World Cafe Live

Kurt Samuel Vile (born January 3, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He is known for his solo work, music released under the name Kurt Vile and The Violators, and as the former lead guitarist of the band the War on Drugs. Vile's backing band, the Violators, has included Jesse Trbovich, Kyle Spence, and Adam Langellotti. His musical influences include Pavement, John Prine, Neil Young, Ween, Tom Petty, Dinosaur Jr., Bruce Springsteen, and John Fahey. Vile began his musical career creating lo-fi home recordings with Adam Granduciel in Philadelphia, participating in early work by the War on Drugs and various solo projects. He released two albums, Constant Hitmaker (2008) and God Is Saying This to You... (2009), which compiled home recordings from 2003. In 2009, Vile signed with Matador Records and released his third album, Childish Prodigy, his first recorded in a studio with the full participation of the Violators.