Bad Veins Come Back to South Carolina

It was a hot summers day, June 2010 the last time I saw Bad Veins live. Going into that show two years ago I hadn’t heard of them and didn’t expect much from the indie rock duo. They were opening for Kevin Devine, who we were filming an acoustic session with, and Thrice. They kind of stuck out on this bill, with their on stage gimmicks that make them both interesting to watch and hear live.

I’m still not exactly sure how it all worked. A reel to reel tape machine controlled by drummer Sebastien Schultz. A phone booth equipped with retro green rotary phone controlled by band leader Benjamin Davis. But the phone wasn’t on the hook, it was on his microphone. Off to the side is a keyboard that Davis attends to at times when he isn’t playing guitar.

When I first got into their new album The Mess We’ve Made, I couldn’t help but think back to how interesting their live show was. We Were Promised Jetpacks is a hot band now, and by all means deserves it. Bad Veins just might be the ones opening the eyes of the crowd with their live set.