It was a slightly grey Sunday
afternoon when I pulled up to Harlow’s Restaurant and Nightclub and nearly ran
over David Albertson, bass guitar in hand. Exaggerated hand gestures aside, I
parked right next to him much to our enjoyment. He is part of local stalwart,
Humble Wolf, and they are set to open the night at Harlow’s, for what promises
to be an exciting show.
While I am excited to HumbleWolf hit the stage again, I am also here to catch up with the 4 guys who make
up the headlining act, Vista Kicks. Currently residing in Los Angeles, these 4 Sacramento
natives have returned for the start of an intense 1-month, cross-country tour
in support of their latest album, TwentySomething Nightmare. Being their 3rd release, hot on the heels of
their first EP, Chasing Waves, and
their debut album, Booty Shakers Ball,
they explore all sorts of avenues with their music and life on
the road. Sacramento is special in this tour, though. They are doing 2 dates
here, and nowhere else. Luckily, I am here for the 2nd show of the
weekend today.
Really, they are nice guys, I swear.
Made up of Derek Thomas on
vocals/piano/occasional guitar, Sam Plecker on guitar, Trevor Sutton on bass, and Nolan LeVine on
drums, the band is all up onstage, setting up their equipment and chit chatting
their way through soundcheck.
It’s strange when you’re in
Harlow’s before anyone else, as arrogant as that may have come off. The stage is bathed in warm, red light,
populated by shiny gear and shiny people, while said people perform their additional rituals during soundcheck. Everything else around it is shrouded in darkness, like the venue
itself is biding its time for what may or may not happen later that night. The
band looks very at home, nestled under the lights as they work their way
through a few of their songs, providing a blistering sneak peek of the upcoming
show tonight.
If you are unfamiliar with the
Vista Kicks sound, one would venture to describe it as if The Arctic Monkeys,
Neil Young, Led Zeppelin, and Queen all got thrown in a blender that was on
fire. It has a classic rock vibe, with a punch that is wholly their own, and
modern-day twist that resonates extremely well.
It does these ears a lot of
good. Like kicking cobwebs out of the back corner of the library.
And that was just the sound
check.
Eager to get their take on their
new album, along with what touring is like for them, I start to ask some
questions of each band member as the day winds on. Eventually, Humble Wolf hops
up for their sound check, as well as 2nd act of the night, Lauren Ruth Ward.
Sam describes Ward’s music as a
mix between Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison, which makes this particular attendee
very excited to hear. This, in addition to Humble Wolf’s fine-tuned, rocking
mystique, was shaping up to be a very eclectic, energetic night.
The first thing I asked them
about Twenty Something Nightmare, and
what that recording process was like. Sam enlightens me by saying,
“The most fun part was the time
had to do it…a lot of Twenty Something
Nightmare, the songs were ideas that weren’t ready at the time [of
recording Booty Shakers Ball], and
stuff we wrote on the road, and in between the record…We had these two tours,
one at the end of 2017, then were going off again in Feb. of 2018, so we had
January (laughs).”
You heard that right. One month
for the entire 18-track album. Derek punctuates this fact by adding,
“…so 18 songs makes for a little
more than a day per song. And we were doing more than just 1 song a day
sometimes.”
Sam offers a
modest explanation, by saying,
“We had all these ideas, and
they are pretty fresh, and people tend to always think that it’s, like, a flex,
with the amount of songs we release, and the albums…we are only trying to
produce and make music in the least contrived way. We don’t put a lot of
pressure on ourselves from anybody other than us. We like to give ourselves a
challenge, a little bit of a push, so we were going to do it in a month.”
Challenging is a polite way to
put it, that’s for sure. But, when you listen to Twenty Something Nightmare, you get a sense from songs like “Live,
You’re Gonna Die", “Million Dollar Seller”, and “Wrong Side of the Tracks", that they went in with a lot of new influences on their music. Compared to
Booty Shakers Ball, it comes across a very profound change from album to album.
Each of them had an interesting perspective on that recording/discovery
process.
Derek says,
“Early on we wanted to have a
sound, you know, craft the sound, and we quickly found that was burning us out,
artistically, because we were trying to fit a set of parameters we had made for
ourselves.”
