“The saints come marching home, the holy ghost is on his knees, crushed by sticks and stones,” a serious-sounding John Vento sings in this gripping chorus. The song, “America (The Saints Come Marching Home)” is just the defiant rock and roll sound the rock pioneers had in mind when they created a new genre. Vento takes it even further and adds in that spirited Pennsylvanian workmanship to his interpretation of current events. In a world of extremism and destruction, Vento builds the listener up and channels the hopes and virtues of a nation’s foundation.
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Besides fronting the bands The Businessmen and Nied’s Hotel Band, Vento’s solo career has been giving fans a glimpse of an artist that has a lot of topics on his mind. His songs range from fun, to endearing to vexing. He even has a spoken word track called “Vices”. Based in Pittsburgh, a town also known for producing Rusted Root, Vento’s relentless drive and passion for music is evident in such tracks as “Rainbows & Lighting” (a Top 20 on Canada’s iTunes chart), “Baby Blues”, “Humble Way” and the Tom Waits cover “I Hope I Don’t Fall In Love With You” have helped establish Vento as one of indie music’s more gifted singer/songwriters. He’s rooted in the Americana and folk genre, but his voice is pure rock and roll. It’s not surprising he chose a Waits’ song to cover – as I was listening to Vento sing and digesting his other work, Waits kept popping up in my brain as one to compare. They have a lot in common and one of which is their strong personality injected into the song itself. They also certainly both evoke conversation with their art.
“America (The Saints Come Marching Home)” lyrically is tight. Vento sticks to his plan and the chorus, takes hold of the listener. He also describes his disdain for the working class getting the short end of the stick, and rich aristocrats putting themselves above the hungry and the poor. An enchanting female voice flows in the undercurrent, a juxtaposition to Vento’s deep voice. She moves the song along nicely and adds even more personality. When Vento includes a grumbling drum arrangement, as if an army were forming, the song continues to evolve into a war cry. His poetry in motion takes on a more serious tone, a nefarious look. When you hear him sing, he’s not happy go lucky, he’s focused. He’s philosophic and it really makes the lister evaluate things. I felt like I was walking in a museum and viewing Native American artwork. This song guided me like a soundtrack to history. You start to really think more, and it’s not nefarious sounding – it’s humbling. It’s sobering.
Vento receives high praise for the overall musicianship and messaging in “America (The Saints Come Marching Home)”. At a time that calls for more communication and unity, this is one song to cling to, to help open that door. From Vento’s point-of-view, the world and our past is watching what happens next.
Kim Muncie
