By DAN ARMONAITIS
A cursory glance at the upcoming tour schedule for Vagabond Crowe makes it clear that this is a dedicated, hard-working band.
The Hendersonville, N.C.-based Americana outfit is pretty much busy each weekend from now into December, then, after a break for the holidays, kicks right back into high gear in 2020.
“I feel like that’s been a key component for us in general — to get out there and get your feet wet and get used to playing live and getting in front of people,” said Mitch Stewart, Vagabond Crowe’s lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter.
“The market’s so saturated with music online that I think being able to get out there and have that real experience of what live music sounds like and what it feels like to perform and connect with an audience, it’s really important.”
Upstate music fans have two opportunities to catch Vagabond Crowe this weekend — Friday, Nov. 8 at The Velo Fellow in Greenville and Saturday, Nov. 9 at Holliday Brewing in Spartanburg. The band also has multiple other gigs scheduled in the area in the coming weeks.
“I think being able to get out there and make all your mistakes and build your fanbase and go through it, it’s a humbling experience and it’s a necessity,” Stewart said.
Vagabond Crowe was formed by Stewart and fellow vocalist Paula Woods in 2018. The current lineup also includes drummer and bassist Brent Fleury along with Joel Carson on lead guitar and harmonica.
The group has toured incessantly throughout the Carolinas and recently released its debut album, “Fortune Teller,” which was recorded at producer Andy Bishop’s Giraffe Studio in Hendersonville. Previously, Stewart and Woods recorded a three-song demo at Echo Mountain Recording in Asheville, N.C.
“Andy is kind of like the go-to guy for bands in Hendersonville, and we walked in with eight tracks that we wanted to put on an EP,” Stewart said. “He helped us work though each song and add little things here and there, but he mainly tried to stay true to our sound and what we were trying to do musically.”
Vagabond Crowe offers a heartfelt brand of folk-Americana that showcases Stewart’s strong songwriting skills.
“I grew up going to Southern Baptist churches and was actually in seminary for two years, but I had a few life-changing experiences and I ended up walking away from all of that and delving into more spiritual belief systems,” Stewart said. “The spiritual realm is something I’m attracted to, and Paula is also attracted to a lot of those same things, and so I think it’s woven into a lot of my own experiences.
“Using those analogies and allegories in the songs is something that I definitely relate to, and I also think it’s a really good way to tell a story. But it’s also something that’s not so pointed that other people can’t relate to it.”
Both lyrically and stylistically, the songs Stewart writes for Vagabond Crowe draw from a variety of inspirations.
“I’m a huge Avett Brothers fan and grew up listening to those guys,” Stewart said. “The depth to a lot of their songs and their music in general was something I could relate to. And Neil Young was a big influence. And then, there’s a younger guy named Noah Gundersen who I’ve listened to a lot. I feel like he and I have similar ways of writing, and he’s someone who kind of inspired me to start writing again and get back into music.”
As impressive as his own songs are, Stewart feels that the harmony vocals that Woods contributes are an integral part of Vagabond Crowe’s sound.
“She brings a depth to the sound. She gets all the vocal compliments at the shows,” Stewart said. “I think she’s taught me a lot about singing with another person and how to blend voices and try to meet somewhere in the middle.
“I think when you’re in the zone and playing through a song and you’re feeling it, you can build those emotions and stay on key and stay in harmony with each other. And that connection, I think, is magnetic and everybody can kind of feel it. It takes things to another level.”
Vagabond Crowe is expected to continue building its fan base in 2020, and Stewart is particularly looking forward to a gig to be held Feb. 28 at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium as part of its Second Stage series. Billed as “The Carolina Revue,” the show will feature four bands from North Carolina and South Carolina: Vagabond Crowe, the Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs, Strange Bird and Remedy 58. Advance tickets are available here.
“It’s going to be a unique experience,” Stewart said. “It give us guys who are not super well-known in the area the chance to get some more publicity and the chance to put our music out there in front of a bigger audience …. It should be a really good time.”