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On The Rise - Local Musicians Make Names For Themselves
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While cover bands are always a staple in college towns like Auburn, there are several bands and musi...While cover bands are always a staple in college towns like Auburn, there are several bands and musicians who frequent the local music scene making their way with their own music. Local musician Daniel Allen began playing music during his senior year in high school. The Dothan, Ala., native played with a local church group and became inspired to write his own material. While in school at Auburn, Allen formed rock band Danny and the Tanks. After a little over a year together, Allen left the band and merged with members of the band Top House to form The Vegabonds. The band has been together about a year and a half now and are making a name for themselves on the local music scene. The Vegabonds write their own material, but perform a mixture of originals and covers when performing in Auburn. “Most of our shows are about half and half because the places we play at are still fraternities and sororities and mostly bars,” Allen said. Some bands that The Vegabonds cover include Kings of Leon, MGMT, Creedence Clearwater, Led Zeppelin and The Black Crowes. “I think our biggest advantage to other bands is that we don’t play a lot of the stuff you normally hear in bars,” Allen said of their covers. “We don’t do ‘Sweet Caroline,’ ‘Brown-Eyed Girl’ and all that. We’re kinda going for a different approach - a more rocking and jam scene.” Allen added that they solely focus on their originals, which have a southern rock/jam sound, when performing at venues such as Smith’s Olde Bar in Atlanta. Allen described the band’s original songs as a variety of different genres all mixed into one. “We just kind of put it all together and see what comes out really,” Allen said. “We don’t necessarily go for a certain style.” Allen writes the lyrics while guitarists Alex Cannon and Richard Forehand write most of the music. Then the other members, which consists of Bryan Harris on drums, Jamie Hallen on keys, and Paul Bruens on bass, also add their ideas to the songs. “We really all have six different kind of tastes,” Allen said. “Our drummer is more of a hard rock guy, the piano player likes reggae and classical music. I like whatever ... our guitarist Richard is kind of a jam band guy. It all comes together in a weird way, but it comes out well. I think that’s what makes us good.” The band, who are all full-time musicians living in Auburn, recently released their first album titled “Dear Revolution.” The album was recorded in Nashville over five weekends this past winter, was released online at iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby and ReverbNation in June and hard copies were offered for sale in August. “It was awesome,” Allen said of recording their first album. “That was the first time any of us had been in a real studio.” The album has been received well. The guitar driven ballad “Shaky Hands” recently hit number one on an International Association of Independent Recording Artists independent chart. Local radio host Wildman Steve said he was impressed by the band’s freshman album. “There are some fine rockers, some great ballads, and some thoughtful tunes that without a doubt show that the band has the potential to go mainstream with their brand of Stones-y rock,” Wildman said. “This Auburn band is doing its hometown proud and have made a darn fine record.” The band is even garnering acclaim outside of the Southeast. The band is going to be featured in the November issue of “Relix Magazine,” a music magazine out of New York. “We were picked out of 12 bands in the country to be featured in that,” Allen said. “We’re pretty excited about that.” The band has already written its second album and is just waiting until things slow down to get in the studio to record. They hope to begin recording at the beginning of next year. The band isn’t signed to a label, but Allen said they want to see how far they can take the band on their own before doing so. “We really want to see how far we can take it on our own before we take the next step to pay people to invest in us,” Allen said. “We are going to be moving on to something a little bit bigger here pretty soon. But we’re just taking it easy and seeing how far we can go.”
-Carla Nelson
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The Vegabonds - "Dear Revolution" - Self-Released
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The Vegabonds' debut LP, Dear Revolution, offers a healthy give and take between intense vocals and ...The Vegabonds' debut LP, Dear Revolution, offers a healthy give and take between intense vocals and a welcome dose of Southern rock. Many songs seem to deal with the theme of "those girls"- the heart breaker type who inspire artists to sing with passion on ballads about love's many mysteries. Songs like "Brandee" and "The Wanderer" are mellow rockers that showcase Daniel Allen's pleading vocals, while other up-tempo numbers like the funky, bass-heavy "Streetlight Gypsy" and the jumpy "Dizzy Love Blues" prove the band is capable of churning out catchy rockers. "We'd Escape" begins with the dreamy vocals most characteristic of the album, until it opens up for a slight reggae bounce. Allen's voice is most comforting- and moving- when paired with acoustic strumming in "The Border." Clean, bluesy guitar licks and lingering power chords propel this year-old band into the ranks of acts far more experienced.
