Matthew Logan Vasquez at the Raccoon Motel -- May 15.
Wednesday, May 15, 6 p.m.
Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, Davenport IA
With his February release Frank's Full Moon Saloon praised by Glide magazine as a "raw and intimate" recording that "seems to mark a new chapter" for the artist, Matthew Logan Vasquez headlines a May 15 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, the acclaimed singer/songwriter and guitarist also a member of the rock band Delta Spirit and the indie super-groups Middle Brothers and Glorietta.
A current resident of Wimberley, Texas, Vasquez grew up both in that state and along the California coast, and alongside Jonathan Jameson (bass), Brandon Young (drums), Kelly Winrich (multi-instrumentalist), and William McLaren (guitar), the guitarist co-founded Delta Spirit in San Diego in 2005. Jameson and Young, who had played with each other in many bands, decided to form a band with their new friend Vasquez, whom Young first spotted busking on a bench in San Diego at two in the morning. Delta Spirit recorded their EP debut I Think I've Found It at Winrich's home studio in 2006, and produced and recorded their first album, Ode to Sunshine, in a cabin in Julian, California, releasing it independently in late 2007. Five additional albums and a pair of EPs followed, but after a decade fronting Delta Spirit and then performing with Middle Brother (featuring members of Dawes and Deer Tick), Vasquez opted to go solo in 2015.
Vasquez released his Austin EP, followed by his full-length solo debut Solicitor Returns in 2016 and his sophomore recording Does What He Wants in 2017. To record the latter work, Vasquez built a trailer studio near his home, about an hour west of Austin. As stated in the San Diego Reader, "Surrounded by evergreen oak trees, he wrote and recorded basic tracks and then brought in guests like Shakey Graves drummer Christopher Booshada to add parts as needed. For backup vocals and string parts, he worked long-distance via sound files with the Parkington Sisters, who he performed with during a Middle Brother set at the 2016 Newport Folk Festival." Vasquez's third solo album Light'n Up dropped in February of 2019, inspiring the Austin Chronicle to call it a work in which "pointillistic touches like somber, sitar-like bass runs, and Parisian accordions elevate tales of growing pains, working blues, and fatherhood." Spill magazine, meanwhile, praised Light'n Up for its "range of meandering styles, fine-crafted lyrics, playful melodies, and excellent story-telling,"
Matthew Logan Vasquez plays his Davenport engagement on May 15 with an opening set by Justin & the Cosmics, admission to the 6 p.m. concert is $26.45, and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.
