Vampire Weekend's drummer, Chris Tomson, has stepped out of his comfort zone and into the spotlight.
Turns out, it's not that bad.
After the Grammy Award-winning rock band took a much-needed break from the "Modern Vampires of the City" tour in 2014, Tomson took a few steps away from the drum set to hit center stage as frontman of his solo project, Dams of the West.
The simple difference between the two may sound a little hokey, he said, but it's true.
"Honestly, the weirdest thing is standing up," Tomson said, laughing. "When I'm singing, I usually stay in place, but then there's those moments when I'm not singing and I'm stumbling around in the moment. The whole performance stuff is what I'm still figuring out."
Sitting behind Vampire frontman Ezra Koenig for a decade can do that to a drummer. (The funny thing is, Tomson was originally slated to be the guitarist, alongside Koenig.)
Tomson's Dams of the West will open for Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears at 9 p.m., Thursday, April 13 at the Fox Theatre in support of his debut solo album, "Youngish American," released in February.
Chris Tomson of Vampire Weekend, at right, will bring his solo project, Dams of the West, to the Fox Theatre in Boulder on Thursday, April 13. Also pictured left to right is Chris Baio, Rostam Batmanglij and Ezra Koenig. (Alex John Beck / Courtesy photo)
Tomson, as the music press has incessantly disclosed, is the last member of Vampire Weekend to embark on a solo project. But no matter how long it took, Tomson now has a shiny new solo album that sings with a lighthearted approach to the anxieties of aging, adulthood, married life and self-worth.
"I think any pressure that I had to produce an album was definitely self-imposed," Tomson said. "I don't think the marketplace was necessarily clamoring and saying, 'What is this other Vampire Weekend guy going to do?'"
Tomson said he approached this album not so much as an album, per se, but as a life objective. He wanted to see if he was capable of writing interesting and worthwhile songs. If he was, should he release them to the world?
What transpired is an album of conversational prose balanced with his brand of indie rock. The brand sounds quite familiar. Although Vampire Weekend's complex and purist approach (the members met at Columbia University, if that offers any insight) is a bit distant from the raw garage whimsy of Dams of the West.
Nonetheless, he's definitely from Vampire Weekend.
"Any time you are known for one role in particular, it's hard to break out of that or to create a new role for yourself," he said. "It took me a while, but I feel like I got there and the album was the result."
He said most of Vampire Weekend's writing was crafted by Koenig or the band's former multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij. However, there is that one fantastic anthem in that one famous song about that one familiar girl, Johanna, that Tomson wrote.
"Most of my stuff for Vampire Weekend has been fairly rhythmic. There are a few specific cases, the most notable of which being the 'hey, hey, heys' in 'A-Punk.' That was all me," Tomson said, laughing.
Vampire Weekend has been a sonic and work-ethic influence for Tomson in creating Dams of the West.
"I learned a lot from those guys," said Tomson. "By seeing the choices they make and ultimately holding dear to their underlying philosophy of: Don't phone anything in. Don't phone a lyric line in, don't phone an instrumental part in. Everything should be beautiful. I think that's why a lot of people have responded well to Vampire Weekend. That's not just a good driving principle in music, but in life, too."
Chris Tomson, drummer for Vampire Weekend, will bring his side project Dams of the West to the Fox Theatre in Boulder on Thursday. (Emily Tomson / Courtesy photo)
Played every instrument on album
"Youngish American" was produced by Patrick Carney, drummer of the Black Keys, and Tomson said he brought an overall calming presence to the creation of the album. Plus, Carney's general attitude of "Lived it" didn't hurt either, Tomson said.
"My thought mode is to overthink," said Tomson. "Sometimes I'll be left with paralysis for no particularly good reason, other than overthinking. Pat, to his eternal credit, at a number of points would say, 'Let's just do it.' He'd just make things happen."
Tomson said the fact that they were both drummers in big bands put the pair at a commonality, creating cohesiveness from the start.
Other than a few orchestral string instruments, Tomson said he played every instrument on "Youngish American." He knows his way around a rock band. Drums, though, are probably his favorite, he said.
"There's something just really super fun about playing the drums," Tomson said. "Just the act of hitting and smashing and stuff."
Although Vampire Weekend has yet to play in Boulder (hint, hint), Tomson said he was in town not too long ago for a wedding.
"I did sign up for a one-day membership of your bike system. Which was delightful," he said of exploring the town via B-cycle.
Tomson said Dams of the West's bassist, Karen Kanan Corra (of Futurebrite) grew up outside of Denver, so she's very excited to come back to play the Fox Theatre.
Tomson's future with Vampire Weekend is "not a dead end with me by any stretch," but if song inspiration strikes again, he'd love to pursue Dams of the West on the side.
"I'm very proud of the album I made and I'm finding it very exciting to tour and create videos," he said. His wife Emily Tomson directed a couple videos. "The only reason I wouldn't continue with the project is if I felt like I couldn't write any more good songs. But the album's theme and the idea of aging is really a wealthy topic. Aging never gets old."
Figuratively.
