Vito’s Lot keeps it light and tuneful

By John Benson

Originally conceived as a side project to Youngstown-area horn-based rock act Twelve Bucks, Vito’s Lot has become the focus of bassist John Onufrak and his band mates, Joe Onufrak (vocals, guitar) and Robert Flamino (percussion).

“We’ve been together since last March,” said Onufrak, a 2000 New Castle High School graduate. “We started out as a horn band in high school with a bunch of friends, but then it got to be trying to get gigs with nine guys, and actually getting paid became tough. So Twelve Bucks is on a permanent hiatus, and in the meantime, we started this project that snowballed into something nice.”

Initially an acoustic group in the same vein as Jason Mraz, Vito’s Lot, which plays out quite frequently around the Youngstown area, quickly evolved into something else that explored various influences of the band. In addition to finding inspiration from the Beatles and Eric Clapton, the threesome also cites the funk sound of Tower of Power as a guiding force.

“People have said we sound like a new Stevie Wonder and compared us to Jamiroquai,” Onufrak said. “And then some tunes are straight-ahead acoustic rock, pop. Something you can hear on the radio. I don’t want to label us as alternative, we’re more like lighter rock.” The spirit of Vito’s Lot can be heard on the group’s debut album, “The Trees,” which includes band favorites such as the uplifting title track, the catchy “Paint a Picture” and the laid-back “Someone Out There.” Onufrak said audiences attending the trio’s Saturday show at the Lemon Grove can expect to hear those songs and more. And at the very least, Vito’s Lot is seemingly offering the area something different than your run-of-the-mill rock or metal vibe.

“Yeah, we kind of stand out,” Onufrak said. “It seems like we’re getting a little bit of a buzz. It’s hard to find venues that we fit in just because of the difference in style. A lot of the people go for what’s heavier. But it seems like people have heard of us because we’re the lighter group but still very likeable with very catchy tunes.”

He added, “And we’re not gimmicky. We are not going to shout into the mic. We’re there to basically entertain the audience with our music. We’re not going to put on a crazy stage act and go crazy. We want people who can appreciate good music to be at our gigs. People will walk out of our show feeling uplifted. Some bands are just so angry at the world that you leave their show feeling angry. We hope people leave our concerts feeling uplifted and happy.”

if you go

Who: Vito’s Lot and Uniontown Electric

When: 9 p.m. Saturday

Where: The Lemon Grove, 122 W. Federal St., Youngstown

Admission: $3