Vigilantes of Love - Live at the 40 Watt

Label: Paste Music

Fall, 1998

40 Watt Club, Athens, GA

Producer: Bill Mallonee

Band Members: · Band Members: · Bill Mallonee - Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica · Kenny Hutson - Lead Guitar, Mandolin, Pedal Steel · Jacob Bradley - Bass · Scott Klopfenstein - Drums · Randall Bramlett - Hammond B-3

After recording To the Roof of the Sky, VOL hit the road to self promote the treasure they just captured on tape. As the liner notes to Live at the 40 Watt describe, this recording is from a hot, sweaty night in their hometown of Athens, GA which results in “one night, one stage, one show, a simple recording device tapped to the board.” What so many of us yearn to witness…..this recording is a night of magic with no need for overdubs. For those who don’t know Bill and the Vigilantes of Love, his delivery is simple yet inspiring. Part of this results from his willingness to share his soul with you and genuinely develop an interest in his fans as noted at the end of the disc when he announces that he will make himself available after the show “to talk.” It also stems from his music which consists of songs “about what grace looks like in your humdrum, mundane (but not unimportant) little life.” The night starts off with a brand new song called It Could be a Lot Worse, which give the listener only a taste of what is to come. The next four songs are some of VOL’s best rockers. Songs such as But Not For Long, Taking On Water, Blister Soul, and Locust Years - probably the most familiar of the bunch due to Slow Dark Train’s radio exposure. After waking everyone up and knocking the audience around with their guitars, Bill then slows it down some to deliver the full punch. Through songs like To the Roof of the Sky, Run Through My Veins, Avalanche, and Doin Time, Bill takes the audience on a trip to the center of their souls and challenges to listen to his story. As the night continues, VOL incorporates more acoustics and pedal steel before closing the night with another brand new song titled the Ballad of Russell Perry which reminisces with Another Side of Bob Dylan. All in all, this is a nice change for the Vigilantes. To deliver spontaneity with so much conviction and passion is nice to hear in this corporate world of sin.

Songs: 1. It Could Be a Lot Worse (Mallonee) - 4:43 2. But Not For Long (Mallonee) - 2:58 3. Taking On Water (Mallonee) - 3:42 4. Blister Soul (Mallonee) - 4:07 5. Locust Years (Mallonee) - 3:24 6. Run Through My Veins (Mallonee) - 3:48 7. To the Roof of the Sky (Mallonee) - 4:58 8. Avalanche (Mallonee) - 6:10 9. Doin Time (Mallonee) - 3:41 10. The Glory and the Dream (Mallonee) - 4:10 11. Offer (Mallonee) - 4:54 12. The Opposite’s True (Mallonee) - 4:33 13. Double Cure (Mallonee) - 5:41 14. The Ballad of Russell Perry (Mallonee) - 5:47 Total: 62:36