"I don't know if anyone ever actually feels grown up, you know?" Tomson said. "There's always some part of you that feels like a kid, even if it's at eternally different ages."
And on his somewhat waggish approach to dealing with being 30-something on "Youngish American," he said: "I hope it comes across more like 'The Big Lebowski' and less like slapstick comedy."
Vampire Weekend's drummer Chris Tomson talked about why he chose Dams of the West as the name for his solo project:
"My legal name, Chris Tomson, is a fine name, but it wasn't really evocative of anything," Tomson said. "There's a few layers behind the name, but the main one, the inception being, I read a debate about actual dams in the Western United States. Some people thought dams had outlived their usefulness and should be torn down to let the rivers run free. And some were saying that the dams just needed a little work to fulfill the role that they were built for."
He added: "As a straight, white man writing, generally speaking, rock'n'roll songs," he felt a certain camaraderie with the concept. "It's this infrastructure from the middle of the country that's kind of crumbling, but also still worth it at some levels."
Christy Fantz: 303-473-1107, fantz@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/fantzypants
Read more here:
Newfangled frontman: Vampire Weekend's Chris Tomson plays Boulder - Boulder Daily Camera
- The face of a 500-year-old vampire with a brick between her teeth - Metro.co.uk - March 24th, 2024
- Scientists recreate face of 16th-century vampire buried with brick inside mouth - WION - March 24th, 2024
- Montreal daily apologizes following backlash over Netanyahu vampire cartoon - The Times of Israel - March 24th, 2024
- This Major Aspect of 'Interview with the Vampire' Makes It Better Than the Movie - Collider - March 24th, 2024
- Stare Into the Screen Not the Sun: Vampire Weekend to Livestream Special Solar Eclipse Show - Rolling Stone - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Dormitory Anime Cast to Cover Every Little Thing Song for Ending Theme - Crunchyroll - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend will livestream Austin eclipse show - Brooklyn Vegan - March 24th, 2024
- 10 Essential 80s Vampire Movies You Might Have Missed - Flickering Myth - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend, Slightly Stoopid, Portugal. The Man, and more shows announced at Dillon Amphitheater (so far) - Summit Daily - March 24th, 2024
- 'Interview With the Vampire': Meet the Real Armand With Assad Zaman (VIDEO) - TV Insider - March 24th, 2024
- Xbox Game Pass gets cowboy vampire-slayer classic today, just in time for weekend - ReadWrite - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend Tease Punky, Jammy New Offshoot With An Imaginary Backstory - Stereogum - March 24th, 2024
- The GLAAD Wrap: Trailers for The Acolyte and Interview with the Vampire, New Music from Xana, Anglica Garcia ... - GLAAD - March 24th, 2024
- Interview With the Vampire Season 2 Will Unlock Deeply Hidden Memories - Gizmodo - March 24th, 2024
- Netanyahu caricatured as vampire in Canadian newspaper: 'Every Jew understands the meaning' - Ynetnews - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend tease a new offshoot project with an "imaginary back story" - NME - March 24th, 2024
- Scientists Reconstruct Face Of 16th Century 'Vampire Woman' Buried With Brick In Mouth - Study Finds - March 24th, 2024
- Here's a haunting, beautiful Interview With The Vampire season 2 trailer - The A.V. Club - March 24th, 2024
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Most Important Moment Features One Word - Den of Geek - March 24th, 2024
- TV Shows Like 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' That'll Suck You In - The Lineup - March 24th, 2024
- Remember When Pedro Pascal Was on Buffy the Vampire Slayer? - Remezcla - March 24th, 2024
- Interview With The Vampire Season 2 Goes Bigger Than Ever, See The Extended Look Into Fan-Favorite Series Return - Giant Freakin Robot - March 24th, 2024
- Fury Over Antisemitic Canadian Newspaper Cartoon Depicting Netanyahu as Blood-Sucking Vampire - Algemeiner - March 24th, 2024
- INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE: Memory Is The Monster In Stunning Extended Season 2 Trailer INTERVIEW WITH ... - CBM (Comic Book Movie) - March 24th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire Season 2 Extended Look: Memory Is Monster - Bleeding Cool News - March 24th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire trailer season 2 trailer is brimming with queer lust and the return of Lestat - Gay Times Magazine - March 24th, 2024
- Everything we're obsessed with in the new 'Interview With the Vampire' trailer - Pride.com - March 24th, 2024
- Pedro Pascal Was Saved By Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Giant Freakin Robot - March 24th, 2024
- AMC reveals an extended look at Interview with the Vampire Season 2 - Claire and Jamie - March 24th, 2024
- "Interview with the Vampire" Season 2 Trailer Previews the Return of AMC's Anne Rice Series on May 12 - Bloody Disgusting - March 24th, 2024
- Scream directors explain how their new vampire horror movie fits into the Universal Monsters universe, and share ... - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- 'Blood Hunt' Connecting Cover Holds the Line Against the Vampire Armies - Marvel.com - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Therapist - Official Distortions Trailer - IGN - March 16th, 2024
- How Mel Brooks and Twilight inspired a vampire visual novel mixing funny with therapy - Rock Paper Shotgun - March 16th, 2024
- Game Theory: Yes, please, bring on the Vampire Survivors clones - The A.V. Club - March 16th, 2024
