Indianapolis, IN. – Last week I had the opportunity to sit down with The Record Company‘s Chris Vos ahead of their performance in Fountain Square; a funky little burb just a mile southeast of downtown Indianapolis that is host to vintage shops, a slew of restaurants, a vibrant art scene and live music. This particular Friday night, MOKB Presents was bringing The Record Company to the Hi-Fi Annex – An all age venue in the parking lot of the Murphy Art Center and behind it’s parent club, Hi-Fi Indy.
After a brief rain delay and some inclemental weather, The Record Company took the stage and gave the crowd a full set packed with energy and passion despite starting almost 45 minutes late and up against a 10pm sound curfew.
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Digital Beat Magazine: Hi Chris. How are you doing?
Chris Vos: Yeah, I’m doing great. I apologize I’m late. I just got back from dinner and I looked down and they had told me 7:30pm and then I looked and it said 7:15pm. I’m like, well, that’s not good.
DBM: It’s all good.
CV: Great! We are getting ready to go play here in Bloomington, Illinois and headed to Bourbon and Beyond Tomorrow. So, pretty stoked for that.
DBM: Is this your first time at Bourbon and Beyond?
CV: It’s our second time. It’s such a fun festival. We had such an amazing experience last time… so we were there the same year the Foo Fighters played and Taylor Hawkins saw us play and grabbed one of our T-shirts. Rest his beautiful soul! He ended up wearing The Record Company T-shirt on this big drum thing he did on BBC television in England and it was this two and a half hour special and he wore the T-shirt the whole time.
DBM: You gotta love that!
CV: I can’t tell you how much that did for our confidence and also our audience over there (laughs)
DBM: I know you’ve got a gig tonight so I won’t keep you too long, but I do have a handful of questions for you. Let’s get started… How’s 2024 treating you guys?
CV: You know, we’re doing really good. We’ve shifted into high gear since we dropped the last record. Shows are getting full again. People are excited. You know, it’s a lot of smiling faces. We rotate the set a little bit every night to keep it fresh. I mean, since we have so many people that are return customers, we just try and keep things fresh and it’s been a blast! It’s just good, fun rock and roll music, you know? Our roots are in the dirt – I’m a dairy farm kid, so those roots will never change.
DBM: How is it being out on the road post pandemic?
CV: So, we’re flying now which is great. I’m just going to put it out there…we’re back! I feel like we’re going into shows like it was in 2018/2019 – we were at a point then where we felt like we were just about to take it up a notch to the next level; to the next point. You know what I mean? And then we went face first into the whole pandemic thing with everybody else and that just stalled everything out. It’s taken three/four years to kind of get things moving again. Now, I’m not saying everybody’s feeling it is back to normal; I don’t even like using “back to normal” because I don’t know if that’s really the right way to say it. What I would say is there is a lot of energy again and it feels like where we had left off in 2018/2019. Where we were. The energy is there. You can feel it every night. There’s just more and more tickets getting sold. We’re selling out shows again! You feel that energy and that excitement. The crowds are excited. They stay till the last song; even on a Monday and Sunday night. The people who love live music are back.
DBM: We love hearing that!
CV: At least that’s what we are experiencing. You know, everybody’s got a different situation but that’s been our experience.
DBM: So you’re currently out on the Roll With It tour. Are there any new favorite venues or towns you’re looking forward to on this stop?
CV: I mean I’m really excited for this Indianapolis show that you’re talking about because there’s been a good number of tickets sold and it’s been a great time every time we’ve been there (Indianapolis)! Magic Stick – Majestic in Detroit is gonna be fun. Honestly, it’s just such a freaking gift to do this for a living and something I’ve dreamt of since I was a kid. The people that come out, pay for the tickets and come to the shows, they give you your living. The fact that they’re coming back out and they’re supporting the music; they clearly think they’re getting a good deal ’cause they’re having fun and we’re getting a great deal because we’re getting to do what we love. There was a little while there where we didn’t know what was gonna happen, you know? We saw a lot of great bands go away. I think people should be optimistic and if you haven’t started going out to shows yet, you might want to tiptoe your way out the door because there’s a lot of beautiful energy out there; especially at the level we’re at where it’s between a 500 and 1500 seat place. The people who are coming to those shows are diehard music lovers and they’re out there and they know what they want to hear. They even show up for our opening act. Who’s amazing by the way – Kiely Connell from Nashville – she’s one of those performers who plays the real stuff; from the heart and a voice that’ll stop the room, you know? Great songs! It’s just such a thrill to hear opening artists consistently say our crowds are receptive and awesome! That’s proof in the pudding. I hear the crowd cheering like she’s a headliner; and that’s really cool.
