VAGABONDAGE – SLOW ROOM BAR
2014 – Self
Released
Ever since way back in the 1960s and probably beyond San Francisco has appeared, at least to an outsider such as me, to represent much of what is edgy and original in American Roots music. It appears that is still the case and that a thriving musical community continues to this day, with many members of that loose community having an almost incestuous mix and match relationship with their musical members. That has never been more obvious than in the case of this excellent and highly original band who all add their musical skills to numerous other projects in and around their home city. The band consists of John Flaw, guitar and vocals, Emchy (also Rhubarb Whiskey and Oakland Wine Drinkers Union) on accordion and vocals, Hans Winold (Frontjunk) on upright bass, Eric ‘Scratch Ingerson, (Frontjunk)percussion and Sean Malroy (Sweet Trade and Rhubarb Whiskey) on fiddle and mandolin. They are all experienced musicians who play their music way out on the boundary of roots music and as far from the mainstream as it is possible to get whilst still making melodic, powerful songs that are steeped in booze, murder and an all round life lived on the edge of ‘acceptable’ society! In other words a great, highly original band who will almost certainly never have a hit record and probably wouldn’t know what to do if they did, except perhaps celebrate with a few bottles and possibly for a very long time. That is not to say they don’t take their music seriously, because they most definitely do. Mentioned above are just a few of the slightly better known bands they play with in and around their San Franciscan musical community but there are many others they continue to be involved with, something anyone who didn’t have a great depth of feeling for their music would never do.
The above probably makes it appear to someone who has never heard this extraordinary band as if their sound could be a cacophony that would hold no appeal, but in actual fact this e.p consists of five edgy but hugely melodic songs with excellent vocals tremendous harmonies and highly skilled arrangements and playing. Even their instrumentation is something that most people can relate to; it’s just that the atmosphere they create is dark and otherworldly, but hugely rewarding. It is music that is difficult to define generically other than to say it has an atmosphere that is both deep and compelling, in fact almost ‘Gothic’ in its raw power, with elements of folk, hillbilly and a little bluesiness, all underpinned by a punk attitude. It is that edgy often unsettling atmosphere that draws the listener into their colourful if slightly dark world that very few can relate to unless you actually live within their community and/or have a love for music that is imbued with great pathos and originality.
They have released two full length albums and this is their second e.p, with Emchy (Cindy Emch) being the most recorded having made some high quality, edgy albums with ‘the mighty’ Rhubarb Whiskey and the Oakland Wine Drinkers Union, all of which are highly recommended. This five song e.p is a beautifully conceived and varied addition to their catalogue. Each song lives in its own little world with some powerful, evocative stories really gripping the listener’s attention. Jessie is a real epic that has a nice acoustic guitar and fiddle intro before John Flaw’s lead vocal and ‘Emchy’s’ accordion come in on a hugely evocative love story built around bar life, that ultimately ends up as a harrowing murder ballad. The percussion is excellent and when you add the fiddle and accordion the combination sets up a distinctive harmonic mix that adds to the dark eerie atmosphere. Crooked House is driven by acoustic guitar and fiddle, with the usual excellent percussion and Emchy’s atmospheric lead vocal adding an eeriness to a tale that could easily have been born in the old hillbilly days, telling of life lived in and around the ‘crooked house.’
From memory it is rare that I review e.ps but this one is so good I had to ‘sing’ this band’s and indeed their whole musical community’s praises. If you have a love for dark, powerful roots music by musicians who go very much their own way you won’t find a finer example than this e.p.
http://www.vagabondageband.com/
Ever since way back in the 1960s and probably beyond San Francisco has appeared, at least to an outsider such as me, to represent much of what is edgy and original in American Roots music. It appears that is still the case and that a thriving musical community continues to this day, with many members of that loose community having an almost incestuous mix and match relationship with their musical members. That has never been more obvious than in the case of this excellent and highly original band who all add their musical skills to numerous other projects in and around their home city. The band consists of John Flaw, guitar and vocals, Emchy (also Rhubarb Whiskey and Oakland Wine Drinkers Union) on accordion and vocals, Hans Winold (Frontjunk) on upright bass, Eric ‘Scratch Ingerson, (Frontjunk)percussion and Sean Malroy (Sweet Trade and Rhubarb Whiskey) on fiddle and mandolin. They are all experienced musicians who play their music way out on the boundary of roots music and as far from the mainstream as it is possible to get whilst still making melodic, powerful songs that are steeped in booze, murder and an all round life lived on the edge of ‘acceptable’ society! In other words a great, highly original band who will almost certainly never have a hit record and probably wouldn’t know what to do if they did, except perhaps celebrate with a few bottles and possibly for a very long time. That is not to say they don’t take their music seriously, because they most definitely do. Mentioned above are just a few of the slightly better known bands they play with in and around their San Franciscan musical community but there are many others they continue to be involved with, something anyone who didn’t have a great depth of feeling for their music would never do.
The above probably makes it appear to someone who has never heard this extraordinary band as if their sound could be a cacophony that would hold no appeal, but in actual fact this e.p consists of five edgy but hugely melodic songs with excellent vocals tremendous harmonies and highly skilled arrangements and playing. Even their instrumentation is something that most people can relate to; it’s just that the atmosphere they create is dark and otherworldly, but hugely rewarding. It is music that is difficult to define generically other than to say it has an atmosphere that is both deep and compelling, in fact almost ‘Gothic’ in its raw power, with elements of folk, hillbilly and a little bluesiness, all underpinned by a punk attitude. It is that edgy often unsettling atmosphere that draws the listener into their colourful if slightly dark world that very few can relate to unless you actually live within their community and/or have a love for music that is imbued with great pathos and originality.
They have released two full length albums and this is their second e.p, with Emchy (Cindy Emch) being the most recorded having made some high quality, edgy albums with ‘the mighty’ Rhubarb Whiskey and the Oakland Wine Drinkers Union, all of which are highly recommended. This five song e.p is a beautifully conceived and varied addition to their catalogue. Each song lives in its own little world with some powerful, evocative stories really gripping the listener’s attention. Jessie is a real epic that has a nice acoustic guitar and fiddle intro before John Flaw’s lead vocal and ‘Emchy’s’ accordion come in on a hugely evocative love story built around bar life, that ultimately ends up as a harrowing murder ballad. The percussion is excellent and when you add the fiddle and accordion the combination sets up a distinctive harmonic mix that adds to the dark eerie atmosphere. Crooked House is driven by acoustic guitar and fiddle, with the usual excellent percussion and Emchy’s atmospheric lead vocal adding an eeriness to a tale that could easily have been born in the old hillbilly days, telling of life lived in and around the ‘crooked house.’
From memory it is rare that I review e.ps but this one is so good I had to ‘sing’ this band’s and indeed their whole musical community’s praises. If you have a love for dark, powerful roots music by musicians who go very much their own way you won’t find a finer example than this e.p.
http://www.vagabondageband.com/