On Friday, Vehicles, an alternative rock band hailing from Wichita, Kansas, will perform at The Bridge in downtown Columbia, making it the band’s first time back in Columbia since their last performance at The Blue Note about five years ago.
The Bridge will be one of Vehicles’ many stops on their regional tour across the Midwest.
Lead singer Cody Cloud says Vehicles is influenced by bands like U2, Echo and the Bunnymen, Interpol and Mellowdrone.
“I mean, we’re mostly alternative rock,” he says. “But we’re also mixed with psychedelic and Space Jam vibes.”
The band of six years has just recently released its third record, “This Bluebird Wants Me Dead” on a new label with Naughty Dog Enterprises.
One of the main contributors to the album is producer Micajah Ryan, who has worked with artists such as Guns ‘N’ Roses, L.A. Guns and Bob Dylan.
“He recorded and produced our record for us,” Cloud says on Ryan. “J.J. Golden in Ventura, California, mastered it and put it out on vinyl. It was really exciting!”
MOVE recently chatted with Cloud about Vehicles’ new record.
**MOVE:** How does “This Bluebird Wants Me Dead” compare to your previous music?
**Cloud:** Our first record had a lot of layers and effects, and people have said our sound has become more lyrically driven with heavier melodies. That wasn’t intentional, I guess, that’s just how it happened.
**M:** Is there a certain mood or message behind the album you were trying to convey?
**C:** A lot of the songs are about things that hold us back. Like in my case, my bluebird of happiness is playing music and playing live and sometimes I’ve allowed drinking and other things to almost take that happiness away from me. It is also an album about finding middle ground and not being so rigid in our own beliefs, like politics, art and music.
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Vehicles clearly has a lot of raw talent and a very distinct sound that will draw listeners in and keep them jamming all night long. If you have a free night, a couple of friends and few bucks to spare they are definitely worth checking out.