Photos by Lou Montesano
When The Record Company released its debut album, Give It Back To You, in February 2016, the rock gods were pleased. Their first single, “Off The Ground,” reached Number 1 on Billboard’s adult alternative chart; they were nominated for a Grammy in the Best Contemporary Blues category; Elmore premiered a song in 2013, and picked them up at the Bearsville Theatre, in Woodstock, NY, and again in Brooklyn; Rolling Stone included them in its “10 New Artists You Need to Know” list.
It was a big, big year for the band, but the trio was hardly an overnight sensation. Formed in LA in 2011, Chris Vos (guitars, harmonica and lead vocals), Marc Cazorla (drums and vocals) and Alex Stiff (bass and vocals) had paid their dues, self-producing an EP (Superdead), touring incessantly and working to hone their sound before signing on to Concord Music with the strong material that made up Give It Back To You.
Their recent Music Hall of Williamsburg show featured hard-rocking tunes from that album, including “Got Me On the Move,” “Baby I’m Broken” and “Hard Day Coming Down.” Vos told the crowd that new tunes are in the works, and the band shared a fine one called “Night Games.”
Even with all the accolades of the past year, the trio hasn’t lost any of its bass-driven, high-energy sound, or the joy they derive from bringing it to the fans. The Williamsburg set showed the boys refining their vocals and modulating their power trio attack with songs that featured Cazorla on keyboards and Stiff joining Vos on acoustic guitar. Staying true to their founding matrix—the mojo of John Lee Hooker crossed with the manic energy of punk—The Record Company remains one of the most intense new musical experiences out there.
— Peter Jurew
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