Category Archives: Where the Boom Bands Are

by Curt Whitacre | July 19, 2010

Where the Boom Bands Are: Maps & Atlases

It’s a very special thing when an opening act is actually able to cut through the mindless chatter and eager anticipation at a club and unexpectedly connect with an audience, but Shiraz Dada (bass), Dave Davison (guitar/vocals), Erin Elders (guitar), and Chris Hainey (drums) won over more than a few new fans that evening. I spent some time with the band after the show, put their You and Me and the Mountain EP into heavy rotation on my turntable, and eagerly awaited their Barsuk Records-released debut LP, Perch Patchwork. Continue reading →

Where the Boom Bands Are: Blake Mills

But this post isn’t about Dawes. No, this post is about Blake Mills, former member of the pre-Dawes outfit Simon Dawes. Blake’s been busy enough in recent years that he should’ve popped up on my radar before now: stints supporting Band of Horses, Jenny Lewis, Julian Casablancas, and Cass McCombs have honed the dude’s song-writing sensibilities to something damn near perfection. Continue reading →

Where the Boom Bands Are: Vampire Weekend

While Vampire Weekend’s debut has given music critics across the country reason to dust off their Graceland references, their sound is anything but derivative. Playing to a sold-out crowd in Cincinnati in mid-February, the band ably demonstrated that their live chops definitely do justice to their polished debut album. While some of the album’s more lush arrangements, particularly those featuring cello, violin, and viola, have been distilled into keyboard riffs for their live performances, Vampire Weekend remains a vibrant, percussive force. Continue reading →