It has been 9 years since Art Vandalay’s last album; Champagne & Chandeliers was worth the wait. You can find it in the regular places and/or check them out on January 22, 2022 at The Aster.
We were delighted to have Brandon Henry join us to talk about the album. It has an Americana sound with a sprinkling of folk, pop and jazz. The album feels like a the retelling of a long road trip; each song a mini lesson in life. Traffic tells us to take it easy and slow down – which has such a different connotation post-2020 than when it was recorded in 2019 but it reminds us that the pace wasn’t all bad. Also the keyboard is awesome. The imagery in Back Again captured Heather’s imagination and I went for the empowerment from relationship gone wrong in Never See You Again.
The backstory behind Eye of the Beholder was most endearing. It’s about the experience of playing live music and not knowing who and how you might reach someone. Brandon spoke about the importance of recognizing that even if there’s one person in the audience, they still might be the right person at the right time – for the singer or the listener. Music touches us and this is an album about the relationships and decisions that form who we are – that forge the path we took.
Mostly Minnesota 