Low vs Diamond

The beginnings of Los Angeles' Low vs Diamond can be traced to early 2002 at the University of Colorado, where lead singer/guitarist Lucas Field, drummer Howie Diamond, and keyboardist Tad Moore (birth name: James Thaddeus Moore IV) were undergrads. The three played together in a jam band in between studying and classes, and when graduation day came and went, the guys relocated themselves to the City of Angels. During school, the group had begun absorbing a diversity artists outside of Dave Matthews and Phish — such as David Bowie, Roxy Music, Brian Eno, Serge Gainsbourg, and Air — which led them to consequently abandon their pseudo-hippie ways for more dark and airy indie rock terrain once they settled into their new L.A. digs. Various bandmember and name changes unsurprisingly occurred during the process (including 1984 and Colored Shadows, the latter moniker under which the band issued two EPs) before finally agreeing on the name Low vs Diamond, supposedly as a joke relating to Diamond's incessant fighting with an ex-member's difficult girlfriend, nicknamed Low. With players Anthony Polcino (guitar/vocals) and Jon Pancoast (bass) eventually in tow, Low vs Diamond played gigs all around Los Angeles and readied material to lay down in the studio. They recorded a demo in mid-2006, which quickly caught the ear of Dominic Hardisty, the man responsible for signing an unknown Las Vegas band named the Killers a few years prior. The quintet wasted no time in impressing him further and was subsequently signed to Hardisty's U.K.-based Marrakesh label after only seeing them play one live show. The band's debut EP, Life After Love, was released in February 2007 to positive response, and Low vs Diamond's highly praised performances continued to generate area buzz and hype in the blogosphere. They graduated to the majors when Sony signed them and released a digital version of their self-titled debut album in April of 2008.