Bad Veins Break Out in Tribeca Film Fest

In a self-deprecating plea at the Tribeca Film Festival "Breaking the Band" concert at Webster Hall Friday night, Bad Veins singer Benjamin Davis asked the crowd to stick around, because the rest of the acts of the night -- The Republic Tigers, The Virgins, and The Hold Steady -- promised to be better if the crowd didn’t like what the Veins bled. “Well, I guess we’re gonna start now,” he said. “Please don’t leave.” The recipients of the first ever Target Music Maker Award, Bad Veins (Davis, drummer Sebastien Schultz, and a 1973 reel-to-reel named Irene) have learned to be cautious. They’ve performed in New York over 10 times, they were called the “breakout band” of the CMJ music festival, and A&R executives love them. And yet, they can’t seem to get signed.

But at least now they’ve got this award. And indeed, most of the audience on Friday was there to see The Republic Tigers and headliner The Hold Steady. It also didn’t help that the Bad Veins played a short set, and that they went on at 6:45 p.m. But somehow when they took the stage—Davis in his requisite Vietnam-era military jacket and Schultz ready for takeoff in a pilot’s shirt and skinny tie—the sounds these two guys and a reel-to-reel made were lush, bringing vintage to the modern forefront. Besides playing keyboards and a glittery blue guitar, Davis utilized a backwards-wired telephone and a megaphone, with sounds recalling a range from the Beatles to Pavement with a dash of decidedly emo lyrics. Davis wailed, “I don’t want you to be alone again / and I don’t want to be alone agaaaaiiiiin” on “Afraid.” Funneled through his telephone receiver, it sounded like a melancholic message left on an answering machine, personal and plaintive.

Later that night, as Davis stood trapped in the exit waiting for the crowd to filter out, fans filed by, some with congratulations. He enthusiastically accepted and answered all questions. Most of the time, however, he shyly kept his head down, playing with his iPhone while raving about the Tribeca experience: the great hotel they’re being put up in, the award (which looks like “a big pink bong"), and the $10,000 prize. It’s another accolade for their collection, and the money will help towards recording their album. Now, if they could only get that record deal.