Be sure to tune in from 4-6pm every Sunday afternoon for KRLX Radio’s Bandemonium. Bandemonium is a KRLX exclusive 2 hour special where DJs focus on one artist, band, or genre. This week is Vampire Weekend with Bobby Volpendesta.
Why did you choose this artist for Bandemonium?
They’re my second favorite band behind Talking Heads, and with the release of their third album last year, they’ve proven themselves to be much more than the niche band many people (understandably) took them as. There’s a lot of depth with this band that the average “passerby” wouldn’t expect.
What is your favorite story/tidbit about Vampire Weekend?
The lead singer, Ezra Koenig, had a blog that he stopped updating shortly before they became famous. There’s a post in there where he talks about how “[he], Chris, Chris, and Rostam just started a band called Vampire Weekend” or something along those lines. It’s a bit chilling how, at this point in time, he and the rest of the band had no idea how far they’d go. I think there are only eleven or so comments on that blog post, so it’s one of those little things that no one really knows about, I suppose.
What is your favorite song?
Flerp. All of them? A-Punk is one that I’ve been musically analyzing quite a bit lately. It doesn’t matter that it’s their most popular song– it’s fresh, and flows so well despite how unassuming it sounds at first. But yeesh… I love Finger Back, Hannah Hunt, M79, Run, Diplomat’s Son, Obvious Bicycle… I could keep going. So yeah, all of them. I may or may not have cried a little during Walcott the last time I saw them.
Can you give some basic background about the band?
They formed in 2006 at Columbia University, and self-recorded and self-produced their first album. They were all working full-time when they “made it.” Ezra was a middle school teacher, and kids would put gum on his seat and whatnot. Wow. It’s also interesting to note that they are an early example of the now-common trend of bands becoming popular solely through blogosphere-rooted self-promotion.
Tell us why you love DJing on KRLX Radio.
I love turning on songs that sit well together, and giving anyone a chance to see (hear?) a smorgasbord of good music.