Plenty of groups come back from hiatus. Vegas DeMilo might be the first to come back from self-imposed exile. Sort of.
Here’s the deal: Back in the ’90s, this San Francisco band released three albums, toured heavily and took their shot at the brass ring. But like a lot of bands, they ended up packing in their rock-star dreams for the reality of day jobs and families. Then, also like a lot of bands, they reconnected over Zoom during the pandemic. One thing led to another, and now they’re back with their first album in 20 years: Black Sheep Lodge.
Thankfully, it’s more interesting than your typical comeback album — partly due to the fact that it’s inspired by Liz Phair’s landmark debut Exile In Guyville, which was in turn famously inspired by The Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St. So yeah, if you’re a fan of Phair or the Stones, you’ll dig Black Sheep Lodge. But you’re also in for a treat if you like The Replacements, Oasis, The Hold Steady and Wilco, since you’ll hear echoes of them all in the band’s crunchy, guitar-driven indie-rock. With the album out now, magnificently named bandleader Foster Calhoun Johnson got on Zoom to talk about his love of Liz, building their Lodge, herding cats and plenty more. Enjoy. And read more about the album HERE.
