Sometimes, hitting the road as a touring band is as much about priming the pump of creativity as it is performing the songs you’ve written—and that’s the case for Grammy-nominated blues-rock trio The Record Company. Comprising guitarist and lead singer Chris Vos, bassist Alex Stiff, and drummer Marc Cazorla, the trio is on tour for the summer after releasing their fourth album last fall. “Touring is where you take the artwork you make and you take it out on the road, with an opportunity to be heard,” Chris says. “Long rides with beautiful scenery going by, getting into a new city … the tank is always being filled back up.”
But that doesn’t mean that tour life is always a breeze. “The great challenge of being on the road is filling the emptiness wedged between all the chaos,” Chris says. “Finding a balance between that is clutch to maintaining a fully engaged life out here. Music brings me closer to everything in my life because it allows me to open myself up in a vulnerable way and create something that, later, I can play back loudly.”
Together, the trio have crafted a rollicking, righteous blend of blues-inspired rock as their signature sound. And just as important, they’ve built a road-tested bond that only musicians with miles under their belt will understand. “When you’re a band and you’ve got a core group, you learn how to be a family,” Chris says. “Seeing each other, you know when a guy needs a pat on the back, a hug, or to be left alone sometimes.”
After fueling up on tacos and exploring Cardiff State Beach in the all-new Toyota Land Cruiser, the band takes the stage at the iconic Belly Up in Solana Beach. “When you play a place like Belly Up—classic place, mega vibes—people come in the door ready to make a memory with you,” Chris says. “Everybody that comes to a show gives a performer a great gift—a little bit of their time out of their precious life to experience something together.”
And the experience of playing two of their best-loved songs—“Roll With It” and ”Dance on Mondays”—in front of a live audience, whets their appetite for more time on the road. “Your inner energy just ramps up to meet the moment,” Chris says. “So when the curtain drops and you walk up on that sacred stage and you get to play, it’s a hell of a gift.”
Sounds of the Road features intimate musical performances and interviews with some of the country’s most exciting new artists. In Season 5, we hit the iconic beach town of San Diego with singer-songwriter Jake Scott, joyful indie-pop trio Echosmith, and bluesy rockers The Record Company.
