Vandoliers -- Life Behind Bars

Life Behind Bars, the fifth release from the Texas based Vandoliers, marks a significant change of direction for the band. No I'm not talking about the fact that their lead singer, Jenni Rose, has come out as trans – I'm talking about their music and lyrics.

Okay, so the two are probably interrelated, but while she's the front woman and principle songwriter, there are five other folk in the band who have some say over what the music is going to sound like. In fact, Rose doesn't even handle all the songwriting and lead vocal duties on this disc as other members (Cory Graves - keyboards, trumpet, harmonica, bass; Dustin Fleming - guitars and pedal steel; Trey Alfaro - drums and percussion; Travis Curry - fiddle; and Mark Moncrief banjo and bass) make contributions to both songwriting and vocals.

Over the course of their first four albums and extensive touring, the Vandoliers have carved out a reputation for high energy cow-punk. Mixing peddle steal, mariachi trumpet, and a passion for anarchy, their music has been synonymous with a good time since they set foot on a stage.

However, they foreshadowed their change of direction with the release of the single "Together We Will Sink or Swim" in the year leading up to the release of Life Behind Bars. Musically the song was what fans have come to expect from the band - rousing and rowdy - but the lyrics are a rallying call for resistance to the darkness sweeping over their country

Don't be afraid, have courage, have heart/Let the truth shine a light in the dark/Together we will sing or swim/Together to the bitter end

Life Behind Bars is a continuation of what the Vandoliers started with that song. Led by Rose, they careen through the ten songs on the album with a mixture of joie de vivre and spiting in the eye of hatred. The songs have both an emotional depth and level of political awareness that weren't as obvious on previous recordings.

Challenged by her producer, Ted Hutt, to create songs with more emotional depth, Rose responded with lyrics that mirrored her personal journey. "Dead Canary," "Life Behind Bars" and the album's closing tune, "Dead in a Ditch," each reflect her struggles with both identity and alcohol. As anyone who has struggled with using booze and drugs to dull their pain can tell you, ditching the anesthetic is the hardest, and the best thing, you can do.

In "Dead Canary," Rose sings

I was crying in a bottle/Broken spirit, troubled heart/I was dying, all my lonesome/Intrusive thoughts come to me

The lyrics may apply to her personal struggles, but anybody who has been in similar circumstances can relate to the sentiment behind the song. It's the sign of a gifted songwriter when they can turn a highly personal experience into something universal enough, people can relate it to their own situations.

The band does this again and again on the album. While too many country musicians simply wallow in their own stuff; navel gazing in the guise of genuine emotion; Life Behind Bars is an example of how to create music with depth without sacrificing anything musically.

On top of that they have a wonderfully sardonic sense of humour which comes to the forefront on the Corey Graves penned and sung "Thoughts and Prayers." This response to the typical right wing reaction to mass shootings in the US of useless thoughts and prayers for the dead folk and their survivors is both bitter and funny. Lyrics like "Reach for the sky, and make sure to say your prayers"/Before the smoke from his barrel comes to fill the cold Sunday air" makes it pretty obvious how the band feels about those crocodile tear sentiments.

Then there's "Bible Belt". Any queer kid - or anybody with an open mind - whose grown up in a close minded religious environment will relate to this track.

I never felt/ Felt accepted/Out of step/Out of place/I was hurt/I was broken/I was everything/That you hate

Unfortunately this a reality for far too many people these days as anti-queer legislation takes root across the US and in parts of Canada. From teachers being prohibited to use a child's chosen pronouns or being forced to out their students to their parents to laws refusing to accept there are more than two genders, the world has become a fuck of lot less safe for queer people.

While the Vandoliers and Life Behind Bars are both more than the story about Jenni Rose finding her way, they are the band and the album of defiance the world needs today. Sure they remain a honky-tonk, punk rock, bar band on a mission to make sure you have a good time. However, they also reach down your throat and grab you by the heart strings and make you think. We should all be grateful for this album and this band.

Be sure to subscribe to the Rainbow Rodeo podcast to catch our upcoming interview with Jenni Rose!

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