DBM: Absolutely. And that kind of plays into my next question…How’s the response been to the material from the new album?
CS: Awesome! It’s been great. You know, we got back to basics with this album. The first album is where you set your identity. The second album, you kind of expand your identity. Third album you challenge your crowd. And the fourth album, you do whatever the hell you want (laughs). When we got to the fourth album, we were like, let’s get back in the living room and have our bass player Alex produce and record it and get back to our roots and see where we’re at. And we were really stoked with how it sounded when we were done with it. It was a pretty big thrill…We put out the first track and hit the charts again; went up to top five on the AAA chart. When we play those songs, people are singing along. So that’s all you can ask for, you know?
DBM: Absolutely. Have any of the tunes evolved playing them live on stage?
CV: Yes, they always do. Every single time. I mean, there’s a certain amount of just a spiritual, organic feel. I hate saying organic because it’s just so overused, but there’s just a…I’ll put it to you this way – There’s a certain amount of flow and understanding that can only be achieved when you witness your own music to an audience. It will often blossom into something different then when you’re sitting in your studio recording it. For us, we wanna allow that experience in and let the songs evolve. Obviously we’re playing songs off the record, the crowd is singing the songs off the record…we’re not jamming songs for 15 minutes but we definitely open them up and let some air in and let the spirit of the room be in the song, you know?
DBM: I love hearing that! So, The Record Company has done some covers in the past where you’ve chosen a diverse mix of other people’s material. For example, your cover of the Beastie Boys “So What’cha Want” and my personal favorite, the Grateful Dead’s “New Speedway Boogie” to name a few. How do you come to decide which tunes of other people’s material you’d like to cover?
CV: Well, a lot of times, you know, for some of these, I’ll just be singing a tune that I like, and then I’ll just bring it to the guys. I’ll be like, check this out. This is what I sound like when I’m singing it and we put it in front of the group and it just works. Or it doesn’t (laughs). There’s really no irony in what we’re trying to do. On the Beastie Boys song, when we did it, it was because MCA had passed. That’s when that was born.
DBM: You guys slay that by the way…
CV: (laughs) Thank You for that. I came in with all the lyrics and we literally did that song in one take. I had the lyrics in front of me and I was just playing that groove and the guys fell into it and we eventually recorded it. The way it is done now is the way we did it the first time we ever played it. We were really sad that MCA was gone, and we were huge Beastie Boys fans. Any, Gen Xer is going to be; they were so pivotal. We just wanted to make the whole thing seem genuine but still put our slant on it – we wanted to take this song to a place that feels like it would sound if it were played by The Record Company. We didn’t want it to sound like we were trying to do the version that already exists or try to take away from the original. The version that already exists is perfect. So with “Devil Inside” by INXS, we were like how can we take on INXS? Those albums were huge influences on all three of us. And for me, guys like Michael (Hutchence) who sang in that lower register and kept it exciting were few and far between, you know? Yeah. It’s like Depeche Mode, for a guy who’s more of a baritone, like I am, it was exciting to think about going forward – we just put it bass forward. We let the bass carry the majority of it and I wasn’t going to try and sing it like he did. I’m gonna sing it my way, you know?
DBM: Yes, I love your covers. You guys really do expand on the sound of the tune. Even though they are all really well known songs by the artist who did them, you guys put a good twist on it and make them your own; And that’s a lot of fun!. The band puts out a lot of sound as a trio. Much like the classic blues bands from the early days. How did you discover the Blues and who are your influences from that genre?
