Grit Happens: Hot Press talks to The Districts

These are heady days for The Districts. Fresh out of high school, the Philadelphia quartet have released a debut album to considerable acclaim and are now soaring high on gusts of media buzz. From where they're standing it’s all good. Better than good, in fact. It’s straight-up awesome.

“Man we did the Seth Myers show last night – amazing,” says bassist Connor Jacobus, referring to the popular US late night talk show (Myers goes on air straight after Jimmy Fallon). “You never think you’re going to end up doing something like that. It was a wonderful feeling. We were nervous and excited too.”
The Districts moved to Philadelphia in 2013. Initially, they relocated with the intention of attending college. However, soon they began to earn a reputation around the city for their chaotic, cathartic live shows, performances that teetered on chaos yet never quite slipped over the brink.
“There’s a lot happening in Philadelphia right now,” says Jacobus, explaining why the band opted for the city rather than more familiar musical stomping grounds such as New York or Los Angeles.
“You have a lot of great bands around. People like War On Drugs, Dr Dog and so forth. Philadelphia is in a really healthy place. Also, it’s far, far cheaper than New York. The rent is affordable. You can exist here and not feel as if you're living hand to mouth.”
Critics are in a tizzy over the band’s sound, a chaotic mash-up of blues, indie and classic rock. At various moments you may be reminded of White Denim, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and White Stripes. Mostly, though, The Districts sound 100% like themselves – four scrappy kids from the back of nowhere taking on the world one gig at a time.
“We never sat down and had a conversation where we said, ‘What do we want to sound like?,” says Jacobus. “We started playing for friends and stuff and it all came together from that. It was a straightforward process. There was no masterplan. There still is no masterplan. We're taking things as they come."
As to the assertion they are helping lead a fightback from rock’s descent into insipid irrelevance – see Coldplay, etc – well, they’re not quite sure they wish to be burdened with such claims. Their goals are more short term than saving rock music from its drippier tendencies.
“We’re just happy doing what we are doing. We’ve always been that way. Playing the gigs is wonderful, writing songs is amazing. You don’t stand back and look to see if there’s a bigger picture. You get on with it.”
The Districts aren’t kidding when they say that they grew up in a one horse town. Close to Pennsylvania’s Amish belt, Lititz is text-book small town American, with a population of under 10,000 and a reputation for sleepy conservatism.
“It’s pretty old fashioned,” nods Jacobus. “Growing up, there wasn’t a lot to do. You had to make your own entertainment. There isn’t much music – not much of anything really."
They formed in high school in 2009 when they had an average age of 14. Initially, The Districts were a covers outfit, cranking out Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin at a downtown coffee shop.
Offstage, though, they were quietly honing new material – by the time they came to the interest of producer Bill Moriarty and former Black Keys label Fat Possum, they had assembled two LPs worth of material, the first of which has just come out. Last January, their Moriarty-produced debut EP was lauded by Rolling Stone and their song 'Funeral Beds' had received 300,000 YouTube hits. They were off to the races.
The Districts were initially uncomfortable about their extreme youth being a talking point. It wasn’t as if they were bringing guitars to class or showing up for gigs in school uniforms. They studied, got good grades: music was a passion, but a passion they indulged on the side.
“It didn’t seem weird to us to be doing this,” says Jacobus. “We didn’t feel like we were these extremely young kids or anything. You go and play gigs and that’s it. It’s fun.”
Last year, they received their first true taste of the touring life with a trek around European festivals. Reading and Leeds were on the itinerary, as was Electric Picnic. The Stradbally bash, in particular, stands out.
“That was such a great show,” says Jacobus. “The setting was wonderful – the crowd were enthusiastic. Going to Ireland was the most amazing experience. We all agree – it’s something we’ll never forget.”