It’s been a big week for the Postelles. On Tuesday, the New York-based rock ‘n’ roll band released its first, self-titled, full-length album. That same day, the group set off on its first headlining tour, including a date at the Red Palace on Saturday.
“For us, it’s kind of a dream come true,” said Postelles lead guitarist David Dargahi. “The whole idea that we can take our band on the road and have people in all these different cities come is really our dream. That’s what we’re doing everything for, so we can play shows across America. It’s really great excitement for the band.”
| Onstage |
| The Postelles |
| Where: Red Palace, 1212 H St. NE |
| When: 8:30 p.m. doors |
| Info: With the Dig, and Ambassadors; $10 in advance, $12 day of; redpalacedc.com |
The Postelles formed in 2007, but the members of the band — which include lead singer Daniel Balk, bassist John Speyer and drummer Billy Cadden — have known each other for much longer.
Though this is their first headlining stint, the group has opened for a number of big-name acts, from Kings of Leon to Chuck Berry.
“Every show we play, we learn something new,” Dargahi said. “You can really learn a lot opening for a band.”
The band’s first album owes its lineage to old-school rock ‘n’ roll, with a dash of New York from the last decade. The 12-track, 36-minute effort is a tight-knit collection of hooks and melodies. The sound offers hints of the Beatles, Strokes and Vampire Weekend.
The group also draws inspiration from Motown. The band’s name is even a play off groups from that era with names ending in “elles.”
“I think early rock and roll is a big inspiration,” Dargahi said. “Guys like Buddy Holly were definitely the kind of groups we looked at and thought how cool it was they wrote these tightly constructed pop songs, but it’s the heart of rock ‘n’ roll. Rock has gone very far away from that. We kind of want to bring it back.
“At the same time, Motown definitely inspired it,” the guitarist continued. “Motown recordings are the most heartfelt recordings of music, and we wanted to emulate that in our recording.”
That there’s a bit of a Strokes flavor to some of the tracks on the Postelles’ new album is also no accident. Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. produced five of the songs.
“It was awesome,” Dargahi said. “He was kind of our idol growing up. We love the Strokes. As a guitar player, he was a huge inspiration. It was great working with him in the studio. He taught us a lot.”
