Vagabondage celebrates 10 years of songs about goats, jalapenos, & drinking with Unwoman at the Lost Church
is there possibly a more perfect way to spend Friday the 13th, than witnessing the wonderfully raucous folk punk band Vagabondage celebrate their 10th anniversary at the Lost Church in SF? well, maybe, when you add the haunting gothic/steampunk cello music of Unwoman, which is exactly how I spent this past Friday (which so happened to be the 13th). & what made this night even more special for me specifically was the fact that Vagabondage were one of the first groups that I recorded personally, apparently 10 years ago, on my Tascam 4-track, signifying the true birth of Trident Heart Anticorporated.
the Lost Church, located in the heart of the Mission district of SF, is a beautifully decorated & designed, small venue which hosts the occasional acoustic concerts, movie nights, poetry recitals, & stage performances. ive only been there once before, about a year ago, again to see Vagabondage, & honestly that is a shame, I ought to be going there more often, & I think I will try to attend more of their various events this year.
the evening was kicked off with John & Cindy, the original two members of Vagabondage, performing a couple of their earliest songs. Cindy’s simple accordion tunes were complimented by John’s deep melodic & raspy bellows extoling the pains of jalapenos & the wonders of his glasses. it was a quick way of pumping the crowd up for what was to come.
after that short “tease” , the stage was graced by the solo cellist/singer, Unwoman. to say that she was mind-blowing would be putting it mildly. seriously, this was quite simply, nothing less than a life altering experience. using a loop-pedal to create layers of rhythm & melody, she was able to construct incredibly sophisticated soundscapes, accentuated by her delicate, yet powerful voice, which she also, occasionally layered with loops & octave shifts. but ultimately the thing that really blew me away was her remarkably literary poetry. her use of language was profoundly, emotionally intelligent, exploring themes from film & literature, to philosophy & psychology, all with deep, poetic grandeur. her entire presence was commanding. though she definitely embodied elements of goth & steampunk, I hate to reduce her music & performance to such contrived labels. I would certainly recommend her to fans of those aforementioned genres, particularly fans of Amanda Palmer/the Dresden Dolls, but I would also encourage fans of all genres to at least give her a listen.
the main event of the evening was of course the fantastic Vagabondage, who were, as I mentioned, celebrating their 10th anniversary. a five piece folk-punk group based in the SF Bay Area. bringing with them a raucous lust for life, these guys can easily get a crowd riled up. several of their songs encourage audience participation, especially their classic tune “Raise Your Glass”. where many of their songs tend to lean on the silly side, they are able to get a bit more somber, with tunes about stars at night, drinking with friends & memories of favorite places shared which no longer are. but then they go & turn it all back around with songs about the dark underbelly of Sesame Street & magicians/musicians who drive their fans to “throw the goat!” it seems these days as though acoustic based, accordion folk-punk is oversaturating the alternative music scene, but still Vagabondage has a way of shining through, reminding us of the minimalist intimacy of the sub-genre that won our hearts in the first place. even after 10 years these guys are still making fun, artistic music without getting overly pretentious about it. a flagship band for freaky folk-punk fans of Jason Webley, Gogol Bordello, & the Decemberists. here’s to another 10 years of songs about painful Mexican food, small farm animals, & lots & lots of drinking!
kianamaiart
dailybridgerton
yousharknotpass
snowghoul
baratheonpilled
prguitarman
