The Cold War Kids, powered by their signature tune ‘Hang Me Up To Dry’ off their stellar debut release Robbers & Cowards from 2006, have cemented themselves as a premier indie rock outfit.
The five-piece have released four subsequent records since they emerged into the scene, growing insanely popular with each new full-length piece of wax that they’ve produced.
This year saw the arrival of Hold My Home, a charming 11-track record that features hit single ‘All This Could Be Yours’, which will see the band land their feet back on Aussie soil a part of the Falls Festival lineup, as well as slew of sideshows.
The band hail from Long Beach, a place not often cited as an overly sought-out musical destination in the US, however this a very diverse scene emanating from the South Cali city.
From the likes of hiphop legends Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg and Warren G to notorious punkers Sublime, as well as indie rockers like the rising Avi Buffalo, it’s fair to say Long Beach reps a pretty strong music game.
In anticipation of their forthcoming tour, we had a chat to the vocalist, guitarist and keys extraordinaire Nathan Willett, the multifaceted artist talking of his home town of Long Beach, California, detailing his favourite musical things one can do whilst in the chilled, coastal city.
Score Some Fresh Wax At Fingerprints Record Store
“We used to have friends that worked there, we went in there all the time we played there a bunch, it was a really important place for the band at the beginning.”
Hosting live music for up-and-coming as well as revered artists, this is a one-stop-shop for both live music and vinyl.
Check-Out The Hottest Live Music Venues In Town
“Kay Ser Rah, it’s great, it’s this tiny, tiny club.”
“Lecture’s Bar. We would see our friends band’s play there and we would play there and it was really central to where everyone lived, it was kind of like an old punk bar that everybody loved.”
“There’s this pizza place called Di Piazza’s that was really cool, I remember seeing Jonathan Richmond, that had a real lasting effect on me.”
Dig Long Beach’s Famed Tiny Recording Studio, Tackyland
“We recorded a tonne our first few EPs in our friend Matt Wignall’s garage in Long Beach, that place is called Tackyland, it’s a fabulous place.
It was our first experience in a studio and it was very informal, he would teach us how to do things so he could go mow the lawns, he’d teach us to hit record and what to do, made it easy. He would get amazing sounds out of that place. Tijuana Panthers recorded there, Ikey who was playing Jack White’s band who just passed away, Ikey’s band would record there, everyone we knew had recorded there at some point.”
Buskerfest, The Raddest Concept For A Festival Ever
“There’s a busking festival every year that we played one time that’s really cool. It’s where all the local bands can play, and they collect tickets and the people who get the most tickets get to go on and play with the headliner, the year we played we headlined and it was fun.”
Get To Know The Local Bands
“Havalina, they were kind of before our time. Our friends Tijuana Panthers, The Growlers the Standard Garden and Cherry Glazer, all these Burger Records bands, a lot of people come from Long Beach.”
Cold War Kids Australia 2014/15 Tour
28th December 2014 to 1st January 2015 in Lorne, VIC (est. 1993) 18+ *sold out
29th December 2014 to 1st January 2015 in Marion Bay, TAS (est. 2003) All ages
30th December 2014 to 3rd January 2015 in Byron Bay, NSW (est. 2013) 18+ event
5th January, The Hi-Fi, Melbourne
6th January, The Hi-Fi, Sydney
For tickets and info visit www.xiiitouring.com