CV: Specifically The Blues, I would say, my first tiptoeing into that genre was accidental. I got a Muddy Waters record because I had seen a movie and they said the name Muddy Waters, and I was like that’s pretty cool. So I asked my mom to keep her eyes peeled when she went into town and she grabbed the Muddy Waters record and it really spoke to me. And then, you know, of course I heard Stevie Ray Vaughan and Hendrix as a kid but they had more of a rock twist. Even though a lot of people say that Stevie Ray is a blues guitar player, he’s also a lot of rock and roll. Muddy Waters IS Blues. He’s just straight up electric blues – Chicago Blues. So when we talk about electric blues, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, and then it kinda goes on from there. Jimmy Reed was a big influence on just keeping it sloppy and having good lyrics. And I am obsessed. Anytime I find an old electric blues artist I haven’t heard; it just flips the switch for me. It flips it in a very deep way. And I really love seeing the evolution of blues music. It was the sound that was being done strictly in the states; in the Midwest, in the South, in Detroit and Chicago. And then players like Clapton got ahold of it and made it a whole other thing, you know? I almost consider that like guitar blues; that’s almost like another step. When you listen to anything off Chess Records, it’s about a song and a feeling and then at some point it changes into an expression through a guitar that’s bigger, you know?
DBM:I think about Robert Johnson and those original 29 songs and how many people have covered those songs and made them their own from Clapton, the Rolling Stones, Zeppelin – there’s just so many bands and performers that have pulled from that base root music.
CV: Yeah. The Mississippi Delta stuff is all amazing…you go back to Son House, Robert Johnson even Tommy Johnson. You can just go on down the line… Lead Belly, Memphis Minnie; they’re all out there and that’s a whole other kind of music. The stuff being done from 1927 to like 1945, you know, and then it turns into Chess Records and just keeps going from there.
DBM: So what’s on the horizon? What’s next for The Record Company?
CV: We’re continuing to write. Eventually we’ll put out some more material. We’ll be supporting this record (The Fourth Album) through the end of this year. Next year’s looking to be pretty full. We’re going to circle the whole United States and get over to Europe again and just keep doing it! A guy came over to my wife and I’s house and he was talking to us concerning our plans for later in life. You know those kind of conversations you start having as you get older and he asked my wife when do you wanna retire? She said the normal thing, you know, like 65, 67 and he said to me when do you want to retire? And this kind of reflects on my dairy farmer upbringing but I responded “when they kick dirt on me” (laughs). If I can still play right and do it well, then I will do that until they put me in the ground. I’ll never stop!
DBM: I mean look at Sir Mick Jagger. Look at Buddy Guy. In their 80’s and still out there doing it. You just never know.
CV: Yeah. Those are my heroes! People like that, you know? I saw Ray Charles when he was up there and those are the people I aspire to understand on a deeper level, because I feel if you play from the soul, it doesn’t leave you. There’s a higher energy working through you and that even if your body is giving out on you, you still can tap into the spirit and have that energy pass through you. And that’s what we’re trying to do every night; play from the spirit, man.
DBM: And that energy you’re receiving back from the crowd fulfills you. I mean, look at Willie, it just kind of fills the soul and allows one to keep doing it because that’s in your blood. You know, it is part of who you are.
CV: I just wanna be a part of that and experience as much joy as I can. I want to create as much joy and happiness and bring relief in this world. Something honest and the best place I have to do that has always been music. I learn a little more every day about how to do it a little more honestly and a little better. So I hope to just get more and more honest as I go through my life; just find deeper and deeper places to seek out.
DBM: Well, I can state you’re doing a great job. You’re definitely headed on that path! I’ve caught you guys twice now and again, like I said earlier, you guys blew me away the first time I saw you. I felt the energy; I felt it! And I was like this is a band you need to see live. I tell everybody! (laughs)
CV: Thank you so much. I really appreciate hearing that.
DBM: I always enjoy when a musician takes the time to chat with us here at Digital Beat Magazine. Is there anything else before you hang up that you’d like to share with our readers?