Abigail Bull
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20th Annual Alexander City Jazz Fest - The Vegabonds
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Everyone has heard southern rock, but The Vegabonds don’t play your dad’s southern rock sound. The ...Everyone has heard southern rock, but The Vegabonds don’t play your dad’s southern rock sound. The Vegabonds is an Auburn band who play southern rock for a new generation that’s based on each member’s own musical interests. This includes everything from classic rockers like John Bonham of Led Zeppelin and Warren Haynes of The Allman Brothers Band to Jack White and Kings of Leon.
Formed in 2009, The Vegabonds are Bryan Harris, percussion; Daniel Allen, vocals; Jamie Hallen, keyboard; Paul Bruens on bass and Alex Cannon and Richard Forehand on guitar. The Vegabonds got its start when Cannon, Harris and Bruens were in a band called Top Hats. “The rest of us just met each other through different people. We randomly all met,” Cannon said. Harris contributes the band’s unique sound to each member’s diverse musical background. “I grew up playing everything: country, rock, punk, hardcore, and, you know, traditional stuff in marching band and drum line,” said Harris. Hallen is a classically trained pianist who is influenced by funk music, while Allen’s vocal style is soulful and bluesy. “He’s a white boy with soul,” said Harris. The band gets its name from the star Vega, in the Lyra constellation, one of the brightest stars in the sky and the word vagabond, which means wanderer. “Vegabond, we always say, is wandering toward the pinnacle, which is whatever we’re trying to succeed in, which is music,” said Cannon.
The Vegabonds have played venues across the Southeast including Zydeco in Birmingham, Smith’s Olde Bar in Atlanta and The Exit In in Nashville. When they’re not playing gigs out of town, the guys can usually be found performing at SkyBar.
The Vegabonds took a break from touring this spring to record their first album, “Dear Revolution.” The album is a 12-song showcase of the band’s unique sound. “The revolution itself would be hopefully we have something nobody else has heard before, and ‘Dear Revolution’ as if we’re writing for the fans,” said Cannon.
Harris agreed. “You just hear a lot of music today that some of it’s pretty good, but you don’t have a lot of stuff that comes out that’s really different. Hopefully this will start something that people can really enjoy.” The Vegabonds pursue music full-time. But for them it’s less of a job and more like playing music with friends. “I’ve said before, it’s five of my best friends that I get to travel around, and go to places I’ve never been with,” Harris said. “We’re going to Nashville this weekend to play in a place, and I’ve never played in Nashville. It’s always been a dream of mine. That and just to get to look over and hang out with these guys every night. It’s the greatest feeling in the world.”
The Vegabonds are playing at the 20th Annual Alex City Jazz Fest Saturday, June 12, at 6:30 p.m. at the Lake Martin Amphitheatre.
-Syndey Fagen
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The Vegabonds: Dear Revolution
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(Translated to English)
“Dear Revolution” is the debut of a young band from Alabama. The origin of ...(Translated to English)
“Dear Revolution” is the debut of a young band from Alabama. The origin of The Vegabonds you can hear almost immediately. They consider themselves influenced by The Black Crowes, Gov’t Mule, and Led Zeppelin, and that is an accurate comparison. The Blues and Southern rock share is quite high, and rare. The strength of the band clearly lies in the ‘balladesque’ songs, that almost all have hit potential. In particular, in the second half of the album “Pick Me Up Mary,” “The Wanderer,” “The Preacher,” and “The Border” hide themselves in this regard as a couple of absolute hits that immediately establish themselves in the ear canals. That does not mean, however, that the guys can't also play ‘grooving-rock,’ especially obvious after hearing those with a rank, as seen in “Dizzy Love Blues,” “Streetlight Gypsy,” and the title track. Musically, we have here masters of creation, particularly singer Daniel Allen, who leaves us with the impression that he has the exact right touch for the sound of songs lyrics. For a self produced album that was crafted in a studio in Nashville, “Dear Revolution” has an excellent sound. With the debut “Dear Revolution” the Vegabonds have landed an absolute hit
-musikreviews.de
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The Vegabonds Keep Skybar Dancing
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The Vegabonds dished out a line-up of covers and originals that kept the SkyBar crowd dancing Wednes...The Vegabonds dished out a line-up of covers and originals that kept the SkyBar crowd dancing Wednesday night until last call ended the guitar-induced boogie-trance that the six-man Auburn band had put over the crowd.
Their name, the band said, was a fusion of the word vagabond, meaning wanderer, with the star Vega, the brightest star in the Lyra constellation. It suggests their state of wandering towards a musical pinnacle, the band said.
