The Record Company operate as a confident three-piece rock outfit whose taut, earthy sonic palette draws from foundational sources without fitting neatly into blues confines. While that genre supplies a key component, the group fuses elements from pioneers such as Muddy Waters and Jimmy Reed with the punchier, livelier drive of early rock & roll. Three friends who transitioned from collecting vintage discs to creating their own music in that spirit formed the band. After grinding through intimate rooms for modest pay, the Los Angeles-based trio built strong local momentum that led to co-bills with major acts and a 2015 recording contract. Their first full-length effort, Give It Back to You from 2016, delivered robust roots rock that earned a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album, while the more wide-ranging All of This Life followed in 2018 with equal intensity. The 4th Album, issued in 2023, balanced straightforward songs against driving grooves.
The band came together in 2011 when three dedicated listeners—Chris Vos from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, bassist Alex Stiff from Wayne, Pennsylvania, and drummer Marc Cazorla from Elmira, New York—each relocated to Los Angeles from the Midwest and East Coast. Stiff and Cazorla had already played together in college as part of a boisterous blues group that frequently headlined frat parties. After graduation Stiff settled in Los Angeles, and Cazorla later joined him following time in Nashville; the pair shared a house to cut costs. Vos, raised on a dairy farm, arrived in Los Angeles on impulse in 2010 with his wife and connected with the other two after posting a Craigslist notice seeking fellow enthusiasts.
Regular gatherings to play cherished tracks from their large vintage collections over drinks strengthened the bond, and the decision to start a band crystallized once Cazorla acquired a used drum kit at a garage sale. Posting early rehearsal takes online prompted the newly named Record Company to perform at modest clubs and record stores where entry was cheap or gratis, allowing curious audiences easy access. This approach paid off as hometown support grew, enabling moves to bigger stages, festival slots, and opening spots for B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Blackberry Smoke, and Social Distortion.
A five-song EP titled Feels So Good appeared in 2013 and preserved their raw energy on vinyl. The group first toured Europe in 2015, the same year Concord Music Group signed them. Give It Back to You reached stores in February 2016; its single “Off the Ground” gained radio traction and helped secure the Grammy nod. All of This Life, self-produced by the members at Boulevard Recording in Hollywood, surfaced in June 2018. Extensive road work plus placements in films such as Bad Moms and Live or Die in La Honda, along with television series including Nashville, Seal Team, and Bloodline, preceded their next studio phase. Before tackling a new full-length they released the Side Project EP in June 2021, reworking covers by Willie Dixon, INXS, and Cypress Hill. Play Loud arrived four months later, incorporating fresh rock and blues touches without losing its core force.
Although Play Loud earned praise from critics and listeners, Concord dropped the band over disappointing sales numbers amid pandemic disruptions to touring and recording. The group answered with The 4th Album in 2023, returning to core elements while injecting a lean, funky rhythmic edge; it marked their debut under a fresh agreement with Round Hill Records.
