Call me crazy but after I received my copy of Bad Veins' album last month, my desire to see them was so overwhelming that I decided to check their tour schedule and trek from Chicago to their nearest show to me as soon as possible. That "nearest show" ended up being in the not-so-near-at-all metropolis of Indianapolis. Four hours away. This isn't completely out of the ordinary for me - I've driven from Chicago to Lansing, Michigan at four in the morning to interview Kevin Devine. But I suppose driving four hours to see an artist you've held dear for years is slightly different than driving an equal distance to see a band you've only just discovered. Nevertheless, on July 14th, I did just that and it was worth every moment.
Opening up for Dead Confederate at Radio Radio, Bad Veins took the stage with their flower box, telephone and reel to reel, Irene. I wasn't sure what to expect form the show, not having read up on Bad Veins' live performances beforehand, and, to be honest, I did not for a moment think they would successfully recreate their full, orchestrated sound live. I interviewed Sebastien Shultz and Benjamin Davis after the show and told them that I was expecting something in between the stripped down acoustics of their Daytrotter session and the lush noise of their album. That, however, was far off base.
Opening with the stellar first track on their album, Found, and closing out the The Lie, Bad Veins' half hour set was nothing less than magnificent. Bringing more energy than two people should, lead singer Benjamin Davis utilizes all of the Bad Veins gadgegts while remaining incredibly charismatic and Sebastien Shultz killed it on drums like I've seen few drummers do. Anyone who's read my entries on Bad Veins before knows that I've fallen head over heels in love with their album and hearing many of the tracks done so flawlessly in the nicest venue outside of Chicago I've ever got the chance to go to was thoroughly enjoyable.
There was something refreshingly intimate about the whole evening, a feeling brought on by the welcoming atmosphere Bad Veins produced for the "girl that came here all the way from Chicago" coupled with the anononymity of a bar where I was a one hundred pecent stranger and Radio Radio's striking resemblance to Schuba's.
Additionally, interviewing Bad Veins was great for a number of reasons - First off, my last interview went epically bad and recovering from that was professionally satisfying. Also, per Bad Veins management, I was allotted a 20 minute time frame for my interview and prepared accordingly. However, from start to finish, I ended up sticking around the band for 8 hours, making a trip to Steak and Shake and snagging a couple beers in the green room. And Benjamin Davis and Sebastien Schultz are the exact type of guys I'd wanna be friends with. As anyone who deals with the music industry knows, spend a month catering to musicians and you'll meet your fair share of douchebags. Benjamin and Sebastien, however, were promptly added to my list of "If only every guy in the music industry was this nice, my job would be easier" soon after meeting them. Smart, talented and possessing a dry wit, my evening with the Bad Veins gentleman is going to set the bar just that much higher for my next night on the job.
Bad Veins album comes out on Dangerbird Records this Tuesday and the band will be back in Chicago on July 31st at the Abbey with Now Now Every Children which means that, for at least the next few weeks, The Hot Half Life is indeed going to be Bad Veins central. As for my interview with the guys, that will be up soon before their July 31st show over on my new home, Radio Free Chicago!
Until all of that, check out their myspace and stream a few tracks from their amazing debut and enjoy a stripped down version of Found from their first Daytrotter session.
Bad Veins - Found (Live at Daytrotter)
Opening with the stellar first track on their album, Found, and closing out the The Lie, Bad Veins' half hour set was nothing less than magnificent. Bringing more energy than two people should, lead singer Benjamin Davis utilizes all of the Bad Veins gadgegts while remaining incredibly charismatic and Sebastien Shultz killed it on drums like I've seen few drummers do. Anyone who's read my entries on Bad Veins before knows that I've fallen head over heels in love with their album and hearing many of the tracks done so flawlessly in the nicest venue outside of Chicago I've ever got the chance to go to was thoroughly enjoyable.
There was something refreshingly intimate about the whole evening, a feeling brought on by the welcoming atmosphere Bad Veins produced for the "girl that came here all the way from Chicago" coupled with the anononymity of a bar where I was a one hundred pecent stranger and Radio Radio's striking resemblance to Schuba's.
Additionally, interviewing Bad Veins was great for a number of reasons - First off, my last interview went epically bad and recovering from that was professionally satisfying. Also, per Bad Veins management, I was allotted a 20 minute time frame for my interview and prepared accordingly. However, from start to finish, I ended up sticking around the band for 8 hours, making a trip to Steak and Shake and snagging a couple beers in the green room. And Benjamin Davis and Sebastien Schultz are the exact type of guys I'd wanna be friends with. As anyone who deals with the music industry knows, spend a month catering to musicians and you'll meet your fair share of douchebags. Benjamin and Sebastien, however, were promptly added to my list of "If only every guy in the music industry was this nice, my job would be easier" soon after meeting them. Smart, talented and possessing a dry wit, my evening with the Bad Veins gentleman is going to set the bar just that much higher for my next night on the job.
Bad Veins album comes out on Dangerbird Records this Tuesday and the band will be back in Chicago on July 31st at the Abbey with Now Now Every Children which means that, for at least the next few weeks, The Hot Half Life is indeed going to be Bad Veins central. As for my interview with the guys, that will be up soon before their July 31st show over on my new home, Radio Free Chicago!
Until all of that, check out their myspace and stream a few tracks from their amazing debut and enjoy a stripped down version of Found from their first Daytrotter session.
Bad Veins - Found (Live at Daytrotter)
