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Bad Veins, a breakout indie-pop band from Cincinnati, played the Echo last night in Los Angeles as they continued their Daytrotter presented tour with The Subjects. It's quite easy for me to instantly love this band since their sound has some of the same raw edginess of say Moving Units with the vocal stylings of The Strokes. However, their orchestral elements add a lot more depth to their songs which allows much more interesting arrangements and sounds.
Seeing them live for the first time was a suprise due to the fact that they only have two band members. The duo, consisting of Benjamin Davis on guitar and Sebastien Schultz on drums, had help thanks to Irene, an analog 1973 reel-to-reel tape player to recreate their lush backing elements on stage. I must say, they succeeded very well and sounded great live!
Bad Veins' self-titled debut album is out now on Dangerbird Records! - rockscope.com
ad Veins' Ben Davis suggests in the late album track called "Blanket" that he won't get scared of not getting anywhere. The underwriting for the thought involves a relationship with someone dear and perhaps there was an initial sense that it was going to turn out rosier than it currently sits here in the lazy doldrums, just whittling away, no better and no worse, but maybe it is worse because of the stagnancy. It's been eroded and that part is causing some obvious consternation. There are a lot of very precarious relationships (or just one?) contained within this very promising Cincinnati band's debut full-length and they don't stray too far from their frayed and woozy balances which keep both sides of the heart's equation looking for anything other than the nonsensical tidings that they seem to be drowning in. There is a lack of grasp on the shortcomings, or where the shortcomings come from in the interactions between these two people, who are the mellow, mellow, mellow versions of John Darnielle's classic and prolonged ruminations of the trials and more trials of his alpha couple as they slug through a marriage that seems to have had a fuzzy beginning and oddly enough, no end in site. The couple that Davis and band mate, drummer Sebastien Schultz have designed to follow may not be the same people throughout, but they all have a universal hold on key characteristics that make them able to try on and wear the others' clothing and problems with great ease. It's all very familiar feeling to the characters on "Bad Veins," as if they could walk into any conversation or tense room and find themselves nodding involuntarily, mouthing the emotions and the words as they were taking place for the first time in those other living people who didn't see them come up behind them. Davis and Schultz make epic sounds, squalling warmth and larger-than-life arrangements that show poise and energy and the perfect amount of emotiveness. There's a direct connect between the topics at hand and what they're actually doing to the characters who are riddled with them, how the slow pace of love, the hard-beating heart of love makes sure to never give away too many of the answers, but remain a stubborn cloud that may or may not just pour its guts out all over the place without any warning given. The questions and the worries that Davis sings about having seem to begin nagging from the morning and definitely into the night, chewing on him, making him suffer, even if it's ever so lightly, as his characters are embroiled in these moments of grayness and near-combustion. He makes these people feel as if they're resilient though awfully breakable at the same time. All they want out of life is the happy ending, but there are the dips and drops, the unavoidable troubles of life's refusal to cooperate properly. When Davis sings, "I cannot reap what I cannot sow/I'll never keep what I can't grow/I can't be done cause I can't begin/I don't want you to be alone again. And I don't want to be alone again," it's as close to a synopsis to the general feeling of sunsets and what they mean in both literal and figurative ways. It's this sunset hopefulness and dread that makes "Bad Veins" such a beautiful album - an honest dissection of people at the fork in the road, with eyes torn in both directions half thinking that they might go this way or that and knowing just as well that the one standing in front of them might be thinking the same thing, feeling their own eyes splitting. Hearts divert openly and in secret and that's where we are with these veins, the good ones and the bad ones. - Daytrotter
(PR) A two man indie-rock army of fuzz-filled guitars, pounding drums and swelling, orchestral arrangements, Bad Veins will bring their kaleidoscopic songs to life this summer as they tour in support of their forthcoming eponymous debut, due July 21 on Dangerbird Records.
The Cincinnati-based duo of Benjamin Davis (vocals, guitar, keys) and Sebastien Schultz (drums) will kick off their run with a performance at the Forecastle Festival in Louisville alongside The Black Keys, The Whigs and Cage the Elephant before trekking across the Midwest and East Coast with Now, Now Every Children.
They will celebrate the album's release with a hometown show at Fountain Square on July 24 and are already confirmed for Monolith Festival, taking place this September at the breathtaking Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado.
Bad Veins have experienced a flurry of activity lately, as their multi-layered orchestrations have begun to catch fire at radio. Lead single, "Gold and Warm," is receiving strong radio support and has reached #1 on all three specialty charts, beating out tracks by Grizzly Bear, The Noisettes, Jet, Jason Lytle and Green Day.
