Kurt Vile

All Music Guide:

Kurt Vile is a lo-fi indie rock singer/songwriter from Philadelphia who made his commercial recording debut in 2008 to much critical fanfare. Based in Philadelphia, Vile grew up outside the city in the nearby town of Lansdowne. His passion for music was encouraged by his father, a bluegrass aficionado who bought him a banjo. Vile eventually advanced from the banjo to other instruments, primarily guitar, and began writing songs that he would record at home. These lo-fi home recordings, often featuring drum machines and other one-man-band, lo-fi adornment, were compiled on a series of CD-Rs that Vile would release in limited editions. Meanwhile, in addition to his solo work, Vile began collaborating musically with singer/guitarist Adam Granduciel in 2003. Calling themselves the War on Drugs, Vile and Granduciel released an eponymous demo EP in 2005. Over time the War on Drugs grew to become a full-scale band, and following another self-released EP, Barrel of Batteries (2007), they made their full-length album debut with Wagonwheel Blues (2008) on the Secretly Canadian label.

Around this same time, Vile made his commercial recording debut as a solo artist with Constant Hitmaker (2008), a full-length release on the Gulcher label. Comprised of home recordings previously released on CD-R plus new material (most notably the standout studio recording "Freeway"), Constant Hitmaker was at first something of a sleeper hit in the indie rock underground. While some online publications were quick to champion it as one of the more notable albums of the year, it wasn't until 2009, when Constant Hitmaker was reissued by the Woodsist label, that Vile began garnering widespread accolades. In the midst of the acclaim, Vile released the mini-album God Is Saying This to You? on the Mexican Summer label and the Hunchback EP on Richie Records. Vile switched to premier indie label Matador for his second and third “proper” albums, 2009’s Childish Prodigy and 2011’s Smoke Ring for My Halo.

Wikipedia:

Kurt Vile (born 1980) is an American musician, best known for his solo material and as a former member of indie rock band The War on Drugs. Both in the studio and during live performances, Vile is accompanied by his backing band, The Violators, which currently includes multi-instrumentalists Jesse Trbovich and Rob Laakso, alongside Priestess drummer Vince Nudo.

Influenced by Pavement, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Tom Petty, and John Fahey, Vile began his musical career creating lo-fi home recordings with frequent collaborator Adam Granduciel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The duo subsequently formed the indie rock band The War on Drugs, with Vile departing following the release of their debut studio album, Wagonwheel Blues (2008).

Focusing on his solo career, Vile released two albums, Constant Hitmaker (2008) and God Is Saying This to You... (2009), before signing to Matador Records, in May 2009, and releasing Childish Prodigy that same year. In 2011, Vile released his fourth studio album, Smoke Ring for My Halo, which significantly increased his exposure and achieved considerable acclaim from most music publications.

In 2013, following the departure of longtime Violators bandmates Adam Granduciel (guitar) and the firing of Mike Zanghi (drums), Vile released his fifth studio album, Wakin on a Pretty Daze, to widespread critical acclaim.

Biography [edit]

Beginnings (1994-1997) [edit]

At the age of fourteen, Kurt Vile was given a banjo by his father, with Vile noting, "I kind of wished [it] was a guitar. So I'd kind of just play it like a guitar anyway. I was really into writing pretty primitive tunes, and really into recording. I pretty much knew I was going to do music [with my life] then." Vile began writing songs on the banjo, describing his first self-penned track as: "a joke song. It was a good instrumental; I knew all these chords, but then I was quoting a cartoon as the lyrics on top of it. I had seen this cartoon about Superman and Lex Luthor; it was like the back history of why Lex Luthor hated Superman. They used to be friends, and then some giant stone of kryptonite fell and it made Lex Luthor's hair fall out, and he was like, "You made all my hair fall out!" It was a really stupid cartoon, but that was my song, 'You Made All My Hair Fall Out'."

Three years later, Vile created his first "mass-produced" tape at the age of seventeen. Influenced by Pavement, Beck, (Smog) and the record label, Drag City, Vile noted, "I really thought I could be on Drag City. I really wanted that. I heard these people that made good music but it was still pretty raw, and had this real cult quality."

Whilst working on his home recordings, Vile worked as a forklift driver, from 2000 to 2002. Regarding this time in his life, Vile noted "It was a really fast-paced job, unloading trucks. Though music was my passion, I had a long way to go then and a lot to learn. I got depressed so many times by my blue-collar life, and self-conscious about the fact that I didn't go to college. I was always working super low-end jobs, being the complete opposite of what I wanted to be. But I just fell into it, and I was also sorta shy. It was definitely a pretty rough time."

