On every episode of The Incident, I uncover a secret about the musicians you love. It could be a story from the road, a tale from inside the recording studio or just one of the crazy things that happen to a working musician.
The toast of Bellingham, Washington is one of the most beloved names in modern rock, Death Cab For Cutie.
Whether they like it or not, the group are often labelled as one of the original emo-rock acts. Hearts on their sleeves, the lyrics freely using pain, loneliness and depression as topics up for grabs.
But what happens when emo turns to anger? Woe turns to rage? Fear turns to force?
In 2011 the veteran act released Codes and Keys, a signature recording that is sonically impressive, full of hits, and yet another feather in the cap of a varied and successful career. Songwriting and singing duties are in the hands of Ben Gibbard, who owns one of the truly original voices in rock and pop today.
Death Cab’s recent tour saw them supporting their critically acclaimed Codes and Keys in 4,000-seaters armed with their arsenal of hits, but sold out arena and theatre shows was not always their reality.
Chris Walla, who is a star producer as well as the band’s lead guitarist, sat down to consider the Death Cab For Cutie incident, and it all starts in Athens Georgia.
"It was the first national tour we did in 1999 and we were huge R.E.M. fans," explains Walla.
"We got booked at the 40 Watt, which is where R.E.M. really got their start. It was a dream come true. We got there and a fair few people showed up for the show. We had a $50 guarantee for that show, and we though the show had gone really well. Nick (Harmer) was bass playing and tour managing and he went back to settle the show as he always did. He came back and he said, 'Guys, we only got $25 bucks, he stiffed us.'
"I was kind of drunk and I was really incensed. It wasn't like we had a $500 guarantee and we only go $450. That $25 is the difference between being able to eat or not. I was just drunk enough that I felt like it was a great idea to have it out with the promoter. It wasn't a good idea, and it didn't quite turn into a fistfight, but it was pretty close. I had to get dragged out of that room. We were banned from the 40 Watt for a number of years.
"We were finally invited back some four or five years later. That was particularly rough, that was a bad night."
To hear Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie explain the entire story, hit the play button below.
Listen to past editions of The Incident:
The Loreena McKennitt Incident