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The Future Store

by Vegas With Randolph

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Includes digital pre-order of The Future Store. You get 6 tracks now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released.
    digital album releases April 29, 2024
    item ships out within 90 days

      $14 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Includes digital pre-order of The Future Store. You get 6 tracks now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released.
    digital album releases April 29, 2024
    item ships out within 90 days

      $20 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    "The Future Store" plus all Four Previous VWR CD's!!

    Includes digital pre-order of The Future Store. You get 6 tracks now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released.
    digital album releases April 29, 2024
    item ships out on or around May 1, 2024

      $29 USD or more 

     

1.
What If? 03:41
lyrics
WHAT IF? words & music by John Ratts & Eric Kern, intro by Brock Harris Who can say what the future holds No one can No one knows I couldn’t tell you if our time will come Or what tomorrow brings for anyone I’ll turn the tables Hand it back to you Can you tell me what dreams might come true If you could look into a crystal ball Read the tea leaves and then tell us all What if, What if I found you and you wanted me And I wanted you And we were meant to be What if I could lift the veil and see Our destiny Throw the bones Read my palm Please tell me Tell me more than just wait and see Wishing wells behind hidden doors Fortune tellers know I’m wishing for What if, What if I found you and you wanted me And I wanted you And we were meant to be What if I could lift the veil and see Our destiny
2.
N.S.A.
3.
Give In To Love
4.
A Pretty Good Run 04:12
lyrics
A PRETTY GOOD RUN (Kern/Ratts) Well these days were not half bad They only made me halfway sad And I've got half a mind to tell you it's ok But the bus is pulling out So I suppose I’ll be en-route Before the sun comes up on your pretty good day It only took us half a lifetime to feel pretty far away So I’m texting you to say… It was a pretty good run It was a pretty good ride You looked pretty good with the sun sparkling in your eyes And I’m completely dismayed Pretty sorry to say It was a pretty good run baby I miss you already Well we shared some pretty good times And we shared some pretty similar pain I’ve got a pretty good mind to hold tightly to your pretty frame I’m more than halfway at a loss At how this world makes fools of us With every roadblock we construct in our own way So Im calling you to tell you if I’ve nothing else to say I’m so glad I saw your face It was a pretty good run It was a pretty good ride You looked pretty good with the sun sparkling in your eyes And I’m completely dismayed Pretty sorry to say It was a pretty good run baby I'll miss you always Was it our mistakes or a mix of fate and taking us for granted That found me on a west bound greyhound letting go of you? It was a pretty good run It was a pretty good ride You looked pretty good with the sun sparkling in your eyes And I’m completely dismayed Pretty sorry to say It was a pretty good run baby I’ll miss you always I'll miss you always
5.
Don't Stop Your Love
6.
I Feel Great 03:18
lyrics
buy track
I FEEL GREAT (Kern, Burton, Ratts) we made a promise long ago we would never wind up strangers (we should be) lying in love's afterglow not all swept up in life's changes now that we've locked it all away was it not enough to fall apart? you broke my heartbreak now that we've finally turned the page would you please just go away i've got nothing left to say it's over and it's okay another monday afternoon another hour for feeling grateful another waxing gibbous moon to refortify the faithful now that we've locked it all away was it not enough to fall apart? you broke my heartbreak now that we've finally turned the page would you please just go away i've got nothing else to say it's over and i feel great you don't have to listen to me sing this song you don't have to be my friend you don't have to tell me anything at all baby, this is the end now that we've locked it all away was it not enough to fall apart? you broke my heartbreak now that we've finally turned the page would you please just go away i've got one last thing to say it's over and i feel great it's ok, i feel great i feel great
