Next time a Craigslist call for musicians catches your eye, take a leap and respond to it. That's how Wisconsinite Chris Vos hooked up with guitarist Alex Stiff and drummer Marc Cazorla in Los Angeles, and it's worked out pretty well for the trio.

Ahead of a very sold out show at First Avenue's 7th St. Entry, the Record Company stopped by The Current to chat with Jade and perform songs off their new album, Give It Back to You, live in-studio.

After connecting via Craigslist in 2011, Vos, Stiff and Cazorla bonded over blues music.

"Alex goes, 'Hey man, I just bought the best record in my entire vinyl collection today for 99 cents. Wanna hear it?'"

It was on a porch listening to Hooker 'n Heat, John Lee Hooker's collaborative album with Canned Heat, that the Record Company was founded.

Using modest equipment the band recorded songs in their living room, just off the porch where it all started. "We weren't trying to be janky, it was just what we had. We were just trying to make it sound as good as we possibly could," explains Vos.

Vos has come a long way since his days on the dairy farm in Wisconsin. Like farm communities, he maintains that bands need to be tight-knit.

"You never hear about farm families having a lot of trouble because they can't. Your brothers are your only friends! You have to get along. It's the same way out on the road. You work every day all day from the moment you wake to the moment you go to sleep. If you're doing your band right, that's the way it should be going. It's not a job, it's a lifestyle."

Songs Performed

"Off the Ground"
"Rita Mae Young"
"Don't Let Me Get Lonely"

All songs off the Record Company's album Give It Back to You, out now via Concord.

Hosted by Jade
Produced by Derrick Stevens
Engineered by Michael DeMark
Photos by Nate Ryan
Web feature by Leah Garaas

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