You can tell a lot about a band by its MySpace profile. Go to the page for the indie rock band Surfer Blood and you'll only see a white background and the "Sounds Like" section featuring videos like "cat eating sour apple lollypop" and "Cat says NOM NOM NOM while eating sour cream."
I asked Thomas Fekete, the 22-year-old guitarist for Surfer Blood, to explain.
"Basically our label really pimped our MySpace out and put up kind of a cheesy background and just, like, all these weird links to MTV," Fekete said. "One day we just went on our MySpace and we were like, ‘Whoahhhh, what the fuck is this?' so we just took it all down and put those cat videos up. "
Sound-wise, Fekete said comparisons to Weezer, Pavement and Sonic Youth are flattering and pretty accurate as they are huge influences. Heavy emphasis on guitar and singable, noisepop choruses make Surfer Blood's album "Astro Coast" perfect for road trips.
The West Palm musicians played together for only about six months before the band started to become popular. That's when their reverb-heavy summer anthem "Swim" ranked No. 37 on "The Top 100 Tracks of 2009" created by the highly influential music website Pitchfork, landing them in the company of Jay-Z, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Lady Gaga.
The band went from playing to small crowds of friends in West Palm to the festival circuit, playing in front of up to 9,000 people. What Fekete describes as "a crazy year" is an understatement, filled with intense moments both good and bad.
One of those good moments happened at the BBC studio in London. Head down, sound checking before a radio program, Fekete looked up to find none other than Jason Schwartzman, who is a fan of their record.
"We couldn't believe it," Fekete said. "And then he actually went on air for an interview and told the interviewer he was star struck when he saw us. It was pretty cool."
It's easy to have a good time at any venue when you're in a band that's gaining notoriety, but Fekete is eager to play in Gainesville and enjoy the city's delicious vegan eats.
"Reggae Shack is my favorite place ever," Fekete said. "I get the jerk tofu. It's the most insanely spicy thing I've ever had. So good though."
Surfer Blood will be playing with The Drums and The Young Friends at Common Grounds on Monday, Sept. 20 at 9 p.m. Entry is $12.
