On the Water is the folk side project of Da Comrade!’s guitarist/vocalist Fletcher T. VanVliet. With the help from friends, he creates achy, timeless tales with the heartfelt need to sing and blended rasp of Tom Waits and Bob Dylan. Tracks like “Cat” and “The Mind Killer Litany Against Fear” demand their very own meditative listening moments while “Tumor” evolves into the rowdy punkish spirit of bands like Brooklyn’s O’death and local favorite sons Man Man. Stephen Landis’ violin touches create moody accents lifting the intensity on each track that he appears on. On the Water is a project that may be deserved of being more than just something on the side.
Fletcher T. VanVliet and friends will be performing tonight at the Greenline Café.
– Q.D. Tran