Tan Vampires

If there’s one band that’s dominated my fall listening cycle thus far, it’s absolutely New Hampshire group Tan Vampires (@tanvampires). Their melancholy harmonies and emotive lyrics are gripping — something that takes ahold of you with the power to both shake you violently and rub your back at the same time. No track does this more than “I Found A Body”. It’s a gorgeous display of the band’s storytelling ability that features lead vocalist Jake Mehrmann’s smooth, flowing vocals and delicate instrumentals.
Download “I Found A Body” and “Leaves” from their recently released debut album For Physical Fitness. Fans of Local Natives and Fleet Foxes rejoice, you have a new favorite up-and-coming indie obsession.
Tan Vampires is playing Arlene’s Grocery in Manhattan on December 15th. See you there? - The Wild Honey Pie

Take a lyric that sounds cloyingly romantic, flip it on its head into something darker and more subversive, and you get the premise for Tan Vampires' song "I Found A Body."

Originally built around the line, "I found a body to call my home," the song is not the tender love song the lyric suggests. Instead, it's a darker portrayal of relationships and human nature that seems to suggest that happiness is not found in the company of another person but rather in solitude.
- NPR.org

Take a lyric that sounds cloyingly romantic, flip it on its head into something darker and more subversive, and you get the premise for Tan Vampires' song "I Found A Body."

Originally built around the line, "I found a body to call my home," the song is not the tender love song the lyric suggests. Instead, it's a darker portrayal of relationships and human nature that seems to suggest that happiness is not found in the company of another person but rather in solitude.
- NPR.org

This band from New Hampshire has stuck with me since the first time I dug its debut album, For Physical Fitness, out of NPR Music's massive pile of incoming mail. It's an album crammed with well-crafted songs that soar, twist and never blend into one another. Some are head-bobbing rockers that push relentlessly forward with chugging electric guitar. Others are softer, more melancholy ballads with throbbing bass and subtle whooshing electronic noises. Nearly every track is a standout, and that's remarkable from a band most people have never heard. --Clare Flynn - NPR.org

The surprise of the night were the Tan Vampires.

Lead singer, Jake Mehrmann looks like Scream-era David Arquette, complete with jet black moustache. Contrary to his look, he sounds like a cross between Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, James Blake and that guy from Mumford and Sons. They also brought the only beard-core of the night. With keyboardist Mike Effenberger and drummer Jim Rudolph sporting immaculate, chest-length mountain-man beards.

But enough of the fashion commentary—Tan Vampires killed their set. Their vintage keyboards and electronic loops lent a jam-band quality to noisy rock sound. Most of the guys in the band kept very serious, no nonsense game faces on throughout the set but they managed to introduce a measure of fun as they stretched some of their tunes out beyond their three minute origins.

The standout was their closing song which degenerated into a mess of improvisation and electronic noise. As far as I was concerned they could have continued that meltdown for a couple more hours. - The Deli

In the landscape of musical expression, there are those who craft tunes, and there are those who listen. For the listeners, it's a continual search for the next "big" thing. These things that can be considered "big" very rarely show up. Sure, we may find something that crosses our path that we vibe to for a couple of weeks. It's hot. It's got us hooked. But it's not really "big." We toss it aside as soon as another comes along. Big things stick with you for the rest of your life. They are things that future generations will grow into and find for themselves. Big things have staying power. "For Physical Fitness" is one of these things. - Sea Coast Online

We’re very excited to have Tan Vampires showcase with us at CMJ on Tuesday, 10/18 at Arlene’s Grocery!

Tan Vampires is an incredible rock band from New Hampshire that we’re beyond psyched to have on our CMJ bill! The band was born out of lead singer Jake Mehrmann’s solo album for the RPM Challenge back in 2007. He soon recruited five other talented musicians who complete the band and add to the magic: Mike Filitis (bass, legs, dual citizenship), Mike Effenberger (keys, beards, conspiracy theories), Jim Rudolf (drums, beards, grammar and syntax), Nick Phaneuf (guitar, computers, jet-setting, also beards), and Chris Klaxton (trumpet, guitar, street cred).

