Vintage Trouble was in the midst of a weekly residency at Harvelle’s Blues Club in Santa Monica, Calif., when a member of Doc McGhee’s management team saw them and insisted his boss see them, too. The legendary KISS manager signed them on the spot.
When The Who‘s Roger Daltrey needed a band to play a benefit party a year or so ago, McGhee booked Vintage Trouble. Now, the Los Angeles four-piece is opening for the Brits on what was originally planned to be “An Evening With” The Who.
“Roger just fell in love with them,” CAA agent Matthew Morgan told Pollstar.
It isn’t hard to see why.
Singer Ty Taylor, with a voice most often compared to Otis Redding, is a fireball of energy – a recent performance on “Late Night With David Letterman” ended with Taylor bolting into the audience and climbing chairs, to his host’s amusement.
Fans of the Black Keys, Gary Clark Jr., and Alabama Shakes, Vintage Trouble combines retro R&B with edgier blues rock for an irresistible combination coupled with a dizzying performance. Morgan described fans as “grabbing at them like they were The Beatles” after one of their opening sets on the Who tour.
“It feels like they are creating true fans and a true following that isn’t going to go anywhere anytime soon,” Morgan said. “One thing about this band: I never, ever, ever have to apologize for how their live performance is.
“They’ve opened for Metallica and Bon Jovi in Europe, and the fans just went nuts – and that says a lot. You couldn’t ask for two more different groups, or types of fans. But it’s just insane.”
Vintage Trouble is entertaining offers from more than 25 festivals for summer, Morgan said, and looking at more opening slots with artists like the Dave Matthews Band where they can also book late-night club dates in select markets. And there will be headlining tours in March and again in fall.