(Photos by Julia Steinhouse)
Sometimes, you need to go for a drive alone and listen to music that forces you to dig into the depths of your emotions– for us, that music is John Vincent III.
Born and raised in Houston, Vincent’s indie-folk music is reminiscent of Bon Iver and Gregory Alan Isakov with an Americana edge. He is currently on his Roadtrip Tour across the US, accompanied by fellow singer-songwriter Hazel English. English is an Australian-born artist whose music evokes similar feelings to those of Vincent, but roams more in the realm of indie-bedroom pop.
A nonchalant ambiance fueled the air of the Fonda. The room filled with humans idling shoulder to shoulder, holding hands or nursing beers as they engaged in intimate conversations, prior to the show. As we third-wheeled the crowd, one of us loitered amongst the crowd with wine in hand as the other entered the photo pit of Fonda. Separated and solo, we both admired the audience John Vincent III brought to the Fonda; a group of humans who felt like a warm hug from an old friend, lost in the passion of life and the attentiveness of those by their side.
At 9:00PM Hazel English entered the stage, the crowd falling silent to her gentle entrance. Accompanied only by her electric guitarist, English sat to greet us with just an acoustic guitar in hand. A few songs in, English quietly exclaimed, “I usually have a full band, not this stripped down version,” as she peered at us under the Fonda lights giggling “I feel naked!”
English then continued with “Summer Nights,” reflecting on the long days that are accompanied by “talking ‘til late, under the full moon.” English’s introspective lyricism gives a personal insight into her quiet shyness that compliments her endearing vulnerability.
Each song was greeted with a smile by English and followed with a soft “thank you” at their conclusion. Like old diary entries, her songs provided a nostalgic experience, complimented by the undertones of bittersweet melancholy. She closed her set with “Nine Stories” off her recently released album “Real Life.” And as discreetly as she entered the stage, English left with a final “thank you,” fueled by a true sense of gratitude to the audience’s attentiveness.
A can of Coors Light, a simple blue button down and blue slacks – this was how John Vincent III greeted the stage of the Fonda. With just a brief tuning of his guitar as the rest of his band entered the stage, John Vincent III launched right into the gut-wrenching melody of “City Rain”.
John Vincent III’s soulful tone and bold lyricism unveil the inner workings of his mind and yet mirror our own emotional vulnerability. Nostalgia, grief and gratitude overwhelm and soothe your heart and soul, reminding you of the love life has to give, lost or found.
Between each song Vincent bantered with the crowd, providing memorable anecdotes in a fashion that stripped away the barrier between him and the crowd. He engaged us with every word as if we were all old friends at a bar, splitting beers and reminiscing about the memories of life.
Vincent’s candid rapport made for a greater understanding of his musical journey. Reflecting on his early days he recounted “It was open mics in Hollywood and no one gave a shit…” and as he acknowledged the magnitude of the Fonda crowd he quickly expressed his gratitude for our attendance. Beginning to tune his guitar for the song about this very experience, an audience member cheered “so is this about hope?” to which Vincent slyly grinned and bantered back “no… it’s about giving up”.
In classic Americana style, Vincent employed a harmonica in many of his songs, adding a touch of Dylan-esque folksiness into his set. Vincent took us on a nostalgic stroll through his discography, playing a variety of songs from his 2019 album, Songs From the Valley, to his most recent release, Songs For the Canyon.
With minimal instrumentations and gut-wrenching lyricism from songs like “Lover of Mine,” Vincent exuded a heartbreaking ambiance and yet a sense of warmth under the Fonda lights glow as he sang;
“Well, the record played our favorite song
We danced the night away
Yeah, the record played our favorite song
Oh, when we drank the night away,”
allowing the simple beauty of Vincent’s unguarded emotions to shine through.
Vincent’s songs often read like journal entries, telling tales about what it means to be a human, experiencing change and growth. “This song I wrote during a cold storm at my parents’ house when the toilets wouldn’t even flush,” Vincent recalled before playing the first chords for “On and On,” a song that lingers on the “echoes of life” and time spent “in an old Maine town.”
Towards the end of the evening, John Vincent began his introduction of a newer tune, released this past July, entitled “Never, No Not Once”. Once again, Vincent unarmed his audience with timely wit proclaiming “this one came out a couple months ago… if you know it sing along, if you dont… fuck me”, sending the Fonda crowd into uncontrollable laughter.
Vincent concluded his set with “That’s Just the Way It Is, Babe” off Songs From the Valley. Composed prominently with acoustics, the song floats into the dreamland of Vincent’s mind and melodic genius, with lyrics like, “Hey, hey, let’s leave this whole thing behind/ Buy ourselves some land, babe, and act like we own it/ Somewhere down south where the skies feel like home/ Outside of town the parcels are big and wild.”
John Vincent III transports us to a world within ourselves and introduces us to experiences not ours. Taking his listeners down several winding roads that have led him to this very moment, in front of us at the Fonda, we are left with immense gratitude to have joined him on this sonic road trip.
