Band of the Week: The Scourge of the Sea

Photo: Jonathan Moore

Hometown: Lexington, Ky.
Members: Justin Craig, Andrew English, Robby Cosenza
Fun Fact: Cosenza came up with the band's name during his "pirate phase" when he was living in the Outer Banks, North Carolina.
Why They're Worth Watching: Clever lyrics, well-constructed tunes, and an impressive debut album have set up this band for success.
For Fans Of: The Decemberists, Clem Snide, The Softies

The Scourge of the Sea tends to let things fall into place. Not to say the Lexington, Ky. three-piece is apathetic or lazy—but, for instance, they are about to embark on their first nationwide tour and "half of the tour is still on hold as far as booking goes," says drummer Robby Cosenza. "It's a total, total mess."

I catch up with Cosenza, the band's drummer and sometimes-guitarist (they're all multi-instrumentalists, he says), the morning the band members are moving out of their house, "in a mad rush" to prepare for the upcoming tour. But all the madness doesn't seem to affect the Scourge of the Sea's cool, dreamy music.

For a debut album, Make Me Armored is coherent and polished—full of well-crafted, ethereal tunes that say a lot with few, impeccably chosen words. "We kind of all go to our respective bedrooms and then come to practice with whatever we have," says Cosenza. Singer Andrew English writes the bulk of the band's songs, while Cosenza and guitarist Justin Craig help to complete the songs. English's lyrics are paired perfectly with Craig and Cosenza's solid musicianship.

How Cosenza and English met is another instance of the band’s leave-it-to-fate attitude. Cosenza was house-sitting for a friend who lived next door to English. "I heard music and singing and guitar playing, and it was pretty amazing," says Cosenza. "So I listened to him for like 45 minutes, sitting outside his door. Then I knocked on the door and said 'Hey man, let's be a band.'"

As Cosenza gets back to helping his bandmates empty the house, he's unfazed at the thought of hitting the road in two days, in an un-air-conditioned van, driving to towns where they haven't booked shows. His thoughts? "Whatever, it'll happen."