Beginning Tuesday, July 14, ABC News NOW's "Amplified," a weekly indie rock show anchored by ABC News' Dan Harris, will partner with imeem, the world's leading social music service, to exclusively stream Bad Veins' album a week ahead of release at: blogs.abcnews.com/amplified and www.imeem.com/badveins. "Amplified" launched in January 2009 and features a new show each Monday with an extended version airing at 2:30 p.m. EST on ABC News NOW. Recent guests include: Neko Case, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Bob Mould, Camera Obscura, Peter Bjorn and John, Dan Deacon, Amadou & Mariam, Andrew Bird and Bon Iver.
Known for their intricate rig of new and old school electronics, Bad Veins faithfully recreate their compositions with a bevy of inventive gear: an analog telephone-turned microphone, a mic filtered through a megaphone, but primarily with the aid of their infamous reel-to-reel tape machine lovingly dubbed "Irene," an antique player which handles up to 70 extra tracks. The band has been turning heads ever since their first performance in 2006 and were selected by CMJ as their "Breakout Act" of the 2007 edition of the annual festival. Since then, the duo's honed their skills further, playing with a diverse set of artists including Silversun Pickups, The Hold Steady, Cursive, Snowden, The Virgins, and Apples In Stereo. This fall they will hit the road with label mates Division Day with dates to be announced shortly.
BAD VEINS ON TOUR
July 10 - Louisville, Ky. @ Forecastle Festival
July 14 - Indianapolis, Ind. @ Radio Radio
July 15 - St. Louis, Mo. @ The Firebird
July 24 - Cincinnati, OH @ Fountain Square
August 1 - Pontiac, MI @ The Crofoot*
August 2 - Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo*
August 4 - Danbury, Conn. @ Heirloom Arts Theatre*
August 5 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ North Star*
August 6 - New York, N.Y. @ The Mercury Lounge*
August 7 - Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Garfield Artworks*
August 9 - Iowa City, Iowa @ Picador*
* with Now, Now Every Children
- AntiMusic.com
The self titled album from Bad Veins is one of the best records I have received all year. I was bummed after listening to it because there are no Austin dates on their calendar yet. The album overall is solid and I have nothing bad to say about it really. It is danceable, well written and sounds like it picked apart the best pieces from other great bands.
Their song “Falling Tide” sounds like Brandon Flowers (Killers vocalist) playing with Franz Ferdinand. It is hard to believe when listening to “Falling Tide” that there are only two people in the band. Ben Davis (vocals, guitar, keys) and Sebastian Schulz (drums) do an amazing job at fooling you. It is pop enough for average listeners to enjoy but with enough indie rock sensibility for even the most pretentious of hipster to love. “Gold and Warm” is what The Killers should be making in terms of music, but currently aren’t. Unlike the Killers, Bad Veins experiment with a little more sounds and have more emotional lyrics.
Songs like “This Ending”, about a relationship coming to a painful end, and “Afraid” prove emotion can still be done without being cheesy or winey. “Go Home” sounds like something out of The Arcade Fire playbook, only slightly more electronic. “Cross Eyed” has Bad Veins experimenting with the synthesizers more than any other track on the album and I loved it. It was very Cars meets The Killers. Bad Veins is easily going to be on many “best of” lists as one of the best indie albums of the year. It will be on mine for sure. The album comes out July 21st, so for now check out this video performance from Bad Veins for their song, “Falling Tide”:http://www.doublestereo.com/posts/view/2009/07/09/album-review--bad-veins--self-titled - DoubleStereo.com
he past couple of years have been quite good to Cincinnati duo, Bad Veins. They’ve played festivals like South by Southwest and CMJ, have had shows with bands like VHS or Beta and Enon, earned multiple nominations and awards at the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards, not to mention, have had a ton of coverage from a long list of online blogs and music-related magazines from all over the country. They’ve managed to accomplish all of this despite having never released a full-length album.
Well the wait is nearly over my friends. It’s merely just the beginning and the future is looking quite bright for this hometown Indie-Rock sensation. It’s going to be a big month for Bad Veins, and that is why I’ve chosen them as my “Local Artist for the Month of July.”
The duo that consists of Ben Davis and Sebastien Schultz, are finally releasing their first, full-length album, entitled Bad Veins, which will be released on Dangerbird Records on Tuesday, July 21. Fans who have been following the band around for the past couple of years should be familiar with both the music as well as the artwork. By now you already know songs like “Found”, “Gold and Warm”, “The Lie” and “Falling Tide”, as well as the rose motif that graces both the album cover and most of their equipment.
They’ve got a bunch of shows coming up over the next two months, including the free, CD release party at MidPoint’s Indie Summer on Fountain Square, Friday, July 24. They’re currently in L.A., playing tonight at the Echo, they’ll be at Louisville’s Forecastle Festival on July 10, and have a couple of shows coming up with Dead Confederate – July 14 at the “My Old Kentucky Blog” show at Indianapolis’ Radio Radio and July 15 at the Firebird in St. Louis. Over the first two weeks of August, they’ll be playing a number of shows around the midwest and northeast with Now Now Every Children.
