Concert Review: The Record Company Spins At Irving Plaza

Rock n’roll has never died, but The Record Company embody a sector of Rock N’ Roll that feels bound to the 70s South. Their music smells Georgia Peaches, Lynryd Skynyrd vinyls, and and a belief that hard work gets you a better life or, at least, the honor of saying tried for it. From to     ,their chords were like brick and mortar for a crowd that felt like life was something you consistently build because it will always be torn down. 

With the baseline thumping, the crowd and floor shook equally because people wanted to be shook. They wanted to feel like music was some sort of reiki session: chord cutting and plucking away the exhaustion of living a life that, again, always has to be built and rebuilt. When I think about my life and the many times it was struck like the ocean hitting a sandcastle, I have to confess….. music got me through. It is not always easy to accept that all you make for yourself is fragile and temporary because these are two words that trigger people because it is too real. EVERYTHING GOES IN THE SAME EVERYTHING COMES! Lead vocalist Chris Vos, with Alex Stiff on backing vocals, were like Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to their crowd because,  in a way, the Avengers never quit avenging. 

Yes, I used a comic book reference to solidify the overall vibe of this show. Both men have a voice that feels like they are submitting to the fact that they have to fight on; they have to fall in love again even though they greatest love left. They have to laugh again even though they have cried so much. They have to try for something better even though they have so little. The crowd reveled in that dynamic as if it was fuels them; life is just something you have to do because you already are living.