The Giraffes

Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, the indie rock outfit the Giraffes first surfaced toward the close of the 1990s. Guitarist Damien Paris, bassist Tim Kent, and drummer Andrew Totolos assembled the group as a trio in 1996 and issued their debut album, Franksquilt, two years later. Singer Aaron Lazar joined in 2000, after which the 2002 album Helping You Help Yourself established the explosive, riff-driven, punk-tinged style that became the band's signature. A self-titled 2005 release on Razor & Tie broadened their reach, and both that record and 2008's Prime Motivator addressed traumatic episodes within the group, among them a 2002 shooting that left Paris wounded in the leg and a series of heart attacks Lazar endured in 2005. By the end of the decade the Giraffes had built a name as an unpredictable and high-energy live act, sharing stages with Eagles of Death Metal, Skeleton Key, and the Strokes while appearing at festivals such as Bonnaroo and SXSW. Outside projects drew several members' attention by 2011, and after Ruled appeared Lazar departed. The rarities collection Farewell Fat Astronaut surfaced in 2012; the following year the band issued the more experimental Tales of the Black Whistle, which included guest vocals by Brianna Wanless and Kimberly Paige Valor. Lazar returned for performances in 2014 and eventually contributed to fresh material. Usury, the group's sixth studio album, arrived in late 2015.