*Mary Lemanski Editor, LooseyLucy's Headquarters http://www.looseylucy.com
What motivated you to become a band and how did you get started?
We have all three been in many bands previous to Voice Of Addiction. Jeff and I had been playing together in bands since we were 13. He moved to Chicago 2 years prior to me and ended up randomly having Rob as one of his roommates in the Columbia dorms. When I decided to move to Chicago they were over the dorms and six of us got a house in one of the neighborhoods. This was the first time I had met Rob, and it was as a roommate. We lived together for 3 1/2 years but V.O.A. wasn't officially formed till a couple years after I moved to Chicago. Rob was our first and also is our present drummer, with 3 others attempting to replace him in our intermission. We have reached our pinnacle and have come full circle with the new album "Re-evolution." With Rob's return on drums and our reunion also with producer Scott Fritz, this proves to be the best release to date. We all lived, breathed, drank, and evolved together before we even were a band. It's that connection which enables us to keep
pushing, and striving for the next horizon.
Tell us a little bit about your music.
There is definitely three different personalities at work here. We all grew up in different music genre schools. I was always into the punk rock and hardcore scene, Rob grew up on metal, while Jeff was a little crunchier. When we started playing together as a band we were all over the place. If you were lucky enough to grab our first full-length(which is no longer offered except by special request) it doesn't even sound like the same band from song to song. But hey, we were all in college, just having fun and playing what we wanted. It was over the next two EP's (while on hiatus with Rob) that we developed our current sound. It wasn't until we needed a drummer to fill in that we asked Rob to help us out, and heard what we were missing. He plays his kit harder then most anyone, and this drove our style a notch further on the new record. We decided to center this record on him, start at the basement and work up much like a house. I have a big ska and old school punk influence in my bass lines. Jeff has the wailing, distorted rock tone on his guitar. I have always been a big believer that if someone is listening to you you should have something worth-while to say. I try to bring up political and social issues, while still remaining broad enough for it to be felt by the greatest number of people.
There are mixed feelings within the music industry about new Internet technologies. How do you see the future of the music industry? How do you see these technologies affecting your music?
I am assuming that your mainly talking about being to download music from online, instead of heading to your local record shop. I have to admit, I used to love rummaging through piles of albums, looking for that piece of gold that someone hasn't seen yet. A lot of smaller record stores are struggling these days if not already out of business because of this. I think they will always exist, but as larger corporate record stores move in, it gets even harder for the little guy. Now the question comes up of people sharing music and such online. A lot of bands are against this but I differ. We personally put everything onlline ourselves for free download. This hasn't hurt us at all. People tend to appreciate the gesture. As long as you include some great artwork and cool packaging people still buy the cds. (look at radiohead recently as a great example) Also if you are like me, you would prefer the cd quality over the lossy mp3's that are thrown around everywhere. I use the mp3 as a preview for if I want to purchase their album. I have also noticed when you offer the songs for free, people are more apt to purchase other merchandise, and all that does is help you promote your band with people putting stickers on their car, wearing your shirts, patches, buttons etc. The internet is revolutionizing the music industry, but the grassroots will always remain, especially at live shows. The only people this really effects is bands that don't play out a lot, and the ones at the top of the food chain in the music industry.
What is one positive thing and one negative thing you have learned about the music business through your experiences?
As with most musicians I think, the negative just seems to keep piling up while little light is seen. The music business is an unfortunate neccessity though and must be understood and used in order to be successful. I will be the first to admit how daunting this can be. I new nothing about music business a few years ago, but with perseverance have managed to learn enough and stay afloat. So one negative thing is it is a business, which has nothing to do with creativity. One positive is you actually can achieve some of your goals by working with the right people, and relationships can actually be made, kept and evolve through the right avenues.
What advice can you give to other musicians who are trying to make a career of music?
The best advice is just to believe in yourself and not to give up. Noone is going to take you seriously or your music until you do. Voice Of Addiction is a D!i!Y! band and in fact, every group I have been a part of has been. There is literally millions of bands out there, and hard work and good music combined is what will make you carve out your niche in the masses. Know your audience and cater to them. If you want to make t shirts and can't afford to make them, do it yourself! want to make an album but don't have a label backing you, do it yourself. Figure out what it is you want to do, and then quit talking about doing it. Devise a step by step plan of attack and get to it!

