Need some pump-up music for tailgating next season?
Mitch Petrus has you covered.
The offensive lineman's Arkansas-based rock band, known as the Vikings of the North Atlantic (a.k.a. VONA because, well, Petrus doesn't play for Minnesota), released a handful of tracks on iTunes yesterday for the first time since forming roughly three years ago.
In the wake of winning a world championship, there was no better time to do so.
"It can't hurt anything, right," Petrus said during a phone interview on his way to Fayeteville, Ark. for band practice later this week. "Win a Super Bowl, push it on iTunes, and hopefully it all works together."
Petrus, who was drafted in 2010 and made his first of three starts in the second half of last season, plays bass in the four-piece band. He is joined by the Hudgens Brothers – Drew, lead singer and guitarist, and Matt, the drummer – and Jon Allen, who plays guitar.
Five songs were made available on Monday, including tracks "Burn New Life" and "Water Into Wine." But before that, fans heard a VONA song used for a highlight reel on "Access Blue" on Giants.com.
The next step for Petrus and the band is to play live.
"We're open," Petrus said. "We're available whenever."
That is, however, until he returns north to rejoin his teammates, who are some of his biggest fans.
From Justin Tuck to Steve Weatherford and Jake Ballard, Giants were Tweeting and re-Tweeting about VONA and how Petrus was giving away autographs for any followers downloading his music.
"I know Jake likes it," Petrus said. "He likes it. I think he was really surprised. I think a lot of guys are surprised by the sound of it. I think they're surprised I had anything to do with it at all."
Asked who else has some musical talent in the Giants' locker room, Petrus pointed out quarterback David Carr's ability on guitar and defensive tackle Marvin Austin, who recently was selected and attended the inaugural Business of Music Boot Camp for NFL players at New York University.
While he continues to convince Austin to do a "rap-rock" collaboration, Petrus is making the most of his offseason.
"It's been a lot of interviews," he said. "I want to see the ring, but I haven't gotten it just yet obviously. It's been kind of a fast-paced thing. I've enjoyed some of the free time, but I'm just trying to ride the Super Bowl wave and do as many interviews as I can to get the word out there. I've been telling people I've had music and had no way for them to hear it, but now I can say, hey, go online and buy it and go listen to it."
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