National Geographic Music (National Geographic)

Around this time last year Vampire Weekend took the indie-rock world by storm with their beguiling self-titled debut. The NYC-based foursome went from a burgeoning "blog-band" to critical acclaim – and chart success - seemingly overnight on the strength of their original and eclectic sound and vision.

The group's members all met as undergrads at New York's Columbia University, and they've made an exaggerated, prep school look (think lots of tennis whites and topsiders) and wry, self-referential Ivy League humor (think songs titled "Oxford Coma" and "Mansard Roof") a big part of their shtick. But what makes them really stand out is their unlikely penchant for undergirding their WASP-y chic with gently chiming African guitars that would sound more familiar in Kinshasa or Cape Town than in Cape Cod or Connecticut.

After a year of intense exposure and non-stop touring, Vampire Weekend found themselves in Washington, D.C. – where Nat Geo Music's Truly Herbert and Chandra Teitscheid caught up with drummer Chris Thomson to discuss recent shows in DC and to get a handle on the band's meteoric rise.

Nat Geo Music:

So, how did the D.C. shows go?

Chris Thomson: They went well, they were our first shows in 2 weeks, so that was kind of a long break in a busy touring schedule. We felt a little rusty at first, but the crowd was really great and we had a lot of fun.

Yeah, people are really excited about you guys, especially in DC—you have a history of popularity in this city, right?

Yes, our first show on our first tour in 2007 was in DC at the Red and the Black. In February 2008 we played at the Rock and Roll Hotel, this is the first time back in a while. We like coming here because this is where our keyboardist grew up, and we like having the great meals that his mother cooks and we love the DC crowds.

What were your artistic goals for this album?

It's very hard to pin down because when we were recording, we didn't have a record label, we didn't have an idea of release. It was more just, you know, we were a band, we were playing shows, and we had these songs. So, we put down tracks and thought, let's see how this goes, how specifically clear directives, besides getting the songs out, experimenting and having fun, finished 10 songs it felt like an album, and that's what labels heard when they got in touch with us. Basically, it was use trying to get our songs out and see what happens.

What's your writing process like?

A song like "A-Punk" we wrote all together in a room in about 10 minutes, and something pops out and we think about it and self-edit later, other times we have a part or a couple chords here or there, and kind of piece it together and eventually it builds. On a couple of songs, we knew the drum beat before the rest of the song was gonna go.

My job is done early. Different songs go in different ways, but I think on the next album it will still be a mix of the two, we already have a couple of complete songs and the others we'll build as we go.

Did you try out the new songs in your recent tour?

Yes, we played two songs that are new that haven't been released or recorded, plus two covers.

Do you have a favorite song on the album, or at least one in which you prefer the percussion work?

The song "M79" is one of the harder ones to play, my eyes are closed pretty much the entire time so I can concentrate. I also like playing the song, Bryn, it's not a very complicated drum beat but it sounds complicated, so I've had drummers who are a lot better than me come up and say that they like that part which is kind of fun to hear.

The album incorporates some hand drums to fill out the tracks, but live is strictly the drum kit. Do you plan to bring in other percussion sounds into the new work?

We'll be back in the studio to record and rehearse in early 2009, touring is one thing and writing and creating is another…so I think we'll experiment and see whatever sounds cool.

Everyone seems to have categories for you, but how would you characterize the band?

When I was home recently and my uncles asked me what's your music like, uh…it's very hard to say when you're in the middle of it, I suppose. Our general idea was to make pop music, but pop music that, if you want to listen closely, you'll hear the strings come in, you'll hear different arrangements happening, you'll hear influences from around the world.

Do you think pre-releasing your songs and having them out on the internet helped you?

Definitely, we were selling CD-Rs at our shows prior to signing a label, our MySpace page came out really late in the game, but when we played the early shows in DC, there was no reason anyone would know us, we had played a few small shows in New York City and Syracuse, but if it hadn't been for the web, no one would have come to that original show, and of course there were plenty of shows no one did come to…but our success is certainly due to the internet in some ways.

Do you think you'll tease with a few early songs again or just release the full album?

With a label there are some operational tactics to consider, our goal is to just record and and when it gets done, just put it out if we can. I guess we'll just see how fast it comes.

How has travel influenced your music?

We've seen the world. I've found traveling to be an incredible experience over the past year. From Japan to Europe, whether it's culinary or musically, you pick up things that will show up somewhere down the line, if not in the next album, at least personally.

What's the audience like at your shows?

It is pretty big mix, on the last show of the first tour that we did, we did a special internet session, we ended up doing a show at Huckleberry's Pizza Parlor in Hawk Island Illinois. At the end of that show, the owner was so excited, he said, every time a band plays here, at least someone hates it, but everyone loved it!

He gave us a free pizza—it was really nice. Little kids who just got back from little league practice and their parents and grandparents, some teens, and some middle-age couples were all at that show and enjoyed it, so we're happy to appeal to a mix of people.