The Drowning Men is an American indie-rock quintet from Oceanside, California. The members are Nato Bardeen (vocals, keyboards, guitar, mandolin), James Smith (lead guitar, vocals), Todd Eisenkerch (bass, vocals), Rory Dolan (percussion), and Gabelani Messer (keyboards, vocals). Band formation Based upon the songwriting of Nathan (Nato) Bardeen, the band was formed by Bardeen, as well as close friends, Rory, James, and original bass player Jason Young, in April 2005. The unnamed group played their first show in late 2005. As the band began to pick up momentum from songwriting and shows, Jay's position at the up and coming clothing company Brixton called for most of his daily attention. Shortly after, Jay left the band to focus on the clothing line. Todd Eisenkerch, a childhood friend of the members, and guitar player of another band Bardeen had played and sung in, The Plug Uglies, (who were now defunct) was positioned to play bass. Drummer Rory described the rehearsal where Todd was recruited: "Todd was hanging out with us when Jay left, we handed him a bass and said "looks like you're the new bass player". Todd obliged and has been a member since that day. Additional multi-instrumental Gabe Messer was added to the band after their initial E.P. Kill The Matador was released, as well as their first full album, Beheading of the Songbird, and as the band was continuing to work on various songs for their next record. Messer added additional talent as well as layers to the sound of previous songs and songs they continued to work on, primary adding the playing of various keys. Finding a name Having a handful of shows under their belt, and a number of songs for a set, the band still had no name. As the band discussed potential names, Nato always had one that stuck in his head, he mentioned it to the other members, and the band agreed that "The Drowning Men" seemed to fit perfectly (Nato credits Nick Cave's poetry book And the Ass Saw the Angel). Evolutions 2006 saw the band's first show as The Drowning Men. The show took place at the Kensington Club in Kensington, San Diego, California. The band continued playing local shows, occasionally venturing out beyond their immediate area. In 2007, the band recorded the Kill The Matador EP. In 2008, while banking, Nato struck up a conversation with bank teller Ryan Morgan. During the