Rocco and Valerie Repetski fell in love playing music. They met in a youth group at St. Mark Church in Vienna. After college, Rocco would invite Valerie over for jam sessions with friends. One evening, only the two of them showed up. “We stopped inviting anyone else after that,” said Rocco. Their latest musical collaboration is with each other, a band titled “sunset + mine.”
While Rocco played piano and saxophone growing up, Valerie began playing guitar while attending Marymount University in Arlington. “When the staff found out I was teaching myself guitar, they asked me to provide music for holy hours, retreats and campus Masses,” said Valerie. For many years, the couple has played at Catholic events throughout the Washington area.
Valerie and Rocco, parishioners of St. Leo the Great Church in Fairfax, describe their sound as bright, upbeat and uplifting. They worked with producer Ian Charlie of the band Walla to record their songs in Los Angeles. The band name is a reference to a famous intersection in Hollywood — Sunset Blvd and Vine Street — near where they recorded. “We chose “sunset + mine” as an homage to the area since L.A. is where this dream became a reality,” said Valerie.
The pair plan to release new singles throughout the year. Their next is a cover of Coldplay’s “Fix You.”
Their debut single, “Honey Let’s Go,” was released in January and chronicles their love story. “It’s a carefree, sing-at-the-top-of-your-lungs, road trip song that we hope puts a smile on your face,” said.
“We love sharing about our relationship — we’ve been married since 2012 and it’s such a crazy fun adventure,” said Rocco. “Our marriage feels like a journey — we don’t know what’s around the next bend in the road, but that’s part of the joy in it, knowing that whatever we discover along the way that we’re on this road trip together.”
They said the song celebrates love and marriage. “There are already enough breakup songs out there and we want to provide a breath of fresh air to give everyone something to laugh and smile about,” said Valerie. “Our marriage has been the joy of our lives and to be able to write such a personal song for the world to hear is intimidating but so exciting.”