7.
Howl At The Moon
8.
Triple Play: Saturday
9.
Triple Play: Best Day
10.
Triple Play: Rock Beside Me
11.
Triple Play: Heartsick
12.
Triple Play: Days & Days
13.
Triple Play: Wheels Of Love
14.
Triple Play: Every Time
15.
Lake Paradise
16.
Shake The Cage
17.
Show Me How
18.
I'll Be Waiting For You 04:03
lyrics
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I'LL BE WAITING FOR YOU (Ratts, Kern) Lizzie, you're so pretty that i'm standing on a corner waiting on a wish for some weather made to order staring at the clouds hanging in a clear blue sky i don't wonder why i'm sure everyone knows why love comes and goes whenever you walk by a little rain is good to wake up people that are sleeping i will wait for you and a promise is for keeping all i really need is just the chance to never say goodbye i do wonder if you'll be walking my way and what would you say to a shared moment with me i'll be waiting for you when the rain comes down i'll be waiting for you when the sun comes out blue skies or black, umbrella in my hand i'll hang around like the moon like an empty vase next to flowers in bloom i'll be waiting for you standing on the sidewalk pulling petals 'til you get here umbrellas are for sharing we can squeeze in tight together looking up i can't see any white in a clear blue sky still i know soon youre going to drift into view with clouds forming on cue, and i'll be waiting for you i'll be waiting for you when the rain comes down i'll be waiting for you when the sun comes out blue skies or black, umbrella in my hand i'll hang around like the moon like an empty vase next to flowers in bloom i'll be waiting for you
19.
I Can't Walk Away 03:31
lyrics
I CAN'T WALK AWAY (Kern, Ratts) Man, it's really dark tonight there are clouds in every passerby there's no cold like winter rain i feel a chill in everything and i can't hold out that long when everything is gone it doesn't take a cyclone and i wonder how i came so far to feel so lame i could live or check out any day but i can't walk away from this pointless joke i choke on everyday i'm too far gone, just let me lay so you missed the boat again waiting for what might have been did it cost you everything to be hoping and imagining? and she never will compare to castles in the air to your residential deep domestic nightmare and i couldn't help but hear you've begun to disappear man, we all could use a way right out of here... and i can't walk away from this losing game the cards are stacked to play it's "just your luck" i heard her say no i can't walk away from this sinking ship i watched you sail away i'm too far gone, just let me lay...
20.
Heartsick Reprise
21.
Bonus Track: I Got A Name 03:17
lyrics
Like the pine trees lining the winding road I got a name, I got a name Like the singing bird and the croaking toad I got a name, I got a name And I carry it with me like my daddy did But I'm living the dream that he kept hid Moving me down the highway Rolling me down the highway Moving ahead so life won't pass me by Like the north wind whistling down the sky I've got a song, I've got a song Like the whippoorwill and the baby's cry I've got a song, I've got a song And I carry it with me and I sing it loud If it gets me nowhere, I'll go there proud Moving me down the highway Rolling me down the highway Moving ahead so life won't pass me by And I'm gonna go there free Like the fool I am and I'll always be I've got a dream, I've got a dream They can change their minds but they can't change me I've got a dream, I've got a dream Well, I know I can share it if you want me to If you're going my way, I'll go with you Moving me down the highway Rolling me down the highway Moving ahead so life won't pass me by Moving me down the highway Rolling me down the highway Moving ahead so life won't pass me by