CV: Yeah, I’ve been saying this every night and however you wanna trim it down, I’ll try and say this as simply as I can. There’s nothing in this world more valuable than the opinion of one music lover to another who’s seeking something new. So if you enjoy music, share it in conversation; that will never go out of style. I mean post it around, share your stuff but never under estimate your musical opinion. Let people know when you’re seeing some of these bands. If we want to have a nice, healthy, singer-songwriter scene, rock and roll scene, band scene for the next 40 years, one has to let people know. Word of mouth is everything. You know, the bands that play the theaters, the clubs; they all depended on people just saying, “these guys are good”. Go buy the ticket and check them out”! That’s my message! Never forget the power of that. We’ve all had people do it to us and I bet we all can point to artists that you can go “Oh yeah, my dad told me about this or my uncle told me about that or my best friend from college turned me on to this band” – And that is a big deal! Just talk about it. Talk about who you’re digging, who’s out there worth listening to. ‘Cause there’s so much music out there. And if you know somebody’s taste and they’re seeking something, help them find it!
DBM: That’s definitely sound advice! So on that note Chris, last question. I always ask this question to all the people I interview. What’s on your playlist? What are you listening to currently?
CV: Well it’s kind of not a big secret anymore. I’ll give you two. There’s a kid named Sam Morrow out of LA that’s an up and comer – kind of somewhere close to Gram Parsons sound; just really cool country music but with a little more of that West Coast flare. And then the girl who’s playing with us tonight, Kiely Connell. I don’t think you can go wrong with her. She’s out of Nashville and currently has an album out now through Thirty Tigers. She’ll be breaking out and doing her own thing here in a little bit. So if you want to catch somebody early in their career, she’s a great one. And then there’s a band called the Red Clay Strays that we had open for us early on and they are taking the world by storm right now,
DBM: Yes, love the Red Clay Strays! They were here just last week and I was so bummed I wasn’t able to catch the show due to other obligations but they are on my list for sure.
CV: Yes, they’ve gotten so big lately so they probably don’t need my help in getting their name out there (laughs).
DBM: They’re on my playlist too right now so we both have great taste in music (laughs). Well Chris, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us tonight. Have a great show and we look forward to catching your set Friday, September 20th at the Hi-Fi Annex in Indianapolis.
CV: Well, thanks for having me and thanks for the kind words, really appreciate it!
ALL PHOTOS BY ©PIX MEYERS
THE RECORD COMPANY: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | X | YOUTUBE
SETLIST: INDIANAPOLIS
- IN THE MOOD FOR YOU
- RITA MAE YOUNG
- HARD DAY COMING DOWN
- THE MOVIE SONG
- ON THE MOVE
- TALK TO ME (Acoustic)
- CONTROL MY HEART BLUES (Acoustic)
- I FOUND HEAVEN (IN MY DARKEST DAYS) (Acoustic)
- LIFE TO FIX
- TURN ME LOOSE
- HOW HIGH
- ROLL WITH IT
- BABY I’M BROKEN
- THIS CROOKED CITY
- OFF THE GROUND
ENCORE:
- SO WHAT’CHA WANT (Beastie Boys cover)
- ALL DAY & ALL OF THE NIGHT (Kinks cover)
Opening the night’s performance was Indiana’s own Kiely Connell originally from Hammond, Indiana. Kiely’s been based out of Nashville, TN. for the past eleven years and is currently out showcasing her album MY OWN COMPANY out now via CALUMET QUEEN RECORDS & being distributed by THIRTY TIGERS. Kiely gave a quick 40 minute set before the rain came in and told the crowd the stories behind the tunes. She left a little bit of herself on that stage and we all were very receptive. I know for a fact she had made some new fans this evening. It wasn’t hard to understand why Chris speaks so highly of her and her music. Make sure to check her out!
KIELY CONNELL: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | X | YOUTUBE
MOKB PRESENTS THE RECORD COMPANY WITH SUPPRT FROM KIELY CONNELL Show Date: 09.20.24
