6 Questions with The Record Company
For this latest edition of the Hypebot, Bandsintown, and CelebrityAccess ‘6 Questions With’ series, we caught up with Chris Vos, the singer, and guitarist for The Record Company, during a break in the band’s extensive Summer and Fall tour.
Q: Your most recent album “Play Loud” was a bit of a departure with the addition of producer Dave Sardy (Oasis, Wolfmother, Modest Mouse, LCD Soundsystem). How did it feel to share control of your distinct and carefully crafted sound?
Chris Vos: It felt wonderful. We have always self-produced up until Play Loud. We were all ready to hear some new sounds, learn, and grow. We have been a band for ten years so it felt like a good time to open ourselves up to working with an experienced producer.
Dave brought a lot of perspective and a ton of knowledge with him. He also challenged us to push ourselves to new places. It was a very rewarding experience. In the end, it is still your record. So no matter how much you evolve you have to believe in it. You have to love every moment and be able to stand behind it.
The whole recording experience with Dave was illuminating, a great time of learning and discovery. Having the opportunity to just think about the music and not the process of recording was freeing. It provided room for us to find new sounds and have a chance to focus just on the writing and the emotion of playing.
Q: You did a few live streams during the pandemic. How was that experience and do you see continuing to do any now that live shows are returning?
Chris Vos: They were a fun way to get that emotion out and play some music. I enjoyed them very much given the fact that we couldn’t be on tour. Nothing replaces a live performance with an audience for me though. I want that moment of connection where the band and the audience all are moving as one. That uplifts me.
I crave the live experience both as an artist and a fan of music. I love it very much and I never want to stop having those experiences in my life.
Q: The band has played quite a few live shows starting last fall. What was it like being on stage after being off the road for a year? Are the fans reacting any differently?
Chris Vos: I have always played by the mantra of play like it is one less show in your life, not one more.
That motivates me and keeps the gratitude for the experience at a high level. Now, coming back, that feeling has been amplified even higher. The spring tour we just did was fantastic, almost dreamlike. People are so excited and ready to have that live experience again. Audiences are as engaged as I have ever seen them. When we are playing and I see people smiling and dancing, it fills me with both joy and love.
I want to do my best, always. Music fans who give an artist their time are giving that artist a great gift. I never want to waste that opportunity. I want to go as deep as I can and find something new in every performance.
Q: The current tour includes Europe plus months of dates in the US. Are there any venues or cities that you’re particularly looking forward to?
Chris Vos: I am looking forward to them all. Anytime we go to Europe it is a great cultural and emotional learning experience. You see so much from which to draw inspiration. You also learn that music fans are, at their core, the same everywhere. I love that. I love the unifying power in a live show. I need it, and I think all people who love music probably do too.
Q: When you’re on the road do you have routines, habits, or “must-have” items in the dressing room?
Chris Vos: Absolutely. As a singer, I will spend most of the day really focusing on hydrating, especially if I had a couple of celebratory post-show beverages the night before. Having a routine is very helpful to allow me to know where my voice is at on any given day. About 45 minutes before a performance I start warming up my voice. I have a couple of songs I listen to and sing with once the vocal warm-up is done. This both motivates me spiritually and allows for me to physically get in tune with where my vocal range is that night. I also am careful to not eat a big meal within two hours of showtime.
Before every performance begins, we gather together as a band and align our energy. Like a hands-in thing, you see any team do before a game. For me, once my right foot hits the stage I have left planet Earth, and all the worries of being on Earth are left behind. It is time to shine out and be an artist. That time on stage is sacred. It is something I have learned to protect by living in the moment during every second of the show.
Q: Tell us something about you that your fans might be surprised to know.
I grew up on a working family farm in Wisconsin. My dad, mom, and two brothers still all live in the area and work the farm. In grade school, I had four kids in my class, including me. Living in LA now is quite a change. I carry those lessons from back home with me every day. I love to work and work hard.
I try to be kind, curious, and understanding. This life is a gift. I collect books about old tractors like people collect books about cars. I love tractors, you could make the argument that I love them too much. I dream about restoring old tractors like some people dream about restoring a classic car, house, or boat.
Sadly, I don’t think the city of Los Angeles would dig me driving a vintage tractor from the 1940s down the street at 9 miles an hour top speed. Though with the grinding slowness of LA traffic, perhaps I could keep up. Maybe I’ll give it a try someday! Well, I can dream.
Find all The Record Company tour dates and follow them on Bandsintown.
Bruce Houghton is Founder and Editor of Hypebot and MusicThinkTank and serves as a Senior Advisor to Bandsintown which acquired both publications in 2019. He is the Founder and President of the Skyline Artists Agency and a professor for the Berklee College Of Music.
