first as artily sombre, and eventually as one of the most nuanced 21st-century iterations of what used to be known as "college rock". The National has been compared to Joy Division, Leonard Cohen, Interpol, Wilco, Depeche Mode, Radiohead, and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. The band's lyrics have been described as "dark, melancholy and difficult to interpret." Members Matt Berninger – lead vocals (1999–present) Aaron Dessner – guitar, bass, piano, keyboards, harmonica, mandola, backing vocals (1999–present) Bryan Devendorf – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1999–present) Scott Devendorf – bass, guitar, backing vocals (1999–present) Bryce Dessner – guitar, keyboards, piano, backing vocals (2001–present) Touring musicians Ben Lanz – trombone, synthesizers (2007–present) Kyle Resnick – trumpet, keyboards, backing vocals (2007–present) Former touring musicians James McAlister – percussion, drums (2019) Charity Political support The National supported both of Barack Obama's presidential candidacies in 2008 and 2012. In July 2008, the band designed and sold a T-shirt featuring Obama's image above the words "Mr. November," a reference to both their song from Alligator and the month of the U.S. presidential election. All proceeds were donated to Obama's campaign. On October 16, 2008, the band played a rally for Barack Obama on Fountain Square in their hometown of Cincinnati with The Breeders. Buses for early voting were available before the show to take voters to the Hamilton County Board of Elections. On September 28, 2010, The National played in front of over 25,000 people before a speech by President Obama at a rally in Madison, Wisconsin. On September 1, 2012, the band opened for the President at a campaign rally in Urbandale, Iowa in front of a crowd in excess of 10,000 people. In October, the band traveled to Ohio where they played two free shows and visited university campuses as part of Barack Obama's GottaVote campaign to encourage young adults to register to vote and to cast their vote for Obama. In November 2016, The National played a concert for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Humanitarian support 2008 Safe Space NYC In 2008 the band designed a T-shirt for the Yellow Bird Project to raise money for Safe Space NYC, an organization which provides safe refuge for underprivileged children and families in Southeast Queens. Dark Was the Night On February 17, 2009, Dark Was the Night, the twentieth Red Hot Organization compilation, was released. Curated by Aaron and Bryce Dessner, this album comprised songs by