For a band like The Record Company, tearing up stages is just a way of life. Even so, the L.A. rock and roll trio – consisting of Chris Vos (guitar, lead vocals), Alex Stiff (bass, backing vocals), and Marc Cazorla (drums, piano, vocals) – who have toured with the likes of B.B. King and Buddy Guy, admit that the past few years have been somewhat of a whirlwind. We were psyched to catch up with Chris on the phone last week and get up to speed on the badass stuff they’ve been up to.
“We just put out a new single called “Baby I’m Broken.” We just got back from our third tour in Europe, supporting John Mayer. We’re jumping on a plane after we do Chicago, and we’re heading to Australia to do the Byron Bay Bluesfest. And we are in the midst of writing our new record,” Chris said in approximately one breath. “If you aren’t working, what are you doing?” he laughed.
“And I gotta say, for the record, John Mayer is just an absolutely awesome person. First day of the tour, we came into the dressing room and he was like, ‘Welcome, we’re so happy to have you guys!’ I mean, I saw him in the hallway last night and he was like ‘Hey man, how did you like playing Madison Square Garden?’” Chris recounted in an ironically casual tone, laughing again at the surreal exchange. “His show is fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. He’s a burning guitar player and an unbelievable songwriter, so it’s just been a real pleasure to watch someone like him operate.”
“For us, this is our first tour with a bus. This is our first tour playing for 18,000 people a night. It’s a lot of firsts; a lot of new experiences. We’ve got the best people we’ve ever worked with working with us, we’ve got the best sound equipment we’ve ever had, the best lights, the best production, and it’s just been awesome. We’re really very grateful for it.”
The Record Company – Jacob Blickenstaff
“You gotta stay busy; you gotta love what you do. And if you’re doing what you love, then you should work as hard as you can at it everyday. We did 175 shows last year – probably pretty close to that the year before, and the year before that. It’s a great way to get the word around, and we love to play live. And if you’re gonna do this for a living, then you just know, that’s the way you’re gonna have to do it. And what I feel about it… It’s…” he paused in a moment of contemplation. “It’s a breathtaking experience.”
“You know, it starts off with guys in a little minivan, toting their own gear, playing little clubs, playing anywhere you can. And then, if you’re lucky, you move up a little and then you start hitting all the states. And if you’re really lucky, you might get to go overseas. We’re lucky that we’ve gotten to take those steps, and we’re very grateful for it. There has been a lot of stuff in the last year that’s been a little shocking. Being nominated for a Grammy, for instance, was not something I saw coming,” he said with a hint of disbelief. “It was unexpected and rewarding – and an honor. I’d never thought about it in my life. Never even had thought about the possibility of it occurring.”
“One thing that I think has been real good for us – the group, when we got together, it started working right away. But we all played in bands for years, and years, and years where it didn’t work. So we failed, and failed, and failed, and failed, and failed, and failed… but none of us ever quit music. For some odd reason,” Chris laughed. “Either it was stubbornness, stupidity, or love, but we stuck with it, and we found each other. And when you find the right band – for anybody who hasn’t had that experience, but is curious what it’s like – if you’ve ever found the right partner, or the best friend you know you can count on, it’s a feeling like that. You just know it. It’s like, ‘This works.’”
“Now, we’ve got about half of the new album done. We had a break in January, so we just sat down and wrote 5 songs, and now we’re gonna hit the road,” said Chris of their upcoming Off The Ground spring tour, on which they’ll be hitting Irving Plaza on 5/10 (Tix Here!). “I’m just very excited about what we’ve got down right now, and excited to see what we’re going to do to complete it,” he said. “I feel really good about the material. I feel it’s very honest to where we’re at right now. And I think it’s a natural progression to where we’re going as artists. Not a different direction, but a step forward. We’re trying to write the best songs we possibly can – the most honest songs we possibly can – and just try not to waste people’s time.”
Article: Olivia Isenhart
Images: Jacob Blickenstaff
