White Whale

Matt Suggs, formerly of the nineties indie rock duo Butterglory, recruited fellow Kansans John Anderson, Dustin Than Kinsey, and Zach Holland—each an alum of Higher Burning Fire—to back his 2003 solo album Amigo Row on the road, a lineup that had already shared stages intermittently with him since 2000. The chemistry proved strong enough that the musicians added ex-Get-Up Kids bassist Robert Pope and launched White Whale, assigning drums to Anderson, guitar and synths to Kinsey, guitar and keyboards to Holland, and vocals to Suggs, whose delivery carried a Ray Davies flavor. Merge, the label tied to Suggs since his Butterglory years, issued the group’s debut WWI in 2006; the record prompted comparisons to Arcade Fire and the Decemberists and was supported by a nationwide tour.