The Record Company will headline a show at the Bluebird Nightclub Feb. 25 and perform alongside Jamestown Revival and Smooth Hound Smith.
Doors open for the show at 7 p.m. and this will be the headliner’s first show in Bloomington.
The Record Company is signed with Concord Music Group and is made up of Chris Vos on guitar, lead vocals and harmonica; Alex Stiff on bass, guitar and vocals; and Marc Cazorla on drums, piano and vocals.
“This will be our group’s first time in Bloomington, and we are looking forward to seeing the city,” Vos said. “Playing new places and meeting new people is what it’s all about. That’s the best part of being on the road. You never forget your first time in a new place.”
Vos said he moved from Milwaukee to Los Angeles eight years ago. Music had always been a part of his life, and he said he always knew he wanted to start a band when he moved out west.
“I have loved music my whole life, I can never remember it not being the center of what caught my attention,” Vos said. “I just wanted to play it all the time, and I realized that meant I would have to go out and play as often as I could.”
Los Angeles’ size proved one of the greatest challenges in starting a new group, and Vos said his wife, Valerie, suggested he get on Craigslist to seek out potential band mates.
“I thought that was not the greatest idea,” Vos said. “Well, I was wrong. When I put up the ad, it caught the eye of our bass player, Alex. We struck up a friendship and started hanging out and listening to records on Fridays.”
One night, listening to records, Vos said the two had an epiphany that led to the formation of their group, which he described as rock 'n' roll, with an emphasis on the roll.
“One night we listened to a record called ‘Hooker 'N Heat,’ a John Lee Hooker record recorded live with the band Canned Heat,” Vos said. “It was so raw and inspiring that Alex, our drummer Marc and myself just decided to hang some microphones up and record. We got together the next day, jammed and recorded it. We formed right then and there.”
Playing for a crowd offers the opportunity to connect temporarily, and is a beautiful experience because it is so fleeting, Vos said.
"You never know how many times you are going to get to play or listen in your life, so you may as well play as hard as you can and have a good time doing it," Vos said. "Performing makes all other aspects of life disappear for the briefest of moments, allowing you to exist outside your normal cares and just focus on the experience of that moment you are playing.”
