Problem: Vampire Weekend are an American rock band from New York City, formed in 2006. They are currently signed to Columbia Records. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Ezra Koenig, drummer and percussionist Chris Tomson and bassist and backing vocalist Chris Baio. The band's first album Vampire Weekend (2008) - which included the singles "Mansard Roof", "A-Punk", "Oxford Comma", "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" and "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance" - was acclaimed by critics for its world music influences.

After remaining quiet following the conclusion of their Modern Vampires tour, on January 26, 2016, Rostam Batmanglij announced his departure from the band on Twitter. He noted that he and Koenig would continue to collaborate. Later the same day, Koenig announced that Vampire Weekend was in the studio working on their upcoming fourth album, with Batmanglij contributing to the record. The album's working title was revealed to be Mitsubishi Macchiato.  In April 2016, the band briefly performed at a rally for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in Washington Park Square. Koenig has been a well-known supporter of Sanders, after discussions on his Beats 1 radio show, Time Crisis. The band performed live with Dave Longstreth of the Dirty Projectors, which marked their first performance as a trio.  In late 2016, Koenig was reportedly in talks to sign the band with Columbia Records, as he reportedly "hit it off" with executive, Rob Stringer. Initially, this news was regarded a rumour, until the band's website revamp in 2018, in which a Sony Music copyright appeared on the site.  In March 2017, Koenig revealed in an elaborate Instragram update that during 2016 he had spent countless hours researching and writing music in libraries with grad students. Additionally, he revealed that the album would feature a more 'spring-time' vibe and one of the songs would be entitled Flower Moon. Koenig revealed that LP4 would be partially inspired by the songwriting of country singer, Kacey Musgraves, after he attended one of her shows in September 2016. In an interview with Stereogum, he stated, "I'm the type of person who has spent hours poring over the avant-garde poetic lyrics of certain songwriters, and there was something that felt so good [about how] from the first verse, you knew who was singing, who they were singing to, what kind of situation they were in. After the show I realized there's not a ton of Vampire Weekend songs where you could listen to the first verse and immediately answer the question of who's singing and who are they singing to." Furthermore, in a September 2017 interview with Zane Lowe, Ezra briefly spoke about LP4 and stated that it was "about 80% done." He mentioned that the album would feature lead producer, Ariel Rechtshaid, with additional "guest appearances", one of which being Batmanglij. Lowe pushed Koenig for a release date, sighting Q1 2018 as a likely candidate.  The band's first show since their hiatus was confirmed on January 31, 2018, when it was announced that the band would be headlining the UK music festival End of the Road. The festival will run from August 31 to September 3 and mark Vampire Weekend's first return to the stage in 4 years. Additionally, it was announced that they would headline the 2018 Fuji Rock Festival, scheduled for July 27 to 29. The band will also be performing at Lollapalooza 2018, which runs from August 2-5, 2018.

How did that happen?

Answer with quotes: In late 2016, Koenig was reportedly in talks to sign the band with Columbia Records, as he reportedly "hit it off" with executive, Rob Stringer.


Problem: Saul Hudson was born in Hampstead, London. He was named for Saul Steinberg, an artist. His mother, Ola J. Hudson (nee Oliver; 1946-2009), was an African-American costume designer, whose clients included David Bowie, and his father, Anthony Hudson, is an English artist who created album covers for musicians such as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell., Of his mixed background, Slash later remarked, "As a musician, I've always been amused that I'm both British and black; particularly because so many American musicians seem to aspire to be British while so many British musicians, in the 'Sixties in particular, went to such great pains to be black."

In 2002, Slash reunited with Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum for a Randy Castillo tribute concert. Realizing that they still had the chemistry of their days in Guns N' Roses, they decided to form a new band together. Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin was initially involved, but left after the others decided to find a lead singer. Dave Kushner, who had previously played with McKagan in Loaded, then joined the band on rhythm guitar. For many months, the four searched for a lead singer by listening to offered demo tapes, a monotonous process documented by VH1. Eventually, former Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland joined the band.  In 2003, Velvet Revolver played several concerts during the summer and released their first single, "Set Me Free". In June 2004, they released their debut album, Contraband, which debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. chart and sold two million copies, re-establishing Slash as a mainstream performer. A year-and-a-half-long tour followed in support of the album. In July 2007, Velvet Revolver released their second album, Libertad, and embarked on a second tour. During a show in March 2008, Weiland announced to the audience that it would be the band's final tour; he was fired from the band in April 2008, Slash insisted "chemical issues" led to the split. The following month Weiland rejoined Stone Temple Pilots. Despite Weiland's departure, Velvet Revolver did not officially disband.  In early 2010, Velvet Revolver began writing new songs and auditioning new singers. By January 2011, the band had recorded nine demos, and was reportedly due to make a decision on their singer. However, the following April, Slash stated that they had been unable to find a suitable singer and that Velvet Revolver would remain on hiatus for the next few years while its members focus on other projects.

Did the band collaborate with anyone else on the album?

Answer with quotes: