Cold War Kids Building a Following from the Ground Up

If you ever get a chance to take in a concert by an up and coming band called Cold War Kids, don't hesitate. This foursome comprised of Nathan Willett on vocals and piano, Matt Maust on bass, Jonnie Russell on guitar and Matt Aviero on drums is on a rigorous tour of the U.S. and Europe where it is building a following from the ground up playing tunes from its latest album entitled "Robbers & Cowards."

Evidence of this grassroots following came to light with the first note the band sent out from the tiny stage. Their tune "We Used to Vacation," sent the crowd of about 300 at St. Augustine, Florida's Café Eleven singing, dancing and offering a raucous applause of familiarity.

After all, it was the band's second appearance in St. Augustine in eight months. Offering hard licks of bluesy piano, the song offers a haunting look inside the regretful mind of a husband and father with a drinking habit.

"I promised to my wife and children, I'd never take another drink as long as I live. But even then it sounds so soothing to mix a gin and sink into oblivion," Willett belted out.

Self-described as "Reagan babies," Cold War Kids is heavily influenced by such legends as Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday and Velvet Undergound.

The band, which looks like your average group of "guy's next door," hails from Fullerton, California where they used to practice atop the Mulberry Restaurant using jangly guitar, hand claps and a Harmony amp.

Cold War Kids uses a diverse array of percussion instruments ranging from a household metal trashcan lid to maracas and tambourines. One song where they use this diversity is "Saint John," a tale about death row inmates and suburban crime.

The crowd got really involved in "Saint John" as Cold War Kids members collaborated with tour mates Delta Spirit, which is out of San Diego. Delta Spirit members join in on stage with lyrics, backup and just all around showmanship on percussion.

"Old Saint John on death row, he's just waiting for a pardon....got to keep runnin' till the well run dry," Willett sang.