Following the September 20 release of their latest album, For Physical Fitness, the band has been headlining their own shows and recently performed as support for notable acts such as Okkervil River and Yo La Tengo! Now, they’re about to perform their CMJ showcase in front of industry professionals, fans, and people who are sure to be fans the second they plug in the mic.

Want to get a taste of what to expect? Stream the album, For Physical Fitness right here!

And let’s show them some interweb love by “liking” them on Facebook and following them on Twitter!
- No Pulp Music

Though I discover new music nearly every day, it is rare for a band to make an impression on me the way that Tan Vampires have. Since I first listened to the New Hampshire 5 piece band’s debut album, entitled For Physical Fitness, I have repeatedly been drawn back to the album time and time again, and have not been able to stay away from the ten unforgettable tracks. For Physical Fitness’s heartfelt and honest tone has a peculiar way of getting stuck in my head and totally absorbing my thoughts throughout the day. The album, which marks Tan Vampires debut into the indie scene, shows experience and talent well beyond the years of the young band. For Physical Fitness plays consistently with no lulls in the album, which runs for just over 45 minutes. Though it is hard to pick favorite tracks in this masterpiece of an album, the tracks that I have returned to the most are Digital Rot and Threads. Digital Rot, which is set to become the first single off of the album, is a guitar heavy track which will capture any audience with it’s beautiful chord progression which is somehow driven and laid back at the same time. Threads on the other hand offers a slightly simpler track that is impossible not to hum along to. Throughout the track, the guitar and synthesizer just barely float above the rhythmic percussion while the piercing lyrics complete the package. For Physical Fitness is available for streaming from Tan Vampire’s official website and Spotify. Also, be sure to hit up the iTunes Store for a download of the incredible album.
- The Dropped Beat

As the Nor’easter Festival gets closer and closer we have been taking great pleasure in exploring the lineup and becoming familiar with the bands performing this weekend. With some bands we knew what to expect and with others we were going in blind (or deaf if you will). With Tan Vampires it was totally different, it was like finding a $100 bill on street. Calling their debut record For Physical Fitness a pleasant surprise would be an understatement.

Since I first started streaming the album on the band’s website last week (official release was September 20th), I have not kept myself away from it for more than a few hours. The Dover, New Hampshire 6-piece was named the Granite State’s best band in 2010 by the Boston Phoenix and deservedly so. Led by singer/songwriter Jake Merhmann, the band has been playing the tracks that appear on their debut effort for years, so it is no surprise that the recording sessions took less than a week.

The album has a little something for everyone, beginning with the slow, pulsing sounds of “I Can Hear Them In The Dark,” which brought to mind The Postal Service upon my first listen. On tracks like “Customer Satisfaction Survey” the band delves deeper into this electro-synth sound to create a track that builds into passionate vocals from Mehrmann and an exploding guitar riff to boot.

The album closer, “Fortunes Wheel” is the calm after the storm that is “Customer Satisfaction Survey.” The band’s choice for this track to close out the album should be applauded. With beautifully layered vocals that seem to swirl around in your headphones from side to side, “Fortunes Wheel” always leaves you wanting more and like me, you will find yourself starting the album over from the top right away.

Take a listen to “Leaves” below and make sure to catch Tan Vampires on Sunday at the Waterfront Park Stage at Nor’easter Festival 2011. - Maimed and Tamed Music Blog

Q&A with Tan Vampires
- by Chrissy Prisco


Where did the band name, Tan Vampires, come from?

Every time I'm asked this question I feel a little guilty that I don't have a better story to tell. We're all pretty irreverent, and lot of the time we all spend together involves riffing on things one person says, and free associating ideas- usually with humorous or outrageous intent. I think the name "Tan Vampires" probably came from Mike Filitis (bass player) and I (Jake Mehrmann: vocals, guitar) hanging out and doing just that. Of course, shortly after I started using the name, Twilight/TrueBlood/VampireWeekend and a slew of other vampire-related pop culture became hugely popular, and I seriously considered changing it. I guess I thought there might be negative assumptions made by people who thought we had jumped on a bandwagon or something. Eventually, though, I was like "Screw it. I like the name, and I had it first."

