on the heels of the release of the Bamboo You EP.
The EP is available in two ways:
Out NOW for FREE on the Vulture Whale Site
and in stores on January 19th through Skybucket Records.
The Bamboo You EP is taking CMJ Radio 200 by storm
coming in #13 most added last week!
God Save Vulture Whale!
January 2010 Vulture Whale Tour Dates
Jan 21 - Hi Tone - Memphis, TN
Jan 22 - White Water Tavern - Little Rock, AK
Jan 23 - Basement - Nashville, TN
Jan 28 - Caledonia - Athens, GA
Jan 29 - Hummingbird - Macon, GA
Jan 30 - Bottletree - Birmingham, AL
Aquarium Drunkard premiered the first track from Bamboo You, "The Pipe" -
Check it out HERE!
"Birmingham’s (Alabama, that is) Vulture Whale just released Bamboo You, a very tongue-in-cheek, free, EP sung in faux British accents."- Aquarium Drunkard
Who Else Loves Vulture Whale
PopMatters
“There is a gaping hole in rock music between mindless dude rock and what gets foolishly called "literate" rock, and that murky in-between can be a pretty freeing ocean to swim through. Which is exactly what Vulture Whale does. This is a band that knows that the real spectacle of rock and roll is found in playing the music with all of its unruly sound and energy. When your songs are this good, and when they clatter along pushing against their tight and brilliant structures at every turn, well then you don't need light shows or pyrotechnics. You also don't need Pynchon references or 50-cent words. “
Heartonastick
“their latest record (that would be Vulture Whale) is one of the most consistently enjoyable (records) I've heard this year."
Goldmine
"...when Vulture Whale opens its mouth, it emits a fiery sonic blaze."
Spin Magazine
"Spellbinding frontman Wes McDonald gives his wild-eyed tales a real sizzle, spitting tortured emotions in a funky sneer, offering insults ("You look good for a woman your age") and existential reflection ("I've 'bout tried everything but dying and being quiet") with the same itchy angst. The dude could use a sympathetic ear (or a tranquilizer)."
Power of Pop
"Vulture Whale have perfected a formula here of quirky lyrics matched by a punk rock energy on top of the easy melodic, rockabilly hooks. Buy this album, draw the curtains, lock the doors, and air-guitar away as you bounce on your bed."
Static
"The album is rough and raw, but that's the nature of their music. It has that kind of an edge to it... the new Vulture Whale would make an excellent road trip soundtrack."
The Fire Note
"The quartet make no mistakes that this is a no frills straight forward rock record that has catchy melodies, in your face guitar and pounding drums that all combine for a good time and an incentive to come back for more.... If you are looking for a new group that may be slightly off the radar but bring that quality live bar band sound to record then Vulture Whale will fit nicely into your collection!"
Pop Culture Press
"There is a new sound brewing in the Old South. Birmingham, Alabama. Vulture Whale is angular power pop just as indebted to the vibes of black-leather-jacketed Tom Verlaine and Lou Reed as they are to their Dixie homeland."
All Music Guide
"...an entertaining collection of rock songs..."
Erasing Clouds
"...pure rock and roll goodness where rockabilly, classic Southern rock, and indie rock live together in a secretive polygamist marriage."
Hybrid Magazine
"Really great indie rock from Wes McDonald. Kinda like Polak run-up with Dinosaur Jr."
After playing together in Wes McDonald & the Fizz, Lester Nuby (of Verbena), Keelan Parrish, Jake Waitzman, and the band’s fearless leader, Wes McDonald, decided to convert the power structure of the group from a monarchy into a true democracy. Legend has it the band settled on its new name after guitarist Nuby dreamed of a vulture sitting on top of a guitar, eating a whale. Out of such fevered visions, Vulture Whale was born. The group hails from Birmingham, Alabama, where in 2007 it released its first self-titled album. So pleased was the band with its debut statement, it decided to release another self-titled album in 2009. “Sugar,” a single from the later self-titled album, was featured in an issue of Spin Magazine, and both albums were acclaimed both in America and abroad.
For its current release, an EP entitled “Bamboo You,” Vulture Whale has risen like a phoenix from its own ashes and—through a complex ritual involving consumption of Golden Flake potato chips and Vegemite—morphed into the best American band pretending to be a British band influenced by American music since Guided By Voices. The concept for the project is not exactly new: Mick Jagger sang in an American accent on numerous Rolling Stones albums, and The Kinks interpreted Americana on their classic “Muswell Hillbillies” album. On “Bamboo You,” Vulture Whale combines its unique brand of eccentric rock with its love of British music. The result is six songs that are among some of the best and most inspired of any in the Vulture Whale catalog. Throughout “Bamboo You,” McDonald—whose lyrics are always somehow both humorous and casually profound—sings with a playful, faux British accent that is as entertaining as it is inauthentic. When McDonald sings, “She went on and just stripped me for parts / at least she let me keep my guitar,”
the combination of redneck philosophy with a quasi-Cockney accent is (surprisingly) nothing short of a revelation.
But despite the role playing and subtle musical allusions to classic rock and Brit pop bands, Vulture Whale’s personality shines through, and the band’s charm congeals all of its influences into one solid and original artistic offering that is just plain fun to listen to. “Bamboo You” is much greater than the marginally interesting story behind its concept.
The EP may be the bastard child of the band’s own musical influences,but it also is one of the catchiest and infectiously exuberant collections of songs this year.
---John Seay
www.myspace.com/vulturewhale
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