The Ex-Bombers Drop New Vinyl, Promo Vid and Hit Denver on Tour
The Ex-Bombers are an indie-rock powerhouse from Illinois that hit Denver on August 1. They recently dropped a new vinyl record and promo video to go along with it, and Colorado Music Buzz caught up with the hard-working duo to get the latest.
CMB: Tell us about the process of making the video and album.
SW: (Scott Walus – 8 string bass / vocals) : Like most things about us, the video requires some context and a story. We record and mix onto open reel and then only release our music on vinyl without a digital component. This is maddening for most people, but most of the albums that we love took a few listens to make their way into our hearts, and our LP “The Tightwire” is no exception to this. So for the first two years of this band, we booked every show just through the people we knew and the people they knew, and so a phone call or email would work. At some point our friends in Thunderunderus were getting us on a bill and the booker demanded some kind of sample. I offered to mail off an LP, but they didn’t have a turntable, so Chris from Thunderunderus told me “Just get anything online, I don’t care if it’s a video of the record.” We channeled our inner Warhol, decided to do a one-shot long take video of us doing what people do online every day. They look at the band, sample a couple songs, and read a couple sentences. We actually mic’ed speakers on the first one so if you listen really carefully you can hear footsteps and cards falling. I like the idea of a video of a record because the video is so obviously a copy or a cheap simulation versus the artifact of a record. Plus it’s way more gratifying to do some kind of aesthetic-driven video than to have mp3s posted on some site.
KC: (Keri Cousins – Drums / vocals) : Just on a personal note, I am the absolute worst doing these videos. Scott is all composed and I just dork out. I’m always amazed at how well they turn out.
CMB: What are your summer plans?
SW: Every summer comes and every summer we have grandiose plans. This one, we spent a month working on our next LP “Five Star Night.” We’ll be done tracking in the next week or so. It’s the odd stage of overdubs where we do stuff like track down Hammond organs, calibrate theremins, and try to remember how to finger a flute. Then we spend the rest of the summer touring, getting records into stores, doing press, and repairing the stuff we’ve neglected throughout the winter and spring like our weathered espresso machine.
KC: I would have liked to tour more but we had some odd timing with having to record our sophomore album this summer. Maybe next year we’ll try and schedule it so that we record over January/February and not during prime show months!
CMB: How does Denver compare to other markets you’ve been through?
SW: We’re from a forgotten college town called Charleston, IL and there’s this excellent community of artists and musicians because there’s really nothing else around. Denver is the metropolis version of this. It’s a desolate drive through a good chunk of Kansas to get there, but once we arrive, we always find a community of really inviting individuals doing really interesting things with music, art, and media. Add to this an absence of ego, some really great late night eating, and people who are still willing to have a few drinks while watching a band, and you’ve got the great city of Denver.
KC: It’s a shame that Denver isn’t closer to Illinois because if it were we would play there all the time! There seem to be a few towns in every Midwest state that are exceptionally welcoming of indie musicians and Denver is definitely one of them.
CMB: Where can we find your music online?
SW: Only in the aforementioned promotional videos, but we would absolutely love to mail you a record that would make friends with your turntable. Our LP and 7 inch anti-single are available through Cavetone Records and they will ship anywhere, and of course at the Sidewinder Tavern on August 1.
Online: facebook.com/theexbombers
Category: What's Up?
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