With the live music world slowly returning to normal after over a year of dormancy, few up-and-coming acts have returned as hungry as Vintage Pistol.

The Fayetteville, AR-based electro-jam funk quintet has been steadily climbing the festival lineups since its formation in 2014. It’s with that experience of having their live music dreams derailed that Vintage Pistol returns to decry caution in the band’s latest single, “Be Careful”.

“Be Careful”, premiering exclusively today, May 25th, via Live For Live Music, arrives like a breath of fresh air in a stuffy apartment from the opening synth notes. Between lead guitarist Walt Blythe and fellow ax man Taylor Smith backing him up, the guitar intro is reminiscent of a Jerry Garcia envelope filter from many a deep dive into “Fire On The Mountain” or “Estimated Prophet”.

Though the allusion to their predecessors may be there, “Be Careful” and Vintage Pistol are wholly original. With such strong instrumentation from the whole group—which also features Garrett August (keyboards), Jonny Morden (bass), and Jake Schaffer (drums)—one wouldn’t blame Vintage Pistol for taking a relaxed approach to lyrical content. Instead, lyricists Blythe and Smith attempt to convey an actual message through their lyrics, “Be Careful” included. The entire package, from the insightful lyrics to inspired instrumentation, rings of a certain respect for the listener that is needed throughout the jam scene.

“This song is a hybrid. It’s one we’ve had in our arsenal for a minute but it never truly felt ‘finished,'” August told Live For Live Music. “Once the pandemic hit and our everyday touring lives were drastically changed, it opened our eyes to the notion that you only get one chance to chase a dream; one chance to live. So why take caution? Why be careful? When we started the recording session, we started kicking around ideas for a chorus, and with time being on ‘pause’ for us, it was enough to help spark the idea to add an element to the song that wasn’t there before and finish it.”

Check out the new single, “Be Careful”, from Vintage Pistol, available via the player below. Follow the band on social media for news on future releases and any updates to an already-packed tour schedule, which includes appearances at Summer Camp Music Festival, Mountain Music Festival, SpaceBerry, and more this summer and fall.

Vintage Pistol – “Be Careful”