Lauris Vidal has been touting the one-man-ness of his act for years now, but his whole performance — complete with mini-drum kit he plays with his feet — is really hitting on all cylinders lately. The Ormond Beach-native is forever on tour, and he returns on Valentine's Day with a show at one of the most un-Valentine-like places in Tampa, The Hub.
He is bearing a present, however, and it comes in the form of a brand new song —"Hey Oh."
[jump]"I recorded it with wunderkind Carl Cadwell of the Chattanooga supergroup Summer Dregs," Vidal, 36, told CL in a message, "I played all instruments & will play it one man band live. This is an un-produced version and will be re-recorded on a new album."
The track clocks in at just under three minutes, and is driven by a sparse ukulele riff that gets colored with the subtle tap of a tambourine, kick drums, and warm slide guitar. It's all coated in Vidal's joyous screaming, which finds him prophesying about crying skies, floods of hope, and despair drowning on the killing floor. Basically, it's everything that anyone would love about him.
Vidal plays The Hub (719 N. Franklin St. in downtown Tampa) on Fri., Feb. 14. Gainesville-based singer-songwriter Devon Stuart is also on the bill. There is no cover, and the show starts at 10 p.m.
Have a listen to the track below, then listen to another new song "Prisoneer" via Soundcloud.