You can find it at Art for the Cash Poor 14, thanks to a special performance by It’s Marvin, Your Cousin Marvin Berry. Originally formed as a one-night-only act in June of 2012, they’ll be reviving the Chuck Berry experience for a little rendezvous on Saturday, June 8 at 4 pm.
Catch our interview with bass player Tony Trov below:
Can you start out by telling me a little bit about yourself?
My name is Tony. I’m a musician, film maker, writer, t shirt designer and life long Philadelphian.
I started the studio South Fellini with my buddy Johnny Zito in 2010. Since then we’ve made a feature film called Alpha Girls, and released graphic novels DOGS of Mars through Image Comics and our latest book Moon Girl through Red 5 Comics along with digital releases for DC Comics.
I also play saxophone in the band Southwork. We just released our first album through Writtenhouse Records.
You wear hats in pretty much every creative realm there is – music, art, writing. Do you find that your work in one area affects or reflects on your creativity in other areas?
Absolutely. I’m a pop artist and love to mash up different mediums. There’s always shout outs to pop culture in the projects I make.
Can you tell me a bit about your other creative work?
Alpha Girls was a film that I co-directed and wrote with Johnny Zito. It stars Falon Joslyn, Nikki Bell and features Schoolly D and Ron Jeremy. Southwork also recorded the soundtrack at Eastern State Penitentiary. We’ve been screening the film and looking to distribute it soon.
How has your musical history evolved over the years, from your time with Fat City Reprise up until the present day?
I feel as if I’m involved with much more interesting and exciting projects since Fat City Reprise.
The saxophone is such a great instrument and I love playing with Southwork. I have been best friends with the guys in the band for what feels like a million years.
I think I’ve been in a band of some sort with Nick Anastasi, who plays lead guitar and singer in It’s Marvin, Your Cousin Marvin Berry, since I was about 13 years old. He plays bass in Southwork too but we’ve always been making music together.
You described It’s Marvin, Your Cousin Marvin Berry as an ‘experience’. How did it get started? What motivates you to reform the band for the occasional reprisal gig?
It’s Marvin, Your Cousin Marvin Berry was a side project that Nick and I swore we would only do once. It’s a tribute to the music of Chuck Berry as well as the movie Back To The Future. We both love that music and love that movie. One thing leads to another and we kept getting booked. I think every show we play we go a little bit further over the top. This show we’re being joined by our brothers in Southwork, Mike Vivas will be on drums and Mike Vogel on piano.
Do you find that living in Philadelphia affects your creative work in any way?
Philadelphia makes all of this possible. It’s a city where you can do anything because there are a ton of resources and people who want to get involved. It’s a beautiful and delicious city.
What are you looking forward to most about playing Art for the Cash Poor?
I’m looking forward to seeing Weird Hot in person. I’ve been a fan for a while but actually never saw them perform.
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All photos of It’s Marvin, Your Cousin Marvin Berry featured on this page are by Brian Hunt of Ethimo Foto.
