Friday, May 28, 2010

Kinetix interview

If you haven’t heard rock and pop band Kinetix yet, fear not. We think you’ll be hearing a lot of them very soon. They’ve journeyed, figuratively and literally, far since their early days, which started as Lamont School of Music students playing for passersby on the University of Denver campus during passing periods. They went on to win a battle of the bands in 2006 at the 10,000 Lakes Festival in Minnesota, and since have been on a whirlwind tour of more than 40 cities in 20 states, including a recent stint opening 23 dates for the Flobots, which, in part, led to Flobots guitarist Andy Guerrero producing their third album, Let Me In. Get to know the band -- Adam Lufkin (rhythm guitar, vocals), Eric Blumenfeld (keyboards, vocals), Jack Gargan (drums), Jordan Linit (lead guitar), and Josh Fairman (bass) -- as they answer our questions about their early days at DU, the joys of touring, rock in a weak economy, the joys of touring, the joys of touring, and the new album from where else but on “a van ride to a gig.”

Jeanie Straub: You all got your start as a band playing outside on the University of Denver campus during passing periods. Tell me a little more about that. Do you miss those days? Were you all at the Lamont School of Music?

Eric Blumenfeld (keyboards, vocals) and Kinetix: Yeah, we were all students at the school but we actually met at a local bar called The Border. We miss those days because we had no experience so everything that we did was awesome! We would promote shows by running around the dorms putting fliers under every door, or jamming in the hallways during passing periods. We actually got started by begging for permission to perform on the campus quad during random benefits, but eventually we started to attract larger crowds than the actual benefits and we got unofficially banned from playing on campus. We took the party to the Denver theaters. … In reference to the Lamont influence, we can’t say enough about the program. The whole system is set up to stimulate creativity. The kids are there to learn, and the professors are incredibly talented. We all gained a deeper appreciation for so many styles of music, and in a very real way it helped us form our brand of rock and roll.

Straub: Does your music fit neatly into a genre?

Jordan Linit (lead guitar) and Kinetix: Yes. It is rock and pop, but it wasn’t always that way. On our previous albums it was hard to place all the songs under any one genre. … Over the years and tours since our last album we’ve matured from a group of five individuals into a band. It’s funny, but when you have something in your life that is etched in stone like a record, it’s probably somewhat a part of human nature to look back on it and wish that you knew then what you know now. That’s why [our third album] Let Me In is so close to all of our hearts; we really feel like this album is Kinetix in the present tense.

Straub: You all won a Battle of the Bands competition in 2006 at the 10,000 Lakes Festival in Minnesota, also known as 10KLF. You said the promoters loved you, and you’ve been invited back every year since. Sadly, just like Monolith, 10KLF ran into financial problems and is on indefinite hiatus – it sounded like a great gig. How else does a down economy affect an up-and-coming band like Kinetix? You all have been asked to perform at the 2010 festivals Summer Camp, Wakarusa, Forecastle, Bella Vida, Big Up, Great Lakes, and more, but the whole economic gloom and doom -- it must suck to have all that in the background, even when things are going so well.

Josh Fairman (bass) and Kinetix: Wait, rock and roll used to be easy? Get out of here. Where’s the free money? Really, it is what it is. Obviously, the economy is having a huge effect on the industry and when you factor in the ‘free music’ digital era it puts a tremendous strain on a band in the traditional sense. Certainly, it hurts us in the short term. … That said, we’re not scared. It comes down to an inner faith in the bigger picture.

Straub: The Minnesota festival led to your ability to tour, and you’ve since put together a touring route that includes 40 cities in 20 states. Tell me about what you love about touring and what you don’t love so much.

Jack Gargan (drums) and Kinetix: Three weeks ago we were pulling an all-night drive from Denver to Wisconsin for our first gig of the Spring tour in Wisconsin. At 1 a.m., the trailer wheel hub cap gets loose and the grease leaks out. At 60 mph the spindle melts immediately and a second later the trailer catches on fire. Literally lucky for our lives, we catch it in the rear view mirror and pull over. There was a nervous eight-hour wait for the service truck to come, and after slapping