The Record Company Closes Its Winter Tour in Milwaukee

End of ‘Roll With It Tour 2024’ Welcomed Before a Sold-Out Crowd 

The Record Company blew into Milwaukee’s Turner Hall to conclude their winter tour on Friday, February 10, 2024.  It was a fitting ending for the band’s tour given singer Chris Vos’ roots on a Wisconsin dairy farm near Burlington, Wisconsin, roughly 30 miles from Milwaukee.  In many ways, the concert felt like a triumphant homecoming before the sold-out crowd, which included Vos’ family members among the band’s fans.

The Record Company is comprised of Chris Vos (vocals, guitar, lap, and pedal steel, harmonicas), Alex Stiff (bass, guitars, piano, vocals), and Marc Cazorla (drums, piano, vocals).  Currently based in LA, the band was formed in 2011 and has enjoyed wide critical acclaim and extensive coverage touring and opening for the likes of BB King, Buddy Guy, Grace Potter, and Trombone Shorty.

First impressions of The Record Company focus on the gritty, almost industrial quality of their music.  Edgy, raw, almost elemental lyrics and tracks revealing lives lived hard but experienced fully. 

While the band attributes their music to a wide array of influences, including early punk and mainstream rock and roll, their music perhaps comes closest to a traditional blues approach, updated with their unique style and flavor.

The Record Company has released four studio albums since 2016 to rave reviews.  Their current September 2023 release is titled, appropriately, The 4th Album, and represents a return to the band’s roots.  Self-described as a response to the highs and lows of the past couple of years, The 4th Album was recorded in the same manner as their first album, the Grammy-nominated Give It Back To You.  The tracks on the album were all recorded in bassist Alex Stiff’s living room using basic recording equipment and their discount store drum kit.  Mixed and produced by Stiff, the album eschews sophisticated recording techniques and instead focuses on the raw intensity of the lyrics and music.  The 4th Album is really about the essential honesty of the band to its calling.

While The Record Company’s tour was in support of its current release, the band’s setlist for the night spanned their entire catalog.

Launching into “Life To Fix,” the band quickly set the tone for the night with a toe-tapping, grooving vibe.

Alex Stiff’s funky bassline flowed throughout the next song, “Patterns,” one of the offerings from The 4th Album, and perfectly accompanied Chris Vos’ frenetic guitar and singing.

While Chris Vos’ distinctive vocals led the way on all of the songs, Alex Stiff and Marc Cazorla pitched in adding their perfect harmonies.  Witness “The Movie Song,” which ably demonstrated how tightly each member of the band complimented each other.

The tempo cooled down with a couple of acoustic songs, “Talk To Me” and “I Found Heaven (In My Darkest Days).”

“Talk To Me” is an ode to the silent times of almost any personal relationship.  Launched with Marc Cazorla’s drum intro, the lyrics and music evoke the personal pain and anguish in feeling ignored by one’s partner.

“I Found Heaven (In My Darkest Days)” and “In The Mood” were among several songs in the set highlighting Chris Vos’ wailing harmonicas.

The band’s joy in performing was palpable.  Chris Vos’ often had this shit-eatin’ grin on his face playing, basically, to his hometown crowd.  And in response, the audience loved every second of the show, packing the floor with many in the crowd dancing and swaying to the music.

Between many of the songs, Vos bantered with the crowd telling stories of his life and life on the road.

Every singer has his or her unique stylings, so perhaps it’s a disservice to compare someone closely to another.  However, for me, there are some distinct similarities between Chris Vos’ voice and that of Southern rock and soul-master, JJ Grey.  The comparison was especially present on “Rita Mae Young” as well as their Beastie Boys cover of “So What’cha Want”—the first song in The Record Company’s encore.  Both voices are strong and distinctive.

And similarities (which again may be apparent only to me!) may exist between The Record Company’s “Off The Ground,” and the song “Woke Up This Morning,” by Alabama 3 that was used as the opening theme music for The Sopranos.  Both have virtually the same beat, starting off in a mellow, almost understated manner and then building to crescendos.

The Record Company closed out their night with their unique take on John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom,” appropriately paying homage to one of the greatest bluesmen of all time.

Jesse Ahern Opener

Boston-based Jesse Ahern was a perfect opener for The Record Company and accompanied the band throughout the tour.  Ahern was warmly welcomed with many in the audience singing along with his music. 

With roots and Americana-based style, Ahern might justifiably call himself the singer for the common man and woman.  Ahern’s lyrics and music celebrate the essence of the working class—those working men and women who have been essential to our industry and society.  Ahern lambasts class inequities through songs like “Back Against The Wall.”

Ahern’s music is largely personal and self-reflective.  He willingly admitted his personal struggles with addiction and recovery before singing “Riding That Highway of Life”—reflecting his life story.

The Record Company is taking a well-deserved break before launching into its next tour, scheduled to begin on March 7, 2024, in Portland, Oregon. 

Be sure to catch The Record Company when they come to your town.  For tour dates and other news, check their website at https://therecordcompany.net/

See the Full Gallery of the Night Here!

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