Violet and the Undercurrents operates, in many ways, on both sides of a political divide. “Whenever I write more socially conscious songs,” says singer-songwriter Violet Vonder Haar, “I like to write in the space that, wherever you are on the political spectrum, you can still take something from it. I don’t want to offend people – what I want to do is move people and inspire people to think and feel deeper.”
Operating primarily out of Columbia, Missouri, and playing shows in towns both rural and urban, Violet and the Undercurrents have had plenty of opportunities to perform for enormously varied demographics. However, it seems that no matter where their audience lies on the political spectrum, some songs resonate with everyone. Vonder Haar recognizes that music can be a catalyst for evolution: an extremely powerful tool and a key piece of what it means to be human. And in a nation oversaturated with divisiveness, Violet and the Undercurrents keep an open mind and leave lasting impressions with their adroit sensibility and spirited music.
The Captain is one of them. Officially releasing on January 25th (PRE-ORDER) but premiering on Glide today, the two-part masterwork details a conversation between a sea captain and a group of sirens. The songs and their accompanying videos offer desolate, organic reconciliations of fable and reality. The band shows a penchant for catchy refrains and soaring guitar lines, giving us two triumphant rock songs with folk undertones that bring to mind huge 70s rock acts like Fleetwood Mac.
Reflecting on the songs and their videos, Violet Vonder Haar has this to say:
“Being the daughter of a Riverboat Captain, I watched my father battle with the balancing act of being tied to a passion and the love of his family and home life. His love of the river, that originally began as a side job, turned into a lifelong career that then provided for my mother and three sisters, but at the same time took him away from us for nearly half of my life.
It wasn’t until I became a touring musician that I truly began to understand my father and his journey on a deeper level. I began to see the parallels in my and my father’s lives, as we both chose these ways of life, tied to and guided by our passions that often take us away from our homes. The life of a Captain requires you to know when to take command, how to navigate uncharted territories, to be able to ignore the call of the sirens, and yet at the same time, follow the Muse and this undeniable presence that we are tied to.
When originally discussing video concepts with our director, Sean Thiessen, he immediately related to the story: he too watched his mother pursue a passion and learn how to balance her career choice and home life. I quickly realized that this is not a unique story. We are all trying our best to find balance in our lives, be it career and home life, rest and productivity, community and solitude, or activism and self-care, it’s all a balancing act. It is when we learn how to find and cultivate that balance, that we become The Captain of our own lives and our own Soul’s Journey”
WATCH:
Check out tour dates below and visit Violet and the Undercurrents on Facebook for more music and info.
January 26th // Columbia, MO // Rose Music Hall
February 9th // Columbia, MO // house show
February 16th // Fulton, MO // house show
February 17th // Jefferson City, MO // house show
February 23rd // Kansas City, MO // house show
March 1st // Columbia, MO // Hitt Records
March 8th // Springfield, MO // Lindbergs
March 9th // Eureka Springs, AR // Chelseas
March 10th // Tulsa, OK // house show
March 11th // Norman, OK // Red Brick Bar
March 22nd // Cleveland, TN // Proudy Presents Concert Series
April 19th // Joplin, MO // house show
April 20th // Neosho, MO // house show
April 21st // Springfield, MO // First Unitarian Universalist Church
Photo credit: Amber Nichole Thiessen