Taking a closer look at Chicago’s local bands
By Tiffany Breyne
Assistant A&E Editor

Punk and ska have always been the defiant genres of the music scene, from the energy of the music to the dance moves to the misfit attitude. The members of Voice of Addiction—Ian Tomele on bass and vocals, Jeff Walschon on guitar and back-up vocals, and Steve Gregg on drums—have always had that bold incompliance in their music, but have only had their name and ska-rock style since 2003. While all three members hail from Ohio, Gregg didn’t join Tomele and Walschon until after they had moved to the Chicago. Voice of Addiction use their bitter and sometwhat heavy-rock energy to convey their distaste of the media’s talking heads and today’s politicians into the local music scene. Through e-mail, Tomele gave The Chronicle his views on the city’s shows and the issues he cares about.

The Chronicle: How has Voice of Addiction transformed over the years?
Tomele: It was so all over the place in different genres that it left audiences confused. We [would be] growing toward something else and decide to write all new material. We went through three different drummers [in a year]. With each [drummer] we played a couple shows after they learned the songs, but it never worked out. In December of last year we recorded an EP simply titled EP 2005. We wanted to do this very raw in just a few takes with a lot of emotion. It wasn’t until mid-January of this year that we were complete with Gregg on drums. It’s funny it took another Ohio kid—he is from Youngstown [and] we are from Cleveland—to really fit with us.
The Chronicle: How did you guys get into making political music?
Tomele: Even though at the outset we played all different styles of music, we were always primarily a political band. I have always been interested in educating myself with the world we live in and encourage everyone to try and do the same. It became apparent to me early on that not everybody had the same advantages and/or disadvantages growing up and throughout their daily lives. I have been a self-proclaimed Anarchist and active in the DIY community for years and plan on continuing to do so. I am a firm believer that the only way true change can come about is through cooperation and working together. I guess singing about these things just kind of happened to me; nearly every band I have been in has been political in nature. In retrospect I guess I thought that if people were listening to what you were saying you should say something more meaningful than the lyrics I usually hear.
Chronicle: What are some issues you’re concerned with now?
Tomele: Foreign relations; I sing a lot about the ever-widening gap between the classes, the digital divide, the exploitation of the poor and third world countries, the farce of democracy, the hypocrisy of our leaders and the problems with our media.
Chronicle: Do you think enough bands nowadays use their music to promote important issues?
Tomele: I think that there are quite a lot of bands that do this—not enough though. And it gets very tricky for these bands to get their message out to the masses. When you look at all the money and resources that the government has to promote propaganda compared to what these bands, writers, speakers, etc. have at their exposure, the difference is absurd.
Chronicle: How does performing in Chicago compare to other cities, if at all?
Tomele: Chicago is different in a lot of aspects. First of all, shows start so early here. I was not prepared for that. Also in the city there [are] virtually no all-ages shows. I would have to say that my favorite place to play and/or see a show is at Subterranean, [but] I also like the Note, Double Door, Empty Bottle, Beat Kitchen [and the] Logan Square Auditorium.

Based out of Chicago and comprised of Ian Tomele (Lead Vocals, Bass Guitar) Jeff Walschon (Lead Guitar, Backup Vocals) and Steve Gregg (Drums), they are a politically-motivated group with an excellent stage presence and unmatched ability to sound excellent, regardless of the restrictions placed on them by the equipment at the venue they are playing at. They have a habit of giving out free CDs at their shows, but you had best grab one early, they tend to disapear once the band hits the stage.

Check out a few of the pics I grabbed at tonight's show!
Click on the pic below to see the photos taken at this show