KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS IN CONCERT:
Kurt Vile is the shy guy at the eye of a swirling hurricane of beautiful sonic textures. With his hypnotic fingerpicked guitar melodies and mumbled, cryptic lyrics, Vile lays the dark and earthy groundwork of the group’s sound in concert. His backing band the Violators take the folk-inspired tunes into the stratosphere with lush, spiraling guitars, driving drum patterns, and melodic basslines as each song builds to a climatic conclusion that envelops the listener. Ticket buyers can’t help but get swept up in the warm washes of folk, indie, and psychedelia that Kurt Vile and the Violators consistently deliver in performance.
BACKGROUND SNAPSHOT:
Kurt Vile (born in Lansdowne, PA in 1980) began his musical journey when his father gave him a banjo at age 14, though he soon switched to guitar to begin recording demos. His career picked up in 2003 when he met Adam Granduciel and formed The War on Drugs, a project that remained his primary focus until the release of the band's 2008 debut Wagonwheel Blues. With his own music calling, Vile left The War on Drugs during the ensuing tour to focus on his solo career, releasing his debut album Constant Hitmaker later in 2008. He inked a deal with Matador for the 2009 follow-up album Childish Prodigy and gained exposure by touring with high-profile labelmates like Dinosaur Jr. and Thurston Moore. His third solo offering Smoke Ring for My Halo arrived in 2011 and signaled a major commercial and critical breakthrough for the singer/songwriter as publications like Pitchfork, Mojo, and Uncut ranked it as one of the best albums of the year. Kurt Vile and the Violators continue to work on their fifth album while perpetually thrilling live audiences with their increasingly sophisticated songs and superlative sonics. Over the course of his career, Kurt Vile has played at famed venues like the Old National Centre in Indianapolis or Webster Hall in New York City.