How did the band start?

Mike F. and I were in a band together for years that broke up shortly after recording our first EP. After I finished asking, "Why me, God?" and whimpering a number of "boo hoo"s while slowly rocking back and forth I decided that moping wasn't really my thing and decided to make a record. I had just learned about the RPM Challenge, which encourages anyone and everyone to attempt to write and record an album during the month of February, and thought "hey, why not?" The friends I played it for encouraged me to start playing the songs out. The (diminutive) audiences I played for also seemed to like the tunes, and since I never really wanted to be just some dude with an acoustic guitar I decided to try to put a band together. I had known all of these guys for years beforehand and knew them to be kickass musicians and just generally good people who I thought had something valuable to contribute, so I kidnapped all of their pets and held them hostage until they agreed to play with me. We've been playing together ever since. (Resentfully.)

What are your biggest musical influences?

It's difficult to be objective about identifying which elements of the band's sound come from where. The most relevant influences are probably the ones we have on one another, but we all have pretty eclectic musical backgrounds and tastes. My personal tastes tend to lean heavily towards Soul and Motown- things like Sam Cooke, Etta James, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. But at any given moment of any day I might want to listen to pretty much anything. Variety is important.

What artists (local, national and/or international) are you currently listening to?

I'm a sucker for mainstream hip-hop like Jay-Z and Kanye. I have an old car without a functioning tape deck or cd player, so I also listen to a lot of hits stations. I love big, exuberant, unabashed pop tunes. I know that the ubiquity of Cee Lo's "Fuck You," has probably taken some of the spark out of it for some people, but I can't remember the last time I heard a pop song that hit me in the gut like that one does.

We've been lucky also to play with a lot of really great bands lately. We did a brief run of shows with our friends Xylos from Brooklyn about a month ago- a kickass band and just delightful people. I can't recommend their record-or their live show- enough. Some other bands I've been excited about lately are Stereo Telescope, Dead Man's Clothes, Pearl and the Beard, and Il Abanico- who I heard about through this poll- is just awesome. I'm hoping they'll be into maybe doing some shows together.

What's the first concert that you ever attended and first album that you ever bought?

The first concert I ever went to was probably some kind of terrible local punk/hardcore show all of my friends were playing. I really couldn't say. I was probably playing something embarrassing, too. I have no idea what my first record was.

What do you love about Boston's music scene?

There's a lot of exciting stuff out there, and a lot of new, different music. And Boston audiences are tough on bands. They have high expectations. You have to work to win them over, and this makes bands work harder. It motivates acts to push themselves to try to do something really special and captivating. I love that. I love the challenge.

What are your plans for the upcoming year?

We're releasing our full band debut For Physical Fitness in a couple of months, which is pretty exciting for us. We're also working to expand the geographical radius in which we play regularly. We hope to keep getting in front of new people and sharing our music with them. We've got a couple bigger shows/festivals in the works as well that are pretty exciting.

What was your most memorable live show?

I couldn't pick just one. It's always fun to play around Portsmouth/Dover, NH, since so many of our friends and families live there. The run of shows we did recently with Xylos was also a lot of fun. Hopefully we'll be able to do some touring in the nex - The Deli Magazine

CITY: Dover

SONGS THAT GOT US:
"The Season Has Come (Live)", "Threads (Live)"

MYSPACE ADDRESS: myspace.com/tanvampires

RECORD LABEL: Unsigned

WHY THEM? We've had our eye on Jake Merhmann's humble solo outings for a few years, but only recently has he picked up the pace with a full band and more than a handful of live dates. Tan Vampires (no relation to the Ivy League Afro-poseurs of similar appetite) flesh out Merhmann's shrugging emotional skeleton with seasick drums and underwater electric-piano flourishes that give that wavering vibrato of his some well-worn Muscle Shoals tread to roll with. They're finishing up their first full-band record as we speak, but there's no equal to a brooding night out with some lonely well drinks and this band up there onstage, takin' it easy for all us sinners.

BONUS BIT! The whole project stems from a one-off collection self-recorded by Mehrmann for the annual RPM Challenge in 2007. - The Boston Phoenix