It might be difficult to locate The War on Drugs through a simple Google search, but the Philadelphia folk rock band will be accessible tonight at Chronic Town, 224 W. College Ave.
Roustabout! promoter Jesse Ruegg had a gut impulse to book The War on Drugs after hearing its debut full-length album, Wagonwheel Blues, released this summer.
"I was immediately bowled over," said Ruegg, who listens to the bands' album twice a day. "It was so good. It's got elements of Bob Dylan, elements of folk and it really resonated with me."
The Roustabout! will also feature State College bands The Surgical Staff and The Bullet Parade. Oppenheimer, an indie rock outfit from Northern Ireland, and Miracle Fortress from Quebec will play tomorrow night's Roustabout! as well.
According to The War on Drugs' singer-songwriter Adam Granduciel, because other band members have personal obligations, only two of the band members -- himself and bassist Dave Hartley -- will be present for the Roustabout! His friend will sub in for Charlie Hall on drums.
The War on Drugs, signed to Secretly Canadian Records and has a strong following in Philadelphia's Fishtown area, a hotspot for indie rock. Ruegg spoke to friends who knew the band and snagged it just weeks before the band departed overseas. The band will be on tour in Europe with The Hold Steady in October.
Granduciel was flattered by the positive reception to Wagonwheel Blues.
"For the most part, the public seems to like it," he said. "People haven't gotten sick of it yet."
The five-piece group had a few concert dates in Europe last month and Granduciel said "this is the tightest the band has ever been." The majority of the band's shows in the past have been in the vicinity of its local stomping grounds.
"In Philly, we have a reputation as being a noise collage band," Granduciel said. "We don't try the same thing every time. It's your hometown. We have a pretty solid fan base, even if it's only 20 people."
Critics have often compared the band to a blending of its influences: Sonic Youth, Tom Petty and Brian Eno and The Smiths. Granduciel finds fault with certain comparisons, disagreeing with The Smiths altogether and specifying "only Brian Eno when he worked with Robert Fripp, ambient-wise."
Ruegg said it was important to book the band soon because it's only a matter of time before it blows up.
"People in this town would love them if they checked them out," Ruegg said. "They're not one of those buzz bands just yet, but they could be."
One of the show's opening acts, The Surgical Staff, composed of doctoral students in psychology at Penn State, has been busy in the studio. The band has spent the past few months recording new music, and its efforts have spawned a surplus of songs that the band plans to split into two albums.
"Our plan is to record one album of really sweet, quiet stuff and then another album of our more up-tempo, somewhat poppy songs," said frontman Joe Beeney (graduate-psychology).
Ruegg applauds the band for being a local band that has consistently composed original songs to play at downtown venues.
"I don't know that I've ever heard them play a cover," Ruegg said. "They have introspective lyrics and are a very rhythm-driven band."
