Roy Jurgens on June 24th, 2019

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Although most recently from Austin, having formed his band in San Diego and currently living in Oslo, Norway, Matthew Logan Vasquez is an Angeleno, whether he likes it or not. The City of Angels has a way of bleeding into your DNA so that you’re never really allowed to leave, and that was evident in the crowd that showed up for his show Saturday night at the Moroccan Lounge. Vasquez, the co-founder of the critically -lauded Delta Spirit, as well as member of “supergroups” Glorietta and Middle Brother, treated old friends and fans to two sets of music — one acoustic, one electric — with the odd brilliance of fellow Austinite Walker Lukens doing much the same.

The setlist went from the poignant (“Oslo” from his latest album, “Light’n Up” and Delta Spirit’s “Vivian” from their 2010 album “History From Below”) to the raucous (“Trailer Park” and “Vacation,” also from his new album). His stellar band was adept at motoring Vasquez through his emotional journey, skillfully matching his ebb and flow. While Delta Spirit is more along the line of your classic indie-rock band, Vasquez’s solo work ventures outside the indie realm, traveling through Americana, electro-pop, R&B and even some proper Texas two-step. All that aside, his true magic lies in his earnestness. He is charming and disarming, in possession of a voice that simultaneously soothes you and tugs at your heartstrings. You’ll be smiling as you cry. It’s a rare quality, his timbre a sandpapered ache with a hint of underlying joy that fucks with your feelings. It’s a punch to the core accompanied with a soothing hug, a high five and a shot of mescal.

While Vasquez has been touring behind his third solo LP “Lightn’ Up,” it’s been five years since Delta Spirit has seen the stage. While they’ve never officially split, the members are now spread across the globe, all pursuing their own lives, making a full return a bit more distant with each day. Family health concerns had Vasquez transplant his family to Norway earlier this year, leaving an empty house back in Texas. With the wife and offspring safely ensconced in Scandinavia, Vasquez went back to work tracking the album in his Wimberley home (just southeast of Austin proper) that may have been housing a ghost or two. What appeared was a vulnerable audible diary that felt and sounded like a man in motion and emotion.

Vasquez is in the midst of a 25-date tour, finishing up in Austin July 5th.

||| Watch: The video for “Trailer Park”

||| Also: Stream “Light’n Up” in its entirety