At this point there is really nothing one can say about Vampire Weekend that hasn’t already been said before. Their mesmerizing blend of afro-pop and punk have been the subjects of innumerable blogs and news stories since the release of their self-titled debut album. As is the case in our present culture of ADD-music criticism, the inevitable backlash occurred almost as soon as the hype reached a fever pitch.
As much as the bloggers who leave comments on Stereogum would like to ignore Vampire Weekend, the band’s live shows have proved emphatically that they will be around for a while. The propulsive, frenetic tracks on the record take on a new life on stage compliments of a band that has never sounded tighter. Singer Ezra Koenig’s vocals pierced the Tennessee night like a knife and the crowd sang along to almost every word in a fitting kick start to the festival.
I’d been trying to procure an interview with Vampire Weekend for the last 7 months. Their debut record sits atop our Best of 2008 list and I haven’t responded so passionately to an album since The Strokes Is This It. So imagine my excitement when I saw singer/guitarist Ezra Koenig and keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij mingling around the press tent. They were both in a hurry to prepare for their set, but kindly took the time to answer some questions about touring with The Walkmen, how they’ve stayed grounded throughout this entire process, and how they will approach their sophomore album.
Grooveshark: How have you enjoyed Bonnaroo so far?
Koenig: Well, we just got here so we haven’t really had a chance to get the vibe yet.
Grooveshark I know you interned at Marcata [a studio created by The Walkmen] right?
Koenig: Yeah very briefly.
Grooveshark: And then toured with The Walkmen, how was that experience knowing
them and having your first major tour with them?
Koenig: The reason I wanted to intern at Marcata so much was because I was such a fan of their record. I think we’re all fans of The Walkmen and they’ve influenced us in certain ways. But yeah,to get the chance to open up for a band you’ve liked so much is pretty cool.
Grooveshark: You guys ascended in popularity really quickly and this has gotta be a dream for a lot of bands. Has there been any part of that process you didn’t like?
Batmanglij: I don’t know…I guess you get bitten by the hand that fed you eventually. Whatever…you just can’t take it too seriously.
Grooveshark: How do you stay grounded with all that stuff happening?
Batmanglij: Drugs? God? Upstairs? I don’t know.
Koenig: I don’t think we’re the type of people to take ourselves too seriously. Our day to day life has barely changed. A year ago, or a little less than a year ago we were touring in a Minivan. Now we’re touring in a slightly bigger van and we have people to work with, but you know we’re still playing shows that have gotten bigger and better but we’re kind of doing the same things always.
Grooveshark: Do you guys feel any pressure for the second record? Have you been writing?
Koenig: Yeah we’re slowly working on it.
Batmanglij: I think we’re more excited than anything else.
Koenig: The only pressure we put on is from ourselves. I don’t think it
will be a process different from the first record.
Postscript: Vampire Weekend debuted a new song during their set later that night. It featured Batmanglij prominently on keyboards and had more of an almost ambient/electronica feel than their past releases. It sounded absolutely wonderful and the crowd legitimately seemed to enjoy it.
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