First thing's first: Don't ask them about the name. Death Cab for Cutie, that is. For Death Cab bass player Nick Harmer, the name's obscurity is its best quality.
"The chances of you running into another band in the world with the name Death Cab for Cutie are pretty slim," he says.
What started out as a solo project by frontman Ben Gibbard in Bellingham, Wash., turned into a full band when guitarist Chris Walla and Harmer joined. They released Something About Airplanes together in 1998, and multiple drummers followed, with Jason McGerr sticking in 2003.
Death Cab made waves in indie circles throughout the following years, known as much for Gibbard's earnest lyrics as the group's charming, contrasting arrangements.
In 2003, after the release of the group's fourth album, Transatlanticism, Death Cab's popularity began to flourish. The notoriety peaked when Seth Cohen, the lovable loser from pop-culture monger The O.C., swooned over the band, and it was invited to play on the show.
While Harmer doesn't credit the show for bringing the band a new fan base, he does see value in teen drama.
"People can say what they will about the show itself - but the thing for us that's really exciting is here for the first time you have a television show that was able to take some risks ... about the kind of music they were playing and the kind of bands they were inviting to play," Harmer says.
"I think the world would be a lot better place if television and radio took the kind of risks that at least The O.C. has musically," he added.
Fast forward to today. The band that once played for $50 a gig has become a major-label fledgling star since signing with Atlantic Records in fall 2004. Like many bands moving from an indie to a major label, Death Cab was weary of what the change might mean for the group.
"We went into this situation knowing a handful of bands that had been through this major label meat grinder and have come out the other end and will tell you these horrendous stories," Harmer says. "[But] I think we all knew deep down it was something we wanted to do and something we should try and go for."
The move provided much less label friction than the band expected, Harmer explains. In 2005, Death Cab released its first album with Atlantic, Plans. The album debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard charts, but the success did little to change the band's attitude.
"It's hard to have any context for what that means in your day-to-day life," Harmer says. "We knew we had to get back out on the road and prove it."
And so they did.
The band is currently on its largest tour to date, co-headlining sold-out small arenas with fellow budding superstars Franz Ferdinand. To Harmer, the pairing is a perfect match.
"Obviously, there isn't a lot of musical commonality between us and Franz Ferdinand," he says, "but they really respect their crew, they respect each other, they have a lot of discipline and a lot of professionalism - and that's rare."
With Death Cab at the height of its popularity, Harmer and his fellow Cuties have stayed humble but optimistic. They never even expected to get this far.
"Obviously every band has a built-in shelf life [but] I'm not exactly sure when ours will expire." Harmer says, "I certainly didn't expect ... [to get] this many years deep into our music career and ... still be as excited and as motivated to make music as we are. I thank my lucky stars every day."
Contact reporter Zak Garner at garnerdbk@gmail.com.
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