Cold War Kids
Lisa Swain

While still a student at Biola, Brett Williams started managing Cold War Kids, a group of fellow students that formed a scrappy foursome whose flannel attire would belie their sweltering live shows and lyrics of urgent moral dilemma.   Six months into managing, Brett harnessed the power of blogs by feeding their music to the 50 most powerful sites.   Before graduation, Brett had catapulted Cold War Kids to blog buzz kings.   With an exploding fan base, sold out shows across the country, praise from ROLLING STONE and BLENDER critics, the release of their first album, ROBBERS AND COWARDS, is racking up record sales.

I spoke with Brett recently about the success of Cold War Kids.   "When you're in it and everything is going on around you, it doesn't feel as crazy as it's supposed to feel, it just keeps going, and the things that we're doing just keep getting bigger."   The band just blew through a successful European tour and is scheduled for Letterman next week.   There doesn't seem to be an end in sight.

Brett, as the man behind the music, credits Biola with providing the foundation necessary to take on the music industry by challenging him to engage life. "We don't need to be scared of knowing what's going on in pop culture. It's what I do. When I go into a meeting, I'd better know what happened in "pop" culture the week or night before. My profession requires that I know about everything from Coldplay to Jay-Z. I don't make a life out of it, but you have to be savvy with that knowledge and use it your advantage. Being a young manager and dealing with people who have been in the business for years, it is sometimes the meeting before the meeting that can really help even out the playing field."

Staying grounded to the ideas that Brett took away from Biola is pivotal for Brett and Cold War Kids, but navigating this band through the current industry has had its challenges. "We do not have an agenda, there are certain things you have to wait to say until you have the ears to listen. It is not cowardly to realize there is a larger message that can be sent if you send it the right way."