Young Buffalo are Oxford, Mississippi natives (the home of Ole Miss), but they could just as easily have come from Oxford, England (which has, you know, that OTHER Oxford school). The trio of Southerners released their Young Von Prettylips EP on Tuesday via Cantora Records and is set to go out on what is sure to be one of the hottest indie rock tours of the fall with The Vaccines and Tennis. While out on the road, Bestnewbands.com caught up with bassist Alex Von Hardberger to discuss a number of things, ranging from which of their touring band would in a fight to what they do on their days off.

Daniel Kohn: Are you guys excited for the upcoming tour?

Alex Von Hardberger: Extremely. We’ve been sitting around for a little too long and it’s time to get out and play some shows.  Especially now that we have a release to support it feels like we’ve got some new wind in our sails and we are all gung-ho about hitting the road again.

 

DK: How did you get hooked up with Tennis and The Vaccines? What have you learned from them thus far?

AVH: Well, we’ve played with The Vaccines before at Bowery Ballroom – actually it was their first show ever in America, I believe – and they were really great guys.  Tennis is on Fat Possum, which is based out of our hometown; so, there were a couple different connections between the bands.

 

DK: Of those two bands and a brawl went down, which band would win and why?

AVH: Oh man, I don’t want to get on anyone’s bad side right before touring, but I guess I’d have to go with the Vaccines. You never can tell when one of those crazy Brits are just gonna go and pull a knife out on you.

 

DK What city are you excited to perform? Also, is there a place that you’ve never been before and are excited to explore?

AVH: Both of those questions can both be answered with one city- Toronto.  We’ve never played Canada before, and I’ve never even been to Canada personally, so I’m really excited

 

DK: What’s a typical day-off like? Do you go shopping, record hunting or get drunk and do laundry?

AVH: Well, getting drunk is something that happens regularly enough after playing a show.  On our days off I’d say we are more in the business of nursing hangovers and trying to take it easy for the next gig.  And, yes, plenty of record shopping.  There is nowhere in Oxford, MS where you can buy vinyl anymore, so we all take the opportunity to stock up while we are traveling.

 

DK: What’s with the new EP? How did it come to fruition?

AVH: We have been playing together now for two years, and still hadn’t had a release.  And it was getting really frustrating- how you can be taken seriously as a band when you don’t even have a single or a 7″ or something out?  So we actually recorded a full-length album at Sweet Tea studios in August 2010, but, as things happen in the music world, it got stalled and pushed back and finally thrown into limbo.  So that’s when a mutual connection introduced us to the wonderful people over at Cantora Records. We sat down with them and figured out a plan for what is now the Young von Prettylips EP.

 

DK:  Who would you say has had a greater influence on the band: Thurston Moore or Kim Gordon?

AVH: Thurston Moore, he’s a beast!

 

DK: After the tour, what’s the plan for the rest of 2011?

AVH: More touring and hopefully getting back in the studio.

 

Young Buffalo’s EP is available on Cantora Records’ website and you can check their website for when they’ll be in your town next.