- Son 'stabs dead his mum he believed was a vampire biting him at night' - Metro.co.uk - March 16th, 2024
- Man accused of killing mother in Siletz believed she was a vampire - KOIN.com - March 16th, 2024
- 11 Best Songs of the Week: Ride, Vampire Weekend, Drahla, Waxahatchee, and More - Under the Radar Mag - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend Give Upbeat History Lesson About Cruelty Through the Ages on New Song Classical - Rolling Stone - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Therapist - Counsel the undead and help them rest in peace - ReadWrite - March 16th, 2024
- Watch: Vampire Weekend Share Classical, Third Preview Single from 'Only God Was Above Us' - Relix - March 16th, 2024
- Oregon man claims mom was vampire before he's alleged to have killed her - Toronto Sun - March 16th, 2024
- Court docs: Man accused of killing elderly mother in Siletz believed she was a vampire - Fox 12 Oregon - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend present the orchestral single, "Classical" - The Line of Best Fit - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend releases new song & video from upcoming album, 'Only God Was Above' 105.7 The Point - 105.7 The Point - March 16th, 2024
- The 'Vampire Survivors' soundtrack is coming to vinyl this month - NME - March 16th, 2024
- Blood Hunters #2 introduces an all-new vampire hunter and shows what happens when vampires drink the Hulk's blood - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire survival game V Rising sinks its teeth into a full-blooded 1.0 release this May - Rock Paper Shotgun - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend have released a new album cut, 'Classical' - Dork Magazine - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Survival Game V Rising Is Leaving Early Access On May 8th - MMORPG.com - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Therapist Releases New Distortions Trailer - Bleeding Cool News - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Survival Game V Rising Launches Into 1.0 This May Before It Hits PS5 Later This Year - Game Informer - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend glance at the cruelty of history on Classical - Beats Per Minute - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Horror Abigail Is 'Very R-Rated', Says Tyler Gillett: 'We Want The Blood To Stick To You' - Empire - March 16th, 2024
- After 2 years, this vampire anime based on one of our favorite manga is getting the second season it deserves - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- Man brutally kills mother, believing she is a vampire - The News International - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Survivors is the next Nintendo Switch Online Game Trial in Europe - Nintendo Everything - March 16th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire stars tease "fierce" and "feisty" season 2 - Gay Times Magazine - March 16th, 2024
- New action RPG combines the best of Diablo and Vampire Survivors - PCGamesN - March 16th, 2024
- 'Your vampire ball is over' Putin to Western elites - azrbaycan24 - March 16th, 2024
- 8 Interview With The Vampire Book Moments We Can't Wait To See In Season 2 - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- Inside Ukraines terrifying Vampire drones unit striking fear into Russian troops who liken them to chi... - The Sun - March 8th, 2024
- Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 will let you become a super vampire by drinking vamp blood, taking their ... - PC Gamer - March 8th, 2024
- 'Vampire' grave over 300-years-old that lies on Liverpool's edge - Liverpool Echo - March 8th, 2024
- Meet the Bloodcoven, the extra-creepy vampire villains of Marvel's Blood Hunt event - Gamesradar - March 8th, 2024
- The Vampire Diaries: Every Main Characters Age At The Start Of The Show To The End - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- 'Vampire Facials' at Spa Linked to HIV Infections - Medpage Today - March 8th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend launches 'Vampire Campfire' podcast 105.7 The Point - 105.7 The Point - March 8th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire Season 2 premiere date confirmed (get the details) - Claire and Jamie - March 8th, 2024
- Skyrim remake of 24-year-old Vampire RPG shows off its modern London level, and the guns are way less janky than I ... - PC Gamer - March 8th, 2024
- Ancient Origins of the Vampire Squid - Deep-Sea News - March 8th, 2024
- 2024 Canadian Screen Awards: BLACKBERRY, HUMANIST VAMPIRE, And INFINITY POOL Rack up Massive Nominations - ScreenAnarchy - March 8th, 2024
- Vampire Breast Lift 101: Everything to Know About the Trending Treatment - NewBeauty Magazine - March 8th, 2024
- Luke Perry and the Untold History of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' - Vanity Fair - March 8th, 2024
- Rose Byrne Wore The Vampire's Wife To The Roundabout Theatre Company's 2024 Gala - Red Carpet Fashion Awards - March 8th, 2024
- Candice King to Reunite With 'Vampire Diaries' Creator Julie Plec On New Series 'We Were Liars' - Just Jared - March 8th, 2024
- Marvel thinks Dracula & Morbius aren't enough of a threat for the Avengers, so they've created a vampire supergroup - Popverse - March 8th, 2024
- Learn about the Brujah's playing style in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 - Gaming Trend - March 8th, 2024
- Mike Gordon Adds Headlining Shows Ahead Of Tour With Vampire Weekend - Live for Live Music - March 8th, 2024
- This Is Still 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Most Underrated Season - Collider - March 8th, 2024
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero