Bad Veins
Encyclopedia
Bad Veins is an indie rock duo from Cincinnati, Ohio
, composed of Benjamin Davis and Sebastien Schultz. Davis primarily writes the music, plays guitar and keyboard, and sings, while also recording backtracking music on a reel-to-reel tape player, nicknamed Irene. Schultz plays the drums. Davis also uses a megaphone
and telephone to sing into, producing a unique sound.
The band is known for dressing in vintage military clothing when performing––Davis' jacket belonging to his father who served in Vietnam
. Army green and a rose design, similar to their debut album cover, were a visual staple when touring for the album.
In 2008, Bad Veins won the first ever Target Music Maker Award at the Tribeca Film Festival
.
Their self-titled debut album was released on July 21, 2009. The first single off the album was "Gold and Warm," which was used on Good Morning America
’s "Your Three Words" segment on February 27, 2010. Dan Harris, an ABC News
correspondent, named the debut the 7th best album of 2009 on ABC’s Amplified blog, calling it "criminally overlooked" and "utterly fantastic." The USA Today
blog Pop Candy named the last track on the album, "Go Home" one of the Top 20 Songs of 2009.
Bad Veins has garnered considerable praise in the blog scene. A post on Radio Free Chicago discussed the band's new EP, titled Outliers, which came out on June 15, 2010, and described the duo's stage dynamic: "At the end of the day, Bad Veins is one of the midwest's most talented bands, regardless. They're one of the most passionate and energetic drummers I've ever seen and Davis is a talented composer and singer to say the least. After seeing Davis play a number of solo shows, I can attest to the fact that the slight distortion used on his voice is not to mask any weakness but instead is a deliberate affect used by Davis to suit the songs. Without the stage tricks that Bad Veins is gaining notoriety for, Davis could be a great folk musician, and a number of moments on Outliers showcase just that."
Acts the band have frequently played with or toured with, include Frightened Rabbit
; We Were Promised Jetpacks
; The Dig
; Two Door Cinema Club
; As Tall As Lions
; We Are Scientists
; LoveLikeFire
; The Subjects; Kevin Devine
; Lightning Love
; Maps & Atlases; Thrice
and You, You're Awesome;
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, composed of Benjamin Davis and Sebastien Schultz. Davis primarily writes the music, plays guitar and keyboard, and sings, while also recording backtracking music on a reel-to-reel tape player, nicknamed Irene. Schultz plays the drums. Davis also uses a megaphone
Megaphone
A megaphone, speaking-trumpet, bullhorn, blowhorn, or loud hailer is a portable, usually hand-held, cone-shaped horn used to amplify a person’s voice or other sounds towards a targeted direction. This is accomplished by channelling the sound through the megaphone, which also serves to match the...
and telephone to sing into, producing a unique sound.
The band is known for dressing in vintage military clothing when performing––Davis' jacket belonging to his father who served in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. Army green and a rose design, similar to their debut album cover, were a visual staple when touring for the album.
In 2008, Bad Veins won the first ever Target Music Maker Award at the Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
.
Their self-titled debut album was released on July 21, 2009. The first single off the album was "Gold and Warm," which was used on Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
’s "Your Three Words" segment on February 27, 2010. Dan Harris, an ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
correspondent, named the debut the 7th best album of 2009 on ABC’s Amplified blog, calling it "criminally overlooked" and "utterly fantastic." The USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
blog Pop Candy named the last track on the album, "Go Home" one of the Top 20 Songs of 2009.
Bad Veins has garnered considerable praise in the blog scene. A post on Radio Free Chicago discussed the band's new EP, titled Outliers, which came out on June 15, 2010, and described the duo's stage dynamic: "At the end of the day, Bad Veins is one of the midwest's most talented bands, regardless. They're one of the most passionate and energetic drummers I've ever seen and Davis is a talented composer and singer to say the least. After seeing Davis play a number of solo shows, I can attest to the fact that the slight distortion used on his voice is not to mask any weakness but instead is a deliberate affect used by Davis to suit the songs. Without the stage tricks that Bad Veins is gaining notoriety for, Davis could be a great folk musician, and a number of moments on Outliers showcase just that."
Acts the band have frequently played with or toured with, include Frightened Rabbit
Frightened Rabbit
Frightened Rabbit are a Scottish indie rock band from Selkirk, formed in 2003. The lineup consists of lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and lyricist Scott Hutchison, guitarist and bassist Billy Kennedy, guitarist Andy Monaghan, drummer Grant Hutchison and guitarist and keyboardist Gordon Skene...
; We Were Promised Jetpacks
We Were Promised Jetpacks
We Were Promised Jetpacks is an indie rock band from Edinburgh, Scotland, comprising Adam Thompson , Michael Palmer , Sean Smith and Darren Lackie...
; The Dig
The Dig
The Dig is a graphical adventure game developed by LucasArts and released in 1995, and a game based on an idea for an Amazing Stories episode by Steven Spielberg...
; Two Door Cinema Club
Two Door Cinema Club
Two Door Cinema Club are an indie rock band from Bangor and Donaghadee, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed in 2007, the band is composed of band members: Sam Halliday , Alex Trimble and Kevin Baird...
; As Tall As Lions
As Tall as Lions
As Tall as Lions was an Indie Rock band from Long Island, New York.- History :High school friends Dan Nigro , Saen Fitzgerald , Brian Fortune and Cliff Sarcona founded the band in December 2001 as they were looking to continue the momentum of a previous project.- Blood and Aphorisms :"Blood and...
; We Are Scientists
We Are Scientists
We Are Scientists is a New York-based indie rock band that formed in Berkeley, California in 2000. Originally formed of Keith Murray on drums, Chris Cain playing bass guitar and Scott Lamb providing vocals and guitar, before Michael Tapper became drummer and Keith became vocalist and guitarist...
; LoveLikeFire
LoveLikeFire
LoveLikeFire is a San Francisco-based indie rock band. The group was formed in 2006 and whilst an unsigned artist they independently released two EPs, Bed of Gold and An Ocean in the Air , as well as mounted a self-organized national tour to promote the latter release...
; The Subjects; Kevin Devine
Kevin Devine
Kevin Devine is an American songwriter and musician from Brooklyn, New York, who is known for alternately introspective and political lyrics and melodic acoustic guitar songs...
; Lightning Love
Lightning love (band)
Lightning Love is an indie pop band based in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. With keyboard and vocals by Leah Diehl, Ben Collins on Guitar, and Aaron Diehl on drums. Their sound is up-beat and minimal, contrasted by lyrics that often express isolation and self-consciousness.-Formation...
; Maps & Atlases; Thrice
Thrice
Thrice is an American rock band from Irvine, California, formed in 1998. The group was founded by guitarist/vocalist Dustin Kensrue and guitarist Teppei Teranishi while they were in high school....
and You, You're Awesome;