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First, Benjamin Davis, 27. Davis is Bad Veins' lead vocalist, guitarist and synth player. Note: Davis only sings through telephones and megaphones. Even live. Soft-eyed and fascinating, with choppy brown hair, Davis comes across as wise with an edgy, dark side.
"I'm getting better slowly, but I'm also getting more depressed as we go, because I realize how far we have to go," he says. Wrestling with melancholy, Davis says he desperately craves the sun.
On the other hand, drummer Sebastien Schultz, 23, has dirty blonde, skater-ish hair and an attractive, luminous smile. Unlike Davis, Schultz says, "I'm more the 'jump around the house' type." Staying up late and sleeping in, Schultz says he freaks out when the sun begins to rise.
Third, Irene. Not a person, but a 1973 Pioneer reel-to-reel recorder. She handles the choir, strings and electronic arrangement. Busy lady.
"With two people, it's easier to sustain," Davis says. "We fit in a minivan."
Schultz's camera-quality smile proves to be as grabbing as Davis' more subtle, hide-and-seek nature. Bad Veins. As I'm mulling over the catchy name, a power failure blackens The Comet. All are spooked. When light returns, Davis and Schultz smirk secretively. Perhaps they're grinning over the record label murmur surrounding Bad Veins, but having been touched by the industry before, neither appears overly anxious. Like they're about to skydive wearing 50 parachutes.
From Bethel, Davis took 15 years of piano lessons. Addicted to Led Zeppelin, he memorized every "moan and groan, even backwards," learning guitar and drums. At 15, Davis joined the Indie group, World. World punched out at the '90s, traveling to L.A., later named one of the Top 20 unsigned bands in the country by the Angelciti Music Market. When a record deal failed to rise, the frustrated World fell, disbanding.
In 2002, frontman Davis, World drummer Justin Brumley and bassist Rob Gee (of Clyde) created Giant Judys. Giant Judys gained a reputation among local audiences and press, but in 2005, Davis says the band "self-destructed." Davis throws his hands up in the air, surrender-style.
Originally from England, Schultz came to the States at 6. Like Davis, Schultz began with piano and guitar, buying his first drum kit at 16. Schultz concentrated on drums for Cathedrals in 2003. Although the charismatic band captured the attention of industry leaders, the project quietly folded this past March.
Davis and Schultz met at the downtown club Crush, where Davis formerly handled club bookings. Davis says, "This project is more serious than my others. We work hard every day."
Schultz agrees. "I needed him."
Bad Veins' sound came alive when Davis began singing through a telephone and megaphone on stage. Davis' computer sends pre-recorded mixes to Irene, and each note is pre-show planned, allowing for little live variance. Following Irene exclusively, Schultz wears in-ear monitors to block outside noise.
"I have the tendency to be sloppy, to not stay on rhythm," Davis says. "We're still tweaking our live show sound."
Their demo is anything but sloppy. With a professional, electronic sound, the vocals hold a soft, scratchy resonance that's more soothing than unsettling. Contrasting the distorted vocals, the drums create a deliberate energy that's wicked. The result is damn sexy.
"Take a good song, and you can make it Reggae, anything," Davis says. "If the songwriting's there, it's there, in any genre. I'd like to do a Gospel version of a Bad Veins song."
Recorded at Davis' Northside home, all demos are homemade. At shows, they give out free music, rather than selling CDs. Davis explains, "We're gonna wait and make it all sound sweet in a real studio."
Having played only three Cincinnati shows, Schultz says, "We're lucky to get so much press so far. Most of it's out of New York."
Although Davis downplays industry interest, it's worth mentioning that for Bad Veins' upcoming show at The Knitting Factory in New York, agents and major labels were involved in the planning.
Bad Veins. This infectious name will be kicking around for a while. Ask Irene.
BAD VEINS (badveins.net) next performs Nov. 10 at the Southgate House for the annual "Brink" new music showcase.
