Indie group sinks its teeth into pop culture, find success (Created February 27, 2013)

At a time when vampires began to dominate popular culture by appearing in movies, television and literature, four men in New York City also made sure music wouldn't be left off that list. Thus the inspiration for what would become one of indie rock's latest, greatest success stories -- a band by the name of Vampire Weekend.

Formed in Manhattan in 2006, the group was originally a rap collaboration between Ezra Koenig and Chris Tomson during their time at Columbia University. With a shared interest in vastly different genres of music, they chose the name Vampire Weekend simply for the fact that it might play into the undying popularity of the mythical, blood-sucking creatures. Needless to say, the gamble worked. As two became four, with the band officially adding Chris Baio and Rostam Batmanglij, they began playing shows around campus and self-produced their debut album.

The quartet officially made its studio debut with 2008's "Vampire Weekend," an album that featured the well-worn song "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" (released in 2007 and ranked 67th on Rolling Stone's list of '100 Best Songs of the Year') , along with other cuts like "A-Punk" and "Oxford Comma" (which was No. 4 on Rolling Stone's list in 2008). Substantial media attention followed right into the band's sophomore effort, "Contra," in January 2010. The project was ultimately nominated for a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album, but lost to The Black Keys's "Brothers."

The band's upcoming album, "Modern Vampires of the City," has been described by Koenig as "darker and more organic" in the February 2013 edition of Q. The band will kick off a tour beginning March 13 in Austin, Texas, with the project set to bow on May 6 in the UK and May 7 in the US.