Lloyd Vines: Roses & Vines

ADULTR: Give us a little background, where are you from, how was growing up where you did?

Lloyd: I was born in Norfolk Va. but grew up in Virginia Beach. Growing up in Virginia was amazing for the most part lots of people from all over live there because it's a navy town. A lot of people think we live out in the woods or some shit but really there are some very creative and amazing people there.

We don't have a huge city or downtown it's basically the suburbs but crazy shit goes down just like anywhere else ahaha. It's a breeding ground for unique and original artist that's for sure we really do our own thing I moved around the area a lot “30 times in 25 years” so I really met everyone all over the area. I think that the reason everything that comes out of Virginia is so original because we don't have like a set “thing” like Atlanta NY or LA. We really had to fish out cool shit because it wasn't really presented to us like other cities.

photo: Sharokh Mirzai

Have you always wanted to make music? How did the music start?

Lloyd: Yeah ever since I would say third grade. My older sister had a friend named Ivan he wrote this rap for me to record on his pager line. When you beeped him “ My name is Lloyd I don't play with toys but I wanna represent for all my boys/ I'm 8 years old got all the gold and I'm on this line representing for The Pro” (The Pro was his alias)

In elementary school I had such a crazy CD collection, my mom gave me Da Brats tape cassette and that was my first album that was mine, then I got Biggies, Ready to Die. Nas, It was Writing. Jay-Z, rReasonable Doubt AZ Doe or Doe Mobb Deep etc. I started Listening to a lot of punk rock around middle school then more pop punk in high school. Really tho it was the skate videos I grew up watching that would go on to shape the music I would make in the future. I started free styling a lot like right as my senior year came around I would write lyrics and stuff like that. My friend Ben Circelli and Gabe Niles were the first to tell me I needed to start making songs to try ya know? Gabe made me this beat we called the song Damaged Goods and after that it was on.

When did you move to NY?

Lloyd: I moved to NY the day after Christmas 2015

When did you start skating?

Lloyd: I started skating in 1999 got my first board that Christmas it was a Chocolate Gino Iannucci with red Mercury Trucks, pig wheels and bones reds bearings. I actually got my mom and dad to take me back to the skate shop and I exchanged it for a Shortys board it was the Nasty Wraslin Bastards series the Peter Smolik one I got that with venture lite trucks and clear blue alien workshop wheels.

Was this your first exposure to a creative passion?

Lloyd: Yeah for sure! It may have been one of the first time I realized like that I can turn thoughts into reality like, I wanted to learn a trick and I would think about it all day and night then get home from school and just keep trying and trying the first time I landed a heel flip was one of the best feelings in my life

When was the moment you first felt you were on the right path? The first time u got acknowledgment for your passion?

Lloyd: Probably when I got sponsored. It was an amazing feeling. The first acknowledgment would definitely be when I had my first ad in Thrasher Magazine it was the April 2007 skater of the year issue Daewon Song won that year.

Your album, ‘Roses & Vines’, really crossed some genres, Aesop rock, 2000’s punk, and some dance vibes, what was the inspiration?

Lloyd: The inspiration was definitely trying to put everything that influenced from childhood to adulthood in one project. I was inspired by the music from skate videos and the music I grew up listening too. Landen (Rose) the producer of the project he has a ton of amazing influences also I think together we really made a great album. Lots of classic rock pop punk punk rock hip hop psychedelic rock we were trying out best to blend it all.

What’s your favorite land mammal? 2nd fav? 3rd fav?

The Bull, The Goat and the Pomeranian, lol

Check Lloyd out on sound cloud and the new video below:

 https://soundcloud.com/roseandvines/sets/roseandvines-album

Instagram: @even.if.ya.not.hot