Sam also adds,
“I think a lot of bands,
ourselves included when we first started, we put rules on ourselves…We just
like to grow, then trim it all at the end…The greats like Led Zeppelin and The
Beatles, you flip on one of their records, and you’ll have the hard rock song,
and the next one is the Indian song, you know?...I think we’re just more
experimental and we are okay with being idealistic, and know it may not be
popular, but…if it’s a good song, it won’t need any more justification.”
Trevor had a pretty optimistic
outlook on that recording process, by adding,
“I feel like with the new
record, what made it really exciting was that recording process, as far as
getting our sounds and our tones dialed in. I feel like in this record we
really started to find and develop our own sound. There is a very signature
thing, I don’t know, when I hear the new record, I hear us, you know?...I feel
like we really developed our brand, our sound as Vista Kicks.”
Nolan also went on to add,
“Living it as it was happening,
it was so interesting…We made the sound
track to our year before it even happened, and it was so interesting to watch
it play out…It was just a bur, this burst of wild energy, and I didn’t even
really know what was happening. We were just doing it, and doing it.”
Diving in a little further, I
was curious what influences would bring out such a dynamic shift from the band
as a whole. On the subject of said influences, Sam smirks and says,
“We all
kind of like country, and Derek and I are closet country fans (laughs). I’m
talking good stuff, like Hank [Williams] and Merle Haggard, you know. We would
always joke around with country stuff, but we decided to dip our toes into the
country stuff…And embracing a lot of Southern Rock influences, like Allman
Brothers, and even Skynyrd, I guess…”
I
have to admit, that made me laugh. Nolan underscores this, by mentioning,
“Our influences were definitely
different from when we were doing Booty Shakers Ball, it just kind of seeps in, you don’t
really think about it, you know?...Sometimes you make a conscious decision,
like, that would be kind of funny if we did this, or we did that…just as a nod
to our influences so people can almost see who we’re listening to at the time.”
He also continues with an
interesting side note,
“I’ve been listening to a lot of
Neil Young, and a lot of Bob Dylan, and there’s this drummer, his name is Kenny
Buttrey, and he was 14 when he played on Blonde
On Blonde [by Bob Dylan] …and then he played on Harvest [by Neil Young] when he was 21 or 22 or something, and
those albums I’ve had on repeat. I really got to tap into that playing, which
I’ve been drooling over lately.”
Vista Kicks (left to right): Derek Thomas, Trevor Sutton, Nolan LeVine, Sam Plecker.
Not Pictured: One Well-Used Van
Derek enlightens me with,
“I really like going to a lot of
barbecue joints in the Midwest and the South. It’s my favorite, and I love
seeing all the different cities, and talking to people, and hearing the
different accents, and dialects from different places…I’m kind of like Guy
Fieri, you know? (laughs) I like going to the different dives, it’s really
nice.”
Sam too, agrees with gastronomic
side of things. He says,
“That’s the perk of touring,
because there is not a lot of time. People are like, ‘Oh my god that’s great
you get to see all these places.’ And It’s, like, ‘Hardly’…You soundcheck, then
you have an hour or two, or three maybe, so you take a shower, get something to
eat…So you might as well enjoy it. And when we have a day off, that’s the
perfect time to explore, and stuff like that.”
He also adds, a little more
optimistically,
“We’re doing Kansas City and St.
Louis [on this tour]…in big beef states. The cities with the big, burnt end
steaks…it’s so fucking good. Then we are going to Atlanta, GA, where there is
probably my favorite place in the whole U.S, which is Fox Brothers Barbecue.”
Now that my stomach was
growling, Trevor tells me,
“For me, oh man, I’m just
excited to travel again. I think it’s going to be fun returning to the cities,
and just eating a lot of food, since we all like to eat…I love being on the
road, and it’s been a while, so I’m looking forward to just going different
places, meeting different people. Seeing the old fans, meeting the new ones…I
love it.”
