Blues rockers The Record Company returns May 7 to Plant Riverside's District Live
When vocalist and guitarist Chris Vos and drummer Marc Cazorla first got together in the Los Angeles living room of bassist Alex Stiff to record a few tunes, the trio knew right away they were on to something. Steeped in the blues boogie of John Lee Hooker, soaring solos of the Allman Brothers, and rebelliousness of Iggy Pop, the three players united in 2011 as The Record Company. Six years later, their debut release “Give It Back to You” was Grammy-nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album.
Since then, the hard-working triumvirate has released three more well-received albums. On Tuesday, May 7, The Record Company returns to Savannah for a night of body-shaking rock and roll at District Live, 400 W. River St. General admission tickets are $25 with show starting at 7:30 p.m.
Since January, the band has been on the road supporting their latest release “The 4th Album.” The “Roll with It Tour 2024” began in Colorado, to date featuring just shy of 50 shows, and with at least 10 performances a month—more being added—the high energy three-piece gives no signs of stopping.
Vos, who grew up in rural Wisconsin, believes his midwestern upbringing is directly linked to his dedication in touring and performing.
“Growing up on a farm, it’s the little things,” mused Vos. “The attention to detail that is necessary to run a successful dairy farm translates to music. The successful farmer doesn’t evaluate the field from the road. They get out into that field and understand what’s going on. And that’s a lot like music, especially being on the road, meeting people, really taking time with people, delivering solid performances every night. Yeah, that dedication is rooted in being a farm kid.”
Cazorla and Stiff, though not from farming families, knew each other from their college days at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. The pair had played together for years before venturing to Los Angeles in the early 2000s, hopeful of making a go at music. Around that same time, Vos, a committed vocalist and versatile guitarist, was having little luck finding players interested in the blues and Southern rock he so admired and took inspiration from.
When Cazorla and Stiff saw and responded to one of Vos’s handmade music flyers, fate intervened. Soon all three were writing and rehearsing music, recording late into the night in Stiff’s Los Felis living room. Stiff, who produced their first Grammy-nominated endeavor and all but one of their albums, returns to the producer’s chair on their latest release, an approach that feels most fitting for the band.
“We’re just three guys trying to plant good seeds and bring in a good harvest,” emphasized Vos. “A record is a process. Once you’re past the first and second, third even, down the road aways, you have to dig in. And that’s when you learn what you’re really about.”
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“The 4th Album” recalls the rawness of “Give It Back to You” with hints of the Rolling Stones, The Black Crowes, John Lee Hooker, and even a little Tom Petty. It’s solid rock and roll that feels cohesive, authentic.
On YouTube, the band showcases music videos accompanying most of the album’s 10 tracks. Live footage edited from their living room recording sessions reveal three people relaxed, connected and who enjoy working together.
The track “I Found Heaven,” with its jangling acoustic Gibson guitar and harmonica flourishes, charges forward as Americana-tinged rock and roll, while “Patterns” with its dirty, crunchy bass intro, conjures “The Black Keys” with an in-your-face, alternative rock sensibility. And “Control My Heart Blues” is reminiscent of late 1970s “Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.”
Though Vos is the front person, it’s clear the endeavor is a team effort. In their videos the three men look as if they genuinely each like each other and are having fun, which in any process involving multiple people, it’s sometimes difficult to always feel positive about the people you’re working with.
“My wife and I, we have this rule, and it works with the band, too,” considered Vos. “No serious discussion after two beers. If you couldn’t say it before, just don’t say it. Wait until the morning. This really helps us as a band because it helps us remember why we started playing together because we were, and are, excited about the sound we make.”
With the band’s rigorous 2024 touring schedule, kindness and good communication are key along with eating and sleeping well. The men have embraced self-care as one strategy in maintaining longevity in a notoriously fickle industry. The road can make or break a band.
“Sooner or later you learn what the priority is, you are there to play music,” reflected Vos. “Expressing yourself artistically, consistently putting on a good show, respecting each other, meeting people, and being dedicated to the priority. That’s professional music. And being respectful of the audience. It is important that fans know you are grateful, because without an audience there’s nothing. The audience gives you your job, and you gotta respect that.”
If you go >>
What: The Record Company "Roll with It" Tour 2024
When: 7:30 p.m., May 7
Where: District Live, Plant Riverside District, 400 W. River St., Savannah
Tickets: General admission, $25, livenation.com/event/vvG1zZbAmOjKKe/the-record-company
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Blues rockers The Record Company returns May 7 to District Live
