“Catching Up With” is an interview series where we reconnect with an artist who has previously used the NoiseTrade platform and chat with them about what they’re doing now. This week we’re catching up with Joshua Fleming of The Vandoliers to discuss their brand new album Forever, audience singalongs, and being mentored by Rhett Miller (Old 97’s).
Also, be sure to check out the new Meet The Vandoliers EP sampler from The Vandoliers on our site here: https://www.noisetrade.com/vandoliers/meet-the-vandoliers
NoiseTrade: With Forever having been out in the wild for about a month now and you all being on the road during that time, how have your audiences been responding to the new songs? Are there any of the new songs already showing themselves as fan favorites?
Joshua Fleming: It has been incredible and a little surreal. For starters, people are coming to the shows and they are singing with us. It’s crazy to see our music connecting with people. Songs like “Sixteen Years,” “Troublemaker,” “Cigarettes in the Rain,” and “Bottom Dollar Boy” have been the ones that catch me off guard because everyone knows every word!
NT: You included a trio of new tracks – “Troublemaker,” “Miles and Miles,” and “Cigarettes in the Rain” – on your Noisetrade sampler Meet the Vandoliers. What can you tell us about the writing and recording of those songs?
Fleming: “Miles and Miles” is kind of our mission statement. I also love to write road trip music, so I thought that would be a good place to start. “Troublemaker” is what we do best — loud, fun, twangy mariachi anthems. It’s a blast to listen to, a workout to play, and the kind of tempo we like to hang around. “Cigarettes in the Rain” is my favorite song to sing and also one that everyone sings along to at the shows.
NT: With this being your third album, what new insights did you get from working with producer Adam Hill (Deer Tick, Low Cut Connie)?
Fleming: He really pushed us to play our best and not to rely on a lot of overdubs or the idea that things could be fixed in the mix. After that first day of figuring out how he worked, we really had to dig deep and bring the heat. We came out of there much better players for it.
NT: I read that alt-country legend Rhett Miller of Old 97’s has been a bit of a mentor for the band. How did that relationship come about and what have you all been able to pick up from him so far?
Fleming: Rhett Miller is a fucking saint. He has been so kind to us from the beginning, but Ken Bethea (lead guitarist) and Phillip Peeples (drummer) were instrumental in all of the opportunities we’ve had to play with the Old 97’s. It started when we were asked to perform at their annual festival, the Old 97’s County Fair in Dallas. Then we went on a couple tours later that summer. I don’t have to tell you how influential they are to us. Old 97’s are obviously and shamelessly our favorite band and they all live up to every ounce of respect and admiration I had and will always have for each of them. Phil was also the one that hipped Bloodshot to our existence. But, yeah, Rhett Miller helped me with my song selection and was a well of songwriting knowledge to bounce ideas off of. We can’t thank them enough for believing in us.
Also, bonus Old 97’s fun facts: One, Murry Hammond loves ghosts hunting in old theaters. Two, etched into every vinyl copy of our new record Forever are Old 97’s lyrics: “Somewhere along the way I must have gone astray.”
NT: Finally, with your country punk swagger, drunken fiddle, and bombastic horns, it feels so right that you’re now on the Bloodshot roster. Do you have any favorite Bloodshot releases from the last 25 years that have influenced you and that you recommend folks check out?
Fleming: It feels like we are home on Bloodshot – right where we belong. They totally get what we are doing and it’s amazing. Everyone that works for the label from the top down is amazing and really cares about their bands. It’s an institution that put Wreck Your Life by the Old 97’s and also Alejandro Escovedo’s A Man Under the Influence, two of the numerous Texas artists that have shaped us. The roster right now is stacked, too, with rad acts like Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers, the Yawpers, Banditos, and Jason Hawk Harris. They’re all incredible. We have a great thing happening.
