Bill Mallonee and the Vigilantes of Love

Last night BB and I went to Davey’s Ramblers Uptown Club to see Bill Mallonne and the Vigilantes of Love. It was the perfect setting; the bar was a dive. Davey’s was covered in old posters, broken records, bumper stickers, and antlers above the stage. The room was dark except for a few neon lights above the bar, the one yellow spot light above the stage and the Jesus candles (the kind you find in the Mexican/catholic section of your local grocery store next to the bulk-size salsa) on Bill's merch table. The room was maybe 25 feet wide by 100 feet long with about 40 or so people in attendance. Bill and his band were at the back end in a sort of makeshift stage with uneven ceilings, wood paneling, antlers, and a women’s and men’s room on either side.

Bill announced he just turned 50. I tried to picture my dad just three years older as a musician touring the country playing to a small but loyal fanbase. (I guess he does that every morning in Sunday School.) The two other guys playing with him looked even older. The band was not concerned about their image as I think they realized they will probably never make it big and be on the cover of Rolling Stone. Nor do their fans care; it is the music that keeps me coming back. Bill was playing an acoustic guitar and harmonica, the bass player had a five string fretless and the other guy was playing a lap steel guitar and mandolin. It was definitely an americana, alt-county evening.

I said Davey’s was the perfect setting and I believe it is because of the atmosphere and the people. I have seen Bill play in Christian coffeehouses- too clean, too crisp, no smells, clean air, everybody nice. But his music is not like that. His music is like the dirt under your fingernails. He is a great wordsmith and he tells great stories through his songs. His music even quieted down a group of rowdy guys who were having fun with their fake Scottish accents, sitting in a booth near the front door. Soon they were all turned around and applauded every song. His songs are an honest look at people and their need for redemption. They are an honest look at himself and his need for redemption. There is always an element of hope, but it is not packaged up in a nice three point sermon, rather it is the candle’s dim glow of Jesus in that dark, smokey place.

There was a line he sang that resonated off the walls and stuck with me through the night:

what if it's for a purpose
what if we used our battered faith
they say God He doesn't make junk
and Jesus never makes mistakes
He has never given up
on anything that He has made
He will chase you like a lover
right through heaven's gate