It may be relatively unusual for a band to go with a “Live at” album as their debut effort, but this was clearly a wise decision for The Workshy. They thrive as the kind of jamband that should first be appreciated live. It’s a familiar format: Live at Fillmore East, the Whiskey, Max’s Kansas City…But who needs those overblown, clichéd venues? In Des Moines we have the Vaudeville Mews, and The Workshy uses that to their advantage.

Ok, maybe overstating just a bit, but going back to the Fillmore East - or West for that matter - nearly every band that made those venues famous can be heard in The Workshy's "Live at Vaudeville Mews," and in fact are listed as influences on the band’s Myspace page. As should be expected of any good jam band, The Dead are alive and well, definitely some Phish, The Band, etc. But there are also some unexpected influences thrown in. This more than likely stems from the fact that each member of the group has their own distinct musical tastes, ranging from blues and bluegrass to Zappa, and each brings that to the table, er, stage.

Everything about this album - if it weren’t so well produced that is - seems like it could be an obscure bootleg from an equally obscure, early-70's funk/blues/rock band. Beginning with the laughingly sarcastic introduction (“You’re all gonna be on a CD. Yeah.”) delivered in the recognizable "Dazed and Confused" stoner voice, through each of the eight funked-up tracks, don’t be surprised if you find yourself smiling unwittingly. It just sounds fun. Can’t wait to listen to this when it’s 85 degrees outside (it will be 85 again someday, right?). I’ll throw it in a playlist with the aforementioned greats and listen to people try to guess where they’ve heard it before: “Didn’t these guys open for Jimi in’70?” Nope. “Nah, they were on Festival Express with Janis and The Band.” Wrong again. It’s The Workshy, and they were “Live at Vaudeville Mews.”