Rails To Russia

The story behind this band isn't easy to put together— not because it's particularly complicated, but because they haven't really been paying attention. When asked what their name means, the answers seem to be as convoluted as the journey that brought them here. Perhaps that's the way they wanted it.

What is for sure is that for the last few years, these four New Yorkers have been turning knobs and tweaking levels, cutting tape and rearranging; they've been borrowing amps, stealing strings, selling guitars, sweet-talking producers; they've been changing names, debating lyrics and making a lot of noise, both in their Williamsburg practice space and in the bars and clubs that litter the less desirable neighborhoods of the Northeast. And, true to form, they've been writing like maniacs. The first incarnation of Rails to Russia seems to have started in 2004 with a mutual love of the Pixies and the tail end of a nervous breakdown. Travis had just left his trash punk outfit the Danglers, and Eytan, emerging from a summer of bipolar confusion that lead him to fear he might be a prophet, was putting together a new band after making a demo with some friends from OKGO and Morningwood.

The following months found them tooling around with members of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Fischerspooner while they looked to finalize their lineup. The resulting demos became known as The Spies EP. By the time they had cemented Mike on guitar and Bryan on drums, it was clear that the chemistry and commitment of the group had spawned a new, cohesive animal, and Rails to Russia was born.

Fate placed The Spies EP in the hands of renowned producer Jeff Saltzman (The Killers, The Sounds) who offered in the summer of 2007 to produce some of their new material on spec because, as he told Eytan and Mike "You pussies sing like fucking angels". The result was The Automatic Age EP, mixed by Claudius Mittendorfer (Muse, Interpol, Franz Ferdinand), a brief but poignant sample of the stylish, sexy art rock that comes from their combination of gritty pop panache and brooding operatics. Now as it branches out, the band continues to garner interest in the New York City scene and beyond. Their national television debut on Fox's "Fearless Music" will air this September. Armed with new recordings and a cache of great songs, there's no telling where fortune will take them from here. If they're still not paying attention along the way, others will be doing it for them.