Why did Kurt Vile leave The War on Drugs?
It’s one of the great “what-ifs” of modern indie rock history: what would The War on Drugs have been like had their original lineup stayed together? All bands have convoluted origin stories that involved the shuffling of key members, but The War on Drugs are a rare case of two strong-willed songwriter/guitarists/singers who got famous after they decided to forge their own paths. Adam Granduciel decided to keep leading The War on Drugs, while Kurt Vile opted to embrace a solo career.
“Adam was the first dude I met when I moved back to Philadelphia in 2003,” Vile told The Line of Best Fit in 2011. “We saw eye-to-eye on a lot of things. I was obsessed with Bob Dylan at the time, and we totally geeked out on that. We started playing together in the early days, and he would be in my band, The Violators. Then, eventually, I played in The War On Drugs.”
Granduciel and Vile blurred the lines between their respective bands, playing with each other and contributing to the same projects. Eventually, The War on Drugs began to get big enough to tour outside of the United States, which put Vile in an interesting position. He was making his own music while still contributing to The War on Drugs, but when the band’s debut album Wagonwheel Blues was released in 2008, Vile had to make a decision.
“My music came out on a very small label a few months before Wagonwheel Blues, which was on a bigger label. So, it gave the illusion in the press that I come from The War On Drugs,” Vile explained. “But, before that, I had put out tons of my own stuff, so I was always doing my own thing, but it was underground because I didn’t understand how to get signed to a record label. The War On Drugs is Adam’s – I just play guitar.”
That was reflected in the album, which mostly featured Granduciel’s solo songwriting compositions and his own lead vocals. Vile is credited with writing three tracks on the album and helping craft the music and arrangements. Beyond that, Vile was still in charge of his own music outside of the group. After touring behind Wagonwheel Blues, Vile jumped ship in.
“I only went on the first European tour when their album came out, and then I basically left the band,” Vile revealed. “I knew if stuck with that, it would be all my time, and my goal was to have my own musical career.” Still, Granduciel and Vile remained friends, with Granduciel often playing as a part of Vile’s backing group, The Violators.
“When my record came out, I assumed Adam would want to focus on The War On Drugs, but he came with us in The Violators when we toured the States,” Vile recalled. “The Violators became a unit, and although the cast does rotate, we’ve developed an even tighter unity and sound. Adam is an incredible guitar player these days, and there is a certain feeling that nobody else can tap into. We don’t really have to tell each other what to play, it just happens.”
Ultimately, Vile maintains that he never really “left” The War on Drugs since his goal was always to establish his own career, something that wasn’t always reported accurately. “It did frustrate me, but I guess I have had enough of a Kurt Vile career for people to now know,” Vile concluded.