The War on Drugs and Constant Hitmaker (2003-2008) [edit]

In 2003, after staying in Boston for two years, Vile moved to back to his hometown of Philadelphia, and began collaborating with musician and songwriter Adam Granduciel. The duo subsequently formed the indie rock band The War on Drugs in 2005. Regarding his friendship with Granduciel, Vile noted, "We're essentially best friends. He was backing me up in my band when he started working on his own music, so I thought I’d return the favor." Granduciel and Vile released their debut studio album, Wagonwheel Blues, in 2008 and embarked on a tour in support of its release.

At this time, Vile's debut solo album, Constant Hitmaker (2008), was released on Gulcher Records. Vile subsequently decided to leave The War on Drugs to concentrate on his solo career. In 2009, Vile noted, "The War On Drugs got put out on a bigger label first, so, in the blogosphere, some claim that The War on Drugs was my first, main band. But that’s just the way it looks. I've made more music than Adam has, and have been doing my Kurt Vile thing for a little bit longer. And Constant Hitmaker came out around that same time. Right when that [War on Drugs] record came out, I went to Europe with them, and also opened as Kurt Vile. That was right when I decided I wanted to concentrate on doing my own thing." Despite Vile's departure, Granduciel remained a member of his backing band, The Violators, with Granduciel noting, "There was never, despite what lazy journalists have assumed, any sort of falling out, or resentment."

God Is Saying This to You... and Childish Prodigy (2009-2010) [edit]

In April 2009, Mexican Summer released Vile's second album, God Is Saying This to You...; a collection of Vile's home recordings dating back to 2003. Upon its release, Vile had already recorded a studio album, Childish Prodigy, which Vile described as "definitely not as lo-fi" as his previous releases. After shopping the record to various labels, Vile signed with Matador Records in May 2009. Vile noted, "It's a perfect fit. They were my number one choice. I don't really consider my music indie rock or think that Matador cater only to indie rock, but I still feel I can relate most to Matador, more than any other label. Not to mention the fact that they are way on top of their shit."

Recorded with backing band The Violators, Childish Prodigy was released on October 6, 2009, and increased Vile's exposure significantly. Support slots with Dinosaur Jr, Thurston Moore and Fucked Up followed the album's release. Regarding his new position, Vile stated, "Obviously there's more touring, more press and more hype which I won't say is not deserved. There's like a faction of people, too, who like to talk shit, which is kind of new. When I was more independent, there were people who got really excited and there still are but once I got more press people started to comment on blogs. People like to talk shit. [...] It's like climbing a ladder. I like to climb it really slowly. I could probably get really professional right away, but I like to take baby steps and find my own way."

Smoke Ring for My Halo (2011-2012) [edit]

Vile released his fourth studio album, Smoke Ring for My Halo, in 2011 to critical acclaim. The album peaked at #154 on the Billboard Top 200 and placed highly on many end-of-year lists. Later in the year, Vile released a companion EP, So Outta Reach, and appeared on his former band The War on Drugs' second studio album, Slave Ambient. Kurt's brother paul aka the Jello-Man is a frequent caller to The Best Show on WFMU with Tom Scharpling and sells jello shots at Coachello. Shortly after the release of Smoke Ring for My Halo, longtime Violators guitarist Adam Granduciel departed from the band to fully focus on The War on Drugs, with Vile noting, "Adam, he plays in The War on Drugs, his record came out a little after mine did, so at first he toured, and now he’s obviously busy with that and now he’s working on his new record."

Wakin on a Pretty Daze (2013) [edit]

In 2012, drummer Mike Zanghi was fired from The Violators prior to recording Vile's fifth studio album, Wakin on a Pretty Daze, which was released on April 9, 2013 to critical acclaim. Regarding the current line-up of his backing band, Vile noted, "I’m playing with Jesse [Trbovich] and Rob [Laakso]. [...] Rob Laakso is the newest member and Jesse has been a member forever. They’re steady members. Our drummer is no longer with us, but other than that, different friends played drums on the record and we’re doing rehearsals with that right now. But other than that, the Violators are me, Jesse, and Rob and we’ll see how it evolves." Priestess drummer Vince Nudo subsequently joined the band on drums and percussion, after performing on two of Wakin on a Pretty Daze's tracks.

Steve Gunn will join the band as an "auxiliary Violator", during the band's May 2013 tour dates, with Vile noting, "It’s impossible to just talk about Steve. He’s too good! He’s so good; just listen to him. What can I even say about him that touches that? I just want to listen to him."

Backing band [edit]

Vile's band, 'The Violators', both live and in the studio, consists of:

Current [edit]

Touring

Former [edit]

In popular culture [edit]