COURTESY: BASS DRUM OF DEATH Bass Drum of Death’s most recent album entitled Rip This.
Another Oxford-born band is coming back to town and bringing a sound you might not find anywhere else.
Playing at Proud Larry’s tonight is the garage-rock band, Bass Drum of Death, featuring Oxford’s own John Barrett as lead vocalist.
Bass Drum of Death was originally formed by Barrett, but over time has grown to include Len Clark and Josh Hunter, giving the band a grand total of two guitarists and a drummer. Barrett said the band is excited to be back in Oxford.
“We haven’t played in Oxford in about a year, so we are looking forward to it,” Barrett said.
As a fan of the Rebels, Barrett has been following the football team all season and hopes he can catch a game while in the area.
“I’ve had to mainly watch on my phone all tour, which is annoying,” Barrett said.
Bass Drum of Death has been around since 2008 and is finishing up their second tour this fall. The band did a southeastern tour in September and is currently at the end of a Midwest/West Coast run, Barrett said. Just recently the band performed in Los Angeles at The Echo and in San Francisco at The Great American Music Hall.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Barrett said. “We’ve broken it up well enough to where it’s been nice and chill.”
The band has gained popularity over the past few years and even preformed on Mellowhype with rap group Odd Future in 2011. Some of Bass Drum of Death’s other work has been featured in H&M advertisements, in films like Ghost Rider and popular TV shows such as The Vampire Diaries. The band has also been popular overseas, preforming at the Rock en Seine Festival in France.
However, Bass Drum of Death is really a band that tries to stay straight-forward rock ’n’ roll. Their most recent album, “Rip This,” is true to the band’s signature garage-rock sound.
Sophomore photography major Olivia Kelly is a fan of the band and said she is looking forward to hearing Bass Drum of Death perform live.
“I am excited to see Bass Drum of Death play,” Kelly said. “I’ve heard their shows are a lot of fun, and I recently got introduced to their music. I think the concert should be a lot of fun.”
Kelly said she was introduced to the band by a friend shortly before she heard they would be performing in town. Once she became aware of the concert at Proud Larry’s, she made sure to purchase a ticket in advance.
“Me and a few friends want to go,” Kelly said. “Listening to bands play on the Square is so much fun, and it’s really cool how Bass Drum of Death is originally from Oxford.”
Concertgoers can expect to hear music from the new album preformed tonight at Proud Larry’s. “Rip This” is the first album Bass Drum of Death was able to record in a proper studio, so the sound is a bit cleaner production-wise, according to Barrett. However, the songwriting and arrangements stay true to the work of Bass Drum of Death in the past.
“We just spent more time and money making this one than the first two,” Barrett said.
Owner of Proud Larry’s, Scott Caradine, said the band has played at the venue several times in the past and believes tonight’s performance will be one of the best yet.
“We’re really looking forward to the rock show,” Caradine said.
