Driving a van from Austin, Texas to every major city for a short stay may seem like a chore to most people.
For Milton Mapes, an alternative-country quintet hailing from Austin, Texas, the pleasure is all theirs.
The tour van is making a stop at the Mohawk Place this Tuesday night. It's an unfamiliar venue for Mapes, as it is their first trip to Western New York.
"It is a great way to see the country, making music for different audiences every night," said Greg Vanderpool, vocalist, guitarist, organist, banjo and harmonica player of the touring process. "It's refreshing because we've been at home in Austin for so long. It is good to be out on the road."
The band is currently touring in support of "The Blacklight Trap" with Grand Champeen.
"It's an album you listen to from front to back," said Vanderpool. "It's one of those sit-down-and-listen albums."
The story of Milton Mapes begins in the heart of Texas, where Vanderpool and Roberto Sanchez began as a duo. Sanchez is the band's drummer, percussionist, and harmony vocalist.
Vanderpool and Sanchez teamed up and played alongside one another for a while, not fully committed to the band, but with a sustained interest in pursuing their music.
In the course of the last five years, the two musicians have juggled other band members here and there, but for the past 18 months, Britton Beisenherz, Cliff Brown Jr. and Jim Fredley have remained committed.
"Roberto Sanchez and I started playing as a duo. We played together in a couple of bands," Vanderpool said. "Over the last three years we've put out three records, and we have different people come in and out. This group has been together about a year and a half, and all of our previous records are a documentation of all the pieces coming together. This record ("The Blacklight Trap") represents us as a band."
The band's style is unique in comparison to the typical country album because the music contains an alternative twist. Inspired by artists such as Neil Young and U2, Vanderpool's perspective on music is unavoidably intriguing.
"We're into music imagery, creating sonic landscapes and finding ways to put songs into landscapes," Vanderpool said. "Our strongest point is the dynamics and contrast, having big moments on stage, where everything is going on all at once, then bringing them back down."
Beisenherz is Mapes's bass guitarist and pianist, Cliff Brown Jr. plays the organ, keys, piano, electric guitars and sings harmony vocals. Fredley plays guitars and mandolin as well as sings harmony vocals. The band displays quite a wide variety of talents with only 50 fingers.
The album features nine tracks that summarize the band's experience as musicians, and incorporate the "sonic landscapes" through their lyrics and musical language.
Milton Mapes will be performing all of these elements for Buffalo this week, promising a set list that should last an hour.
"We definitely try to bring more sounds and songs to the stage, it should be a good night of music and fun, but it will be a good rock show," Vanderpool said.
Fellow alt-country groups Grand Champeen and Two Cow Garage are both making their second stop to Buffalo inside of a year, where they've picked up a few fans.
"The most rewarding shows are the ones where the fans actually know the words and are singing along with the band, it feels good," said Vanderpool.
Making its way to the colder region comes a good chance to experience some southern culture.