Bryan Harris, drummer, Paul Bruens and Alex Cannon formed the original core of the band. After Facebook brought Jamie Hallen, to the band’s attention, the rest fell into place. Richard Forehand joined up as another guitarist and Daniel Allen became the group’s lead vocalalist.
The band opened loud and strong with an original, Dizzy Love Blues. The bluesy wail of Alex Cannon on lead guitar combined with the thumping bass accompaniment of Paul Bruens made you wonder why you hadn’t heard the song before.
Lead singer Daniel Allen, with looks like Heath Ledger with a pair of sunglasses and a voice reminiscent of Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes, thrashed around the stage, not hesitant to get the crowd involved. Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride” prompted a collaborative audience sing-along, as did a stellar performance of The Black Crowes’s “Hard to Handle.”
The Vegabonds wandered from genre to genre, bouncing from the psychedelic pop of MGMT with “Kids” and “Electric Feel” to the jamband Widespread Panic with their “Climb to Safety.” The band made several Kings of Leon covers such as “Fans” and “Use Somebody,” with the energy and vocal incoherence of the original cuts.
Jamie Hallen, sitting stoically at his keyboards, made The Vegabond’s funky progressive version of Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason” truly theirs.
From Bill Withers to Creedence Clearwater Revival to jamming originals like “We’d Escape” and “Dear Revolution,” The Vegabonds put on an eclectic show that is worth a look.
-Austin Nelson
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Relaxed Rock With Much Southern Flair and a Shot of Blues
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(Translated to English)
Shortly before finishing my 2010 Charts, the VEGABONDS emerge and force me ...(Translated to English)
Shortly before finishing my 2010 Charts, the VEGABONDS emerge and force me to work over my evaluation of the for me album of the year for 2010. The Band from Alabama has delivered a wonderful „Rock-Werk“ (work of rock), which should bring lots of excitement to all Black Crowes fans. But all Jam fans, who celebrate groups like the unique Gov’t Mule, should also give these Americans an ear, because these guys rock with a lot of heart, even though the overall impression of the album is a bit more relaxed.
The first two tracks, 'Ballad Of The Movers And Shakers' and 'Brandee', mirror the complete album very well again - lovingly made rock music with continuously forward thrusting organ, smooth guitar work and numerous fantastic harmonies. One of my favorites is the beautiful “We’d Escape”, which reminds me somewhat for whatever reason of the brilliant My Morning Jacket.
'Dizzy Love Blues' is a straight Blues-Rock tune, followed by the equally fine ‘Shaky Hands’. Funky and with Jukebox-Commitment comes the lively ‘Streetlight Gypsy’ thereafter, before a highlight with the name ‘Pick Me Up Mary’ that stays in your head for a day or even for a whole week.
I can only appeal to all music lovers to get “Dear Revolution” from THE VEGABONDS . Because here passionate enjoyable rock music with lots of love for Southern rock is played, almost as relaxed and pleasantly as possible.
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Local Band Releases Impressive Freshman Album
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It’s nice to be able to pick up an album by an Auburn band, as it doesn’t happen all that often thes...It’s nice to be able to pick up an album by an Auburn band, as it doesn’t happen all that often these days.
I’d heard buzz about The Vegabonds but hadn’t seen them before this year’s Alex City Jazz Fest, where I was duly impressed. They gave me a burned copy of their album-to-be at that time, and now that debut album, “Dear Revolution” is available everywhere.
These boys got together just last year, and immediately started making plans for their first album, recorded at Southstreet Studios in Nashville. Citing as their influences The Black Crowes, Gov’t Mule, Kings of Leon, and Led Zeppelin, this Auburn band is doing its hometown proud and have made a darn fine record.
Opening with a strong Crowes-ish rocker called “The Ballad of the Movers and Shakers,” the band cranks it to 11 right off the bat and never backs off.
There are some fine rockers, some great ballads, and some thoughtful tunes that without a doubt show that the band has the potential to go mainstream with their brand of Stones-y rock. Daniel Allen’s lead vocals are strong and expressive, the instrumental prowess of guitarists Alex Cannon and Richard Forehand, and keyboardist Jamie Hallen are melodious and impressive, and the rhythm section, made up of bassist Paul Bruens and drummer Bryan Harris, is powerful and solid.
“Dear Revolution” is one of the strongest freshman albums I’ve heard this year, and I look forward to hearing more from these rising Auburn stars.
supersonic
