowers", which released under the record label Ghost Killer Entertainment. After the release of the album, Nick and the band got straight back to work in the studio to record their second EP "Changing Seasons".
Endorsements
- Soultone Cymbals
- Hendrix Drums
- Evans Drum Heads
- Promark Drum Sticks
- Cympad
- Spinball
