Cold War Kids Biography
The musical group Cold War Kids has a story that starts in Fullerton, California. This band is an indie rock group that takes its influences from the likes of Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Billie Holiday, Johnny Segment, and Jeff Buckley. The band includes the members Matt Aveiro on drums; Nathan Willett on guitar, piano, and lead vocals; Matt Maust on bass; and Jonnie Russell on percussion, guitar, and vocals. This is a band that started out the way that many do, and many have out of Fullerton. Jonnie Russell lived in a little shoebox apartment over a restaurant on Mulberry Street in Fullerton and this is where it all started in 2004.
When the band first came together in this little apartment, it was simply about making music, making noise with a rhythm and having fun. The four chums spent their time using whatever they could as an instrument – heat pipes, plywood walls, and weighted stomping comprised the means of their music. They would scream into tape recorders which was the only media their budget allowed at the time. All in an effort to pursue the American Dream.
They used their influences of Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan, and Billie Holiday as their map on their journey to stardom. As soon as they started they would use their rants into the tape recorder as their demos and in 2005 they signed with Monarchy Music. With this label they were able to release their first EP called Mulberry Street after their humble beginnings. The six track EP’s of Up in Rags and With Our Wallets Full soon followed and their unique and distinct sound was starting to generate some buzz in the indie rock scene.
With the buzz just beginning, they took this time in 2006 to hit the road and announce to the world that they were ready to blow the buzz full throttle. First credit tours included supporting groups such as Two Gallants, Tapes ‘n Tapes, Claps Your Hands Say Yeah, Muse, and Sound Team. They also played at Lollapaloozza in 2006 which led to unprecedented success for one band in such a short time. Their shows were now quickly selling out all over the nation, and their fan base was extending by the minute. They were also receiving notoriety through gushing reviews in Rolling Stone & Blender.
With this notoriety, the label Downtown Records expressed interest in the Kids, and they took the contract quickly, now following in the footsteps of the likes of talents such as Eagles of Death Metal and Gnarls Barkley. Following the induction of their new label, their first album Robbers & Cowards debuted in the Fall of 2006 after only a few weeks of recording. Following the release of their album, they appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman to promote the album and perform the single from this album “Hang Me Up to Dry”. This album embodied their smoky blues, raw energy, and smoldering vitality that made their live performances so popular.
The additional element that appeals to their huge fan base is how real the Cold War Kids are. Their music is written from the essence of the human journey – from hotel rooms to Laundromats – and the characters in their music show a juxtaposition of both seriousness and humorous. You will hear about a man stealing from the collection dish at church, about the little boy peering at the Grand Canyon through the window of the station wagon, or of any other everyday human experience that highlights the brink between despair and joy.
The band also plays an instrumental role in many other aspects of their marketing, with personal documentations of the band making a presence on the web and at home through Matt Maust and his constant quest for the visual aesthetic. You will also find design books coming out with each release, and the Kids take an interest in gallery shows and the artistic community. The Kids are not just musicians, but want to be part of a very active artistic community in which everyone can take a role.
In 2007, their singles “Hospital Beds” and “Hang Me Up to Dry” became favorites of their fan base with heavy bass, intricate piano sounds, and urging vocals. This year they have also been featured in a special hosted by MTV2 that was called “Cold War Kids Take Over”. They were then seen on Soccer AM, and have announced they will be opening for White Stripes for their next tour. In the meantime, they have spent the better part of 2007 playing in Festivals and at Lollapalooza, as well as singing and running the late night talk show circuit showcasing their singles and promoting their album and themselves. Many people have said, and many people will agree, that this is just the beginning. We can expect some big things coming out of the Cold War Kids.