Known for putting on eccentric and overwhelmingly fun shows, The Drums were as good a band as any to be performing on such a stellar night for live music. On a beautiful Thursday evening, the outdoor stage of Tempe’s The Sail Inn was decorated with banners, various abstract paintings and dangling lights. Located near Tempe Town Lake, the small venue was packed with kids and adults alike, eager to see the New York-based band put on what promised to be a great set.
After the opening band, IO echo, got on stage and showed their high-energy personality, The Drums took the stage. Composed of singer Jonathan Pierce, bassist and synth-man Jacob Graham, guitarist Connor Hanwick and drummer Danny Lee Allen, the band jumped on stage and immediately began playing one of the most jovial sets Tempe has ever seen.
The Drums are currently touring their newest album “Portamento.” “Money,” the hit single from the album, had the audience dancing uncontrollably — the same way Pierce was on stage.
After an encore that the audience felt was well deserved — and the band said was much appreciated — the musicians came out from backstage to mingle with their fans. Pierce signed shirts, took pictures and conversed with his adoring fans as they congratulated and thanked him for the show. Pierce smiled humbly with some latent pride and accepted the compliments with authenticity, as if it was the first time any one had ever told him how talented he is.
Jacob Graham, the band’s other original member apart from Pierce, sipped a Corona near the backstage entrance and laughed with the members of IO echo.
“I think it went well,” Graham said of the show. “And, well, we don’t typically like outdoor shows. We just don’t believe in them. We think music is meant to be enjoyed indoors. Sound is meant to be in an enclosed area to have things to bounce off of.
“Outdoor shows, the sound keeps going, it escapes out there, hitting mountains and things … It’s hard to create an ambiance or a vibe outdoors. I mean, I guess you could, but you kinda feel like you’re a wedding band or at a barbecue or something,” he said.
“The show tonight was very good, and the crowd was amazing. I’m glad that it was an all ages show because I think we have a lot of younger fans. It’s nice to play shows that they can come to. We can feel the energy when kids are out there,” Graham added.
On stage that evening, Pierce had told the audience that he believed it was their first show in Tempe. After being reminded that they had performed alongside fellow indie rock band Surfer Blood almost one year ago to the day at The Clubhouse, Graham commented on the band’s evolution since they were last in town. “We really, at the beginning of this year, re-evaluated our whole live show. We had been using a lot of backing tracks and things like that for our bass lines and synthesizer bits. We decided to do away with that.
“I think, when you do everything live like that, rather than a track, it adds an element of a nervous energy. It’s like a trapeze artist working without a safety net. And that’s exciting to us. The dynamics can be greater. I like to think it’s more of a focused energy, rather than a crazy explosion the way it always felt like in the past,” he said.
The Drums have a certain sound that is nostalgic of the ‘80s, yet the band manages to sound completely modern and original. Graham himself even has a difficult time pinpointing what the band sounds like.
“It’s so hard,” he said. When you’re so inside of it, and it’s your whole life, that is the hardest question in the world. I usually just say, ‘We sound like the ‘80s.’ But honestly, I think the worst music in the world was created in the ‘80s, but I also think the best music was created in the ‘80s.”
The band has been blessed to meet and perform with their ‘80s influences, with The Smiths and The Wake being the most important on that list. Graham described their meetings as a passing on of the torch.
“They never talk to us like they think what we are doing is novelty and cute. They just like what we are doing because we have the same sensibilities. They don’t look at it like we are ripping them off or something. Because they’re just pop songs, and they didn’t invent it either,” Graham said.
This sense of camaraderie between musicians probes the reassuring thought that humility does still exist in rock ‘n’ roll, especially apparent in the way Jonathan thanked his fans that night and the way Graham smiled while answering interview questions gracefully and eloquently.
As The Drums gain critical and commercial success, they do not lose touch with themselves, remaining true to their values and their fans.
Reach the reporter at jocelyn.gee@asu.edu
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