By Julie Lawrence Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Feb 09, 2008 at 3:01 PM

Vampire Weekend seems to be the next biggest thing coming out of the New York indie rock scene, although its sound is anything but limited to one geographic area.

The band describes itself as "Upper West Side Soweto." We use words like sunny, casual and suave -- music that takes much more from Afro-pop than it does from the core of rock and roll.

Vampire Weekend released its self-titled debut album on Jan. 29 on XL Records. The brand new band -- only about a year old -- is preparing for tour, one that brings it to Milwaukee's Turner Hall Ballroom on Saturday, April 5 at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $12 (general admission, limited cabaret seating) and go on sale Friday, Feb. 15 at noon at The Pabst Theater box office and The Riverside Theater box office, on the Web at
www.turnerhallballroom.org and www.tickets.com, or by calling (414) 286-3663 or (800) 511-1552. Tickets are available night of show at Turner Hall Ballroom box office.

Julie Lawrence Special to OnMilwaukee.com

OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.

As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”