You can also check them out on MySpace or read about their travels and adventures on their blog. - BrokenMic.com
BEST NEW BAND - BAD VEINS
Hands down, the one band that made the biggest impact to me was Bad Veins. Trust me, you will start reading about these two dudes quite a bit here on The Tripwire. With the momentum these fellas already have, I expect them to be a band to watch in 2008. By the time SXSW rolls around, they're gonna be huge. - The Tripwire
1. Bad Veins -- I've raved about them quite a bit already, but you really do need to experience this high-powered duo, which might make Strokes and Interpol fans shuffle their feet. The song that made me swoon was The Lie (on their MySpace page), but I know you'll dig Gold and Warm, too. - USA Today
Discography
LPs:
Bad Veins (self titled) , 2009 (Dangerbird Records)
Photos
Bio
Bad Veins are a rarity in today’s musical landscape: An act who didn’t set out to become critical darlings or the next “buzz” band, but managed to achieve both after only playing a handful of shows. However, despite the fact that Bad Veins’ music has been instantly embraced since their inception in late 2006, the duo of Benjamin Davis and Sebastien Schultz decided not to rush out the disc you’re currently holding in your hand. The result is Bad Veins, an album that’s unique but familiar, and not only lives up to the hype but surpasses it. Looking back, it’s hard to believe it all started out a little over two years ago in a non-descript attic in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The group was originally conceived by Davis as a solo project, yet after Bad Veins’ first gig he quickly realized he would need a collaborator—which is where drummer Schultz entered the picture. “I always loved watching Sebastien play in his old band because he is just such a dramatic drummer,” Davis reveals. “We hooked up one day and I showed him all the stuff I’d been working on. I muted the electronic percussion and let him play on top, and after the first practice these songs were way cooler than I ever imagined they could be,” he continues.
Bad Veins’ second gig was opening for Snowden, who were so impressed with the duo they instantly began singing their praises to anyone and everyone – especially in NYC. In no time, the band was performing at a showcase for the popular Manhattan-based web site Gothamist yet this was only their third show. From there, the palpable buzz surrounding the act spiraled out of control, eventually leading to five-figure grants, product endorsements and a deal with Dangerbird Records.
The immediate amorous response to Bad Veins may be directly linked to their live shows, specifically their ability to accurately replicate their luscious songs with some help from a third member: Irene. The lovingly named antique reel-to-reel player handles 50 to 70 extra tracks, allowing the dynamic duo to create their huge orchestrations the way they were intended.
A year after this duo’s first show, they found themselves at CMJ touted as “the breakout act of the event” on the Festival’s site – yet it was Davis who was taken most by surprise. Although they could have easily capitalized on the attention they were receiving, Davis and Schultz decided instead to work with the music licensing company Black Iris (who hired Davis as a freelance composer after hearing the first Bad Veins demos) and utilize the commercial company’s studios as well as expert engineers in Richmond, Virginia and Los Angeles, in order to fully realize this flawless collection of songs.
The finished album is as cerebral as it is visceral, and showcases what Bad Veins are capable of. “I’m so glad that we waited and made this record on our own terms,” says Schultz. From the military drum introduction of “Found” to the final rattle of “Go Home,” Bad Veins is a cohesive collection of songs that sounds more like a labor of love than an attempt to move units. This is especially evident with the album’s breakthrough single “Gold And Warm,” a track that unifies the best parts of the Killers and the Walkmen while retaining the band’s indie sensibility and landlocked Midwestern roots. Additionally, Bad Veins are also extremely proud that Dangerbird decided to release the album without changing a note, a fact that’s largely unprecedented but totally understandable.
That same attention to detail is applied to Bad Veins’ lyrics, which are rich in metaphor yet aren’t so ambiguous that you won’t understand what Davis is talking about. “I think there’s a common thread on the album that stems out of my personality,” he explains. “There are fears and insecurities involved in no matter what you do and I’m the kind of person who thinks about those things a lot – so they weed themselves into pretty much every song,” he continues. “I typically write about something that I’ve experienced, so they always have this woven element of my own personal demons.”
There’s no clear genre or box to stash this band into and even Bad Veins themselves aren’t exactly sure where they fit in. But, they can’t wait to start performing live and find out. “I think everyone from some indie kid in Ohio to a Williamsburg hipster can find something to latch onto with this record and enjoy it,” Schultz explains. “I don’t feel badly because we don’t fit in anywhere,” he continues, admitting that even if it ended tomorrow, Bad Veins have already accomplished more than they ever imagined. “If we can spend this next year on the road and see the world by playing the music we want to play, then we’ve already succeeded.”
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