THE VEGABONDS take viewers on the road with them in the video for the single "Best I Can" from their newly released album V (Blue Élan Records, 1/18/19). View the video here that was premiered this past Friday (1/25) at Pop Matters whose writer Michael Bialas noted that "...the album fires on all cylinders with a combustible combination of tub-thumpin' alt-country, searing rock riffs and robust but heartfelt lyrics that will help ease the pain."
For the urgent and fiery song, the Nashville-based alternative southern rock band-- fronted by lead vocalist and songwriter Daniel Allen, with Richard Forehand (lead guitar/vocals), Paul Bruens (bass), Beau Cooper (keys/vocals), and Bryan Harris (drums) rounding out the quintet--joined forces with director Adam Porter, whose credits include Jimmy Eat World's video for "I Will Steal You Back." He engagingly captures the band-now celebrating a decade of making music together with over 1,000 live shows--onstage and behind the scenes in Charlotte, Augusta, Birmingham, Atlanta, Nashville, Richmond, DC, and New York.
"We wanted to give you an all access, behind the scenes look at our fast paced life on the road," says frontman Daniel Allen. "The travel, the food, the downtime, our badass fans, and most importantly the Rock n Roll! This video, that our very talented buddy Adam Porter captured, has it all. We hope to see you on Vegabonds tour very soon."
The song "Best I Can," says Daniel, is "about self-realization and being okay with who you are. It's about pushing limits, loving hard, and never backing down when the odds are against you. Everyone I know lives this song every day."
He further explains that "Best I Can" was "written in a hustle mindset. It's about making goals and pushing through until you achieve them. We started our journey as a band in the midst of a national recession in 2009 and work was sometimes hard to find. That's where the line 'I ain't scared of the work, I'm scared when the work ain't there' came from. We've always had big aspirations for the evolution of our band and where we want to go. We also know it takes some serious work ethic to get there. Everyone wants a purpose in life and something that makes us feel whole, and this song embodies the struggle we sometimes face on that road to fulfillment."
Upon its January 4th release, "Best I Can" was added to four playlists at Spotify ("All New Rock" in the U.S. plus three international playlists) where the group has 60,000 monthly listeners and amassed over four million total Spotify streams. V's first three singles--"I Ain't Having It," "Everything I Need" and "Partyin' With Strangers"--currently total over 265,000 Spotify streams.
V highlights the best of THE VEGABONDS' musicianship, vocals, lyrics and collective sound, illustrating their contagious blend of Americana, country, and rock influences. The album was produced by Tom Tapley, who did the same honors for the band's critically acclaimed album What We're Made Of and the "Long Haired Country Boy" single, in addition to producing albums for such diverse artists as Blackberry Smoke, Sugarland, Tyler Farr and Mastodon.
THE VEGABONDS have added more dates to their "Southbound & Down" tour which launched January 10 (*see the in-progress dates below).
DATE |
LOCATION |
VENUE |
|
FRI |
1/25 |
Mobile, AL |
Callaghan's Social Club |
SAT |
1/26 |
Tallahassee, FL |
Field Day Festival @ Maclay Gardens Park |
THU |
1/31 |
Statesboro, GA |
Blue Room |
FRI |
2/1 |
Milledgeville, GA |
The Tavern |
FRI |
2/8 |
Jackson, MS |
Duling Hall |
SAT |
2/9 |
Chattanooga, TN |
JJ's Bohemia |
FRI |
2/22 |
Harrisonburg, VA |
Clementine Café |
SAT |
2/23 |
Blacksburg, VA |
Sycamore Deli |
SAT |
3/23 |
Oxford, MS |
Ole Miss |
THU |
3/28 |
Greenville, SC |
Downtown Alive Series |
FRI |
3/29 |
Isle of Palms, SC |
The Windjammer |
SAT |
3/30 |
Athens, GA |
Univ of Georgia |
SAT |
4/13 |
Atlanta, GA |
Georgia Tech Univ |
THU |
4/25 |
Nashville, TN |
Basement East |
THU |
5/16 |
San Antonio, TX |
The Rustic |
FRI |
5/17 |
Houston, TX |
The Rustic |
SAT |
5/18 |
Dallas, TX |
The Rustic |
SAT |
5/25 |
Martinsville, VA |
Roosterwalk Festival |
SUN |
5/26 |
Martinsville, VA |
Roosterwalk Festival |
SAT |
6/1 |
Oak Hill, WV |
Mountain Music Festival |
SAT |
6/22 |
Charlotte, NC |
River Jam at US National Whitewater Center |