Nolan also adds,
“We’ve had time since the
finishing of the last record, to really step back and look at what we are
doing…It’s been nice, we’ve got to play a few shows this summer, and in the
fall…This time I’m really excited to get out on the road. I used to get all
stressed out about everything, because I wanted everything to be perfect…and I
was so tangled up in my mind over that. I’d get off stage and every little
thing would stress me out. Now, I just don’t give a fuck and I just got over
it, somehow between our last tour and this tour, and it’s a lot more fun for me
now, because I’m just not stressing so much. Whatever happens, happens, and it
makes it a better show honestly.”
Gastronomic exploration?
Optimism and personal growth?
What a way to hit the ground
running, especially on a tour that’s this condensed.
The grey day gives way to night,
and people are trickling in, here and there, with the promise of a packed house
for the night. I got the chance to ask them point blank about their hometown,
and what makes it so special to them, having returned for two shows in a row.
Derek gives me his low down,
“Family, friends, and everything
that we come from is here…All 4 of us grew up and went to the same schools,
same everything. It’s hard to not come back here. We have to try to not come
back here.”
Sam gives some interesting perspective,
“Every time I come back, I feel
like a salmon going upstream, I’m super happy…every time I’m here I just feel
at home and nostalgic, and I see all my friends, and all my roots, and I feel
fulfilled.”
Trevor also adds, giving a
little backstory with it,
”This time back has been good, I
really enjoy coming back to Roseville, and Sacramento, now, where before I was
just like…I’m done with this…I moved to LA and saw the many different things
you could do and get involved in, and people are just more open minded in Los
Angeles…everyone is doing their own thing, and I really dug that. Coming back
to Sac, though, I realized the many nice things it has to offer. It's mellow,
it’s nice, and the air’s clean (laughs).”
It makes me very glad that
Trevor missed last week's air. It may have ruined everything!
Nolan also has a similar perspective
on returning,
“It’s home, man. It’s home. When
I first moved out, it was the classic, ‘Aw man, fuck this place!’…I want to get
as far away as I can. But then you get over that, and you come home and its
really nice, I love it…It’s always really cool because everyone is so
overwhelmingly supportive.”
At long last, the house music
dims, and it is time for the festivities to begin.
Before Humble Wolf takes the
stage to open the show, Derek and Sam join Jayson on stage for a special acoustic
rendition of “Make it Through the Night”, a single from Humble Wolf’s first,
self-titled record. It really cements the close relationship between these two
bands, and reminds me that there are years of music contribution between those
three. It makes nights like tonight that much more special, because you realize
that no matter how far away these guys travel, Vista Kicks will always be from
here, and proud of it. They will be connected to bands like Humble Wolf,
through the virtue of friendship and kindred musical passion, the like of which
transcend the miles between them.
Sam and Derek are replaced by the
rest of Humble Wolf, who kick right into their head banging set and get this
crowd warmed up. The entire dance floor, as well as the bar, is full of
interested show-goers as Humble Wolf’s set winds down, and Lauren Ruth Ward
takes the stage with her band, the bass player of which is Trevor. Taken aback, I found out that he learned their set that day to help out.
I never would have guessed. The
whole set was cohesive, and Ward did a stellar rendition of
“White Rabbit”, by Jefferson Airplane. I could see where Sam got his comparison
form earlier, because her voice had a power to it that was raw and unyielding
in its own way.
Once Ward was done, it was Vista
Kicks' turn to hit that stage. The crowd was revved up as they launched into
some of their new material, along with a few songs from their previous albums
that got the crowd hopping and singing along. Soon enough, their set came to its
end, with their song “Twenty Something Nightmare”. Being the longest song on
the album, I found it fitting that this would be the set-ender.
What I got gave me pause. Every
member threw everything they got into this song. Trevor’s bass was punching me
in the face, as Sam sweetly abused his guitar. Sweat was pouring from Nolan as
he beat the living crap out of his kit. Derek took full command of that mic and
gave his voice away to us, hair sticking to his face as he let it loose. The
song thundered to a close, and the crowd made sure to let them know how much
they cared.
I couldn’t help but think, ‘Are
they going to do that at every show?’
I thought a bit more.
Of course, they would.
They are Vista Kicks, and as
excited as they are for their tour and new album, they made one thing very
clear. They have a score to settle. Nothing is being held back, and they are
dead set on making it clear that everyone knows that. Check out Twenty Something Nightmare, and get onboard.
