Gapers Block has ceased publication.

Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
 Thank you for your readership and contributions. 

TODAY

Friday, March 29

Gapers Block
Search

Gapers Block on Facebook Gapers Block on Flickr Gapers Block on Twitter The Gapers Block Tumblr


Transmission
« Swap It Saturday @ Schubas Preview: Dawn Golden @ House of Blues 01/14 »

Preview Sat Jan 11 2014

The Vulgar Boatmen: A Tall Tale of Indie Rock

The+Vulgar+Boatmen.jpgAt some point, the ways and means of starting and keeping a rock band became codified; though the tools have changed, the beginnings of most bands tend to read pretty similarly. You may find your band mates through scouring the Classifieds or Craigslist, or you may meet them by chance at a gig or a party. It could be new acquaintances or it could be your friends since grade school, but typically, the story begins with an assorted cadre of four of five people on drums, bass, and guitars who gather for the tentative first rehearsals and the punch-drunk first show. By some miracle, if the center holds, there's the possibility of more shows, maybe more fans, and perhaps even the chance at making albums. Other genres are undoubtedly propagated with their own common geneses, but the progression rock bands take has remained remarkably common, albeit not without exception. This makes the understated yet singular story of how The Vulgar Boatmen came to be all the more remarkable, and one of the greater exceptions around.

Any discussion of The Vulgar Boatmen inevitably focuses on their peculiar arrangement; there's more to the band than its lineup and lifespan, but the story behind the music is so fascinating as to demand the attention of those who care to look. The band was born in the classrooms of the University of Florida, with film studies professor Robert Ray eventually seizing the reins. He initiated a writing partnership with Indianapolis punk upstart Dale Lawrence, who was a former student of his, and they composed the songs for the band via cassette tapes sent by mail. As they were crafting their first record in this iteration, Ray and some friends were playing shows in Florida under the name The Vulgar Boatmen. Lawrence was eager to go public with this burgeoning song catalog he could lay claim to, so he organized a Vulgar Boatmen of his own in Indiana. The country now had two Vulgar Boatmen bands to choose from. It was an effortless, intuitive obliteration of the stagnated format prevalent in rock and roll, and it led to live shows and albums; the center held despite the band's unconventional origins (this cursory background doesn't do justice to the tale, and feel free to check out this page for a more exhaustive account).

The music of the Vulgar Boatmen is propulsive without the serrated edges, and ethereal without approaching feyness. There's a trace of Murmur-era R.E.M. in the mystery of it all, with a bit more country in the instrumentation and a lot less incomprehensibility in the vocals. The songs don't tend to hit hard, although with their pop sensibilities they could certainly have been presented as such. Instead, they arrive as ghosts, the shifty residue that's left over from a more audacious college radio hit. Their most famous song is "Drive Somewhere," which is also the title of a documentary about the band released in 2010. It's a song that manages to succeed despite seeming longer than it actually is; it's a mere five-minute stretch, but the immersion that accompanies hearing it is so all-encompassing that it feels like I've been wrapped in the tune for hours by the time the melody makes its leave.

Unfortunately, the Florida iteration of the band seems defunct, but Lawrence's Indianapolis contingent still plays occasional shows, including what has become a periodic sojourn to Schuba's. The Vulgar Boatmen play Schuba's Tavern (3159 N. Southport) this Saturday, Jan. 11, with The Purcells opening the gig. The show begins at 9pm and tickets can be purchased online or at the door.

 
GB store
GB store

Feature Thu Dec 31 2015

Our Final Transmission Days

By The Gapers Block Transmission Staff

Transmission staffers share their most cherished memories and moments while writing for Gapers Block.

Read this feature »

Blogroll

  Chicago Music Media

Alarm Magazine
BackStage
Big Rock Candy Mountain
Boxx Magazine
Brooklyn Vegan Chicago
Can You See The Sunset From The Southside
Chicago Reader Music
Chicagoist Arts & Events
ChicagoMusic.org
Chicago Music Guide
Chicago Singles Club
CHIRP
Country Music Chicago
Cream Team
Dark Jive
Daytrotter
The Deli Chicago
Jim DeRogatis
Do312
Fake Shore Drive
Gowhere Hip Hop
Gridface
The Hood Internet
Innerview
Jaded in Chicago
Largehearted Boy
Little White Earbuds
Live Fix Blog
Live Music Blog
Loud Loop Press
Oh My Rockness
Pop 'stache
Pitchfork
Pop Matters
Resident Advisor
Songs:Illinois
Sound Opinions
Sun-Times Music Blog
Theft Liable to Prosecution
Tribune Music
UR Chicago
Victim Of Time
WFMU's Beware of the Blog
Windy City Rock

  Venues:

Abbey Pub
Andy's Jazz Club
Aragon Ballroom
Auditorium Theatre
Beat Kitchen
B.L.U.E.S
Bottom Lounge
Buddy Guy's Legends
The Burlington
California Clipper
Concord Music Hall
Congress Theater
Constellation
Cubby Bear
Double Door
Elbo Room
Empty Bottle
FitzGerald's
Green Mill
The Hideout
Honky Tonk BBQ
House of Blues
Kingston Mines
Lincoln Hall
Logan Square Auditorium
Martyrs'
Mayne Stage
Metro
The Mutiny
Old Town School of Folk Music
Park West
The Promontory
Red Line Tap
Reggie's Rock Club & Music Joint
The Riviera
Rosa's
Schubas
Thalia Hall
The Shrine
Smartbar
Subterranean
Symphony Center
Tonic Room
Township
Uncommon Ground
The Vic
The Whistler

  Labels, Promoters
  & Shops:

Alligator Records
Atavistic
Beverly Records
Bloodshot Records
Dave's Records
Delmark Records
Drag City
Dusty Groove
Flameshovel Records
Groove Distribution
He Who Corrupts
Hozac
Jam Productions
Jazz Record Mart
Kranky Records
Laurie's Planet of Sound
Minty Fresh
Numero Group
mP Shows
Permanent Records
Reckless Records
Smog Veil Records
Southport & Northport Records
Thick Records
Thrill Jockey Records Touch & Go/Quarterstick Records
Victory Records

GB store

Events

Featured Series














 

Transmission on Flickr

Join the Transmission Flickr Pool.


About Transmission

Transmission is the music section of Gapers Block. It aims to highlight Chicago music in its many varied forms, as well as cover touring acts performing in the city. More...
Please see our submission guidelines.

Editor: Sarah Brooks, sarah@gapersblock.com
Transmission staff inbox: transmission@gapersblock.com

Archives

 

Transmission Flickr Pool
 Subscribe in a reader.

GB store

GB Store

GB Buttons $1.50

GB T-Shirt $12

I ✶ Chi T-Shirts $15