about

"THE FUTURE STORE" LINER NOTES - By Mike Lidskin

Hello, fellow Vegas With Randolph fan. We last met in the Above The Blue album liner notes, and I’m glad we’re both back to celebrate this fifth installment of the VWR catalog, The Future Store. On previous albums, fellow writers have noted that the album they wrote notes for was the best Vegas With Randolph album to date. I now get to make that claim. It’s true–The Future Store is the finest Vegas With Randolph album yet!

With this album, the band comes off of their longest interval between albums. Much has transpired between 2018 and 2024. The loss of beloved bassist Dan Aylestock. A global pandemic, which affected musicians and their audiences. And of course, a lot of life has happened in six years. The big question on everybody’s mind: How will Vegas With Randolph respond?

The answer: Fast and furious out of the gate, with a sense of urgency. The core team of John Ratts, Eric Kern, Brock Harris, and Dave Purol are making up for lost time. This album is a rocker. It starts off powerfully with hard rocking drums and guitar riffs, and doesn’t slow down or let up until over 50 minutes later, when the introspective track, I Can’t Walk Away, closes the “regulation” portion of the album, before taking a tribute song encore.

Along the way, you’re going to experience a tour de force of songwriting and performance. For the most part, the songs alternate between John’s and Eric’s compositions, with the writer taking lead vocals on each of their songs. Since there are three guitarists in the band, you’re going to be treated to some great six string fireworks. Eric, a keyboardist/guitarist, has now also picked up bass duties and did a splendid job. Notably, there is one final track that features Dan Aylestock’s bass playing: Give In To Love. Oh–and don’t worry–the patented soaring vocals and harmonies are front and center on this record. That's always been Vegas With Randolph’s secret weapon-those harmonies.

But what would a VWR album be without a few special guests? And boy, these guys always know who to invite. Hillary Burton (honeychain, Nushu) and Ken Stringfellow (The Posies) help out in back-to-back tracks, a killer one-two punch of songwriting and vocals. Also, a really cool thing happened. Phil Kenzie, the man responsible for the legendary saxophone solo on Al Stewart’s Year of the Cat, plays a sax lead on “Don’t Stop Your Love.” It’s stellar–it plays more like a guitar lead.

A Vegas With Randolph feature I’ve always loved returns to this album: a medley of seven short original songs, this time entitled Triple Play. It takes you through several moods, some upbeat, some more reflective, but ending on an optimistic note with glorious poetic metaphors and music to match.

Usually, there’s a standout track or three that capture my attention on an album. So which tracks made me jump out of my seat on The Future Store? All 21 of them! I refuse to pick a favorite this time around, because they all are equally strong and worthy of your attention. Any one of them will sound great on my radio show, and they will all get their chance. This album is upbeat and largely positive. In some songs, the guys are hopeless romantics, in others, they are hopeful romantics. The breakup songs are mature. No hard feelings, just a realization that it’s time to move on with your life. Even the kiss-off song, I Feel Great, with Hillary Burton, helps you to understand that sometimes a little self-care is needed after an ended relationship, and you’ll be better off once you reach the other side.

And finally, I alluded to an encore at the end of the album. After the album’s most reflective song, I Can’t Walk Away, there’s a brief but gorgeous string and piano instrumental, Heartsick Reprise. A bit of a palate cleanser, and then onto the bonus track, a surprise cover of I Got A Name, perhaps my favorite Jim Croce song. VWR gives it a rock treatment, while still respecting the uplifting vibe. It’s always risky taking on a song of such magnitude, but the guys did it right. This tribute adds to the original. I can’t think of another band I’d trust with this classic. The original always got me in the gut, and this one does too. Chills. A glorious finale.

I’m lucky, because I don’t have to try to encourage you to get this album. You’ve already got it. We both know what happens now. Put it on, and enjoy the next 56 minutes. You deserve this album.

Mike Lidskin
Woody Radio
Sacramento, California

credits

releases April 29, 2024

All Songs Written, Recorded & Mixed by Vegas With Randolph
except "I Got A Name" written by Norman Gimbel & Charles Fox
and "I Feel Great" written by Kern/Burton/Ratts and "Howl At The Moon" written by Ratts/Stringfellow/Kern
Mastered by Steve Turnidge at UltraViolet Studios, Seattle

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about

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Vegas With Randolph Washington, D.C.

Vegas With Randolph’s music has been called “ebullient, unabashed power pop”, “thinking man's party music,” and “blissful pop songwriting at its finest” and their music has been compared to Fastball, Sloan, and Fountains of Wayne.

VWR is currently working on tracks for a fifth CD - look for this release in late 2023! VWR includes John Ratts, Eric Kern, Brock Harris, and David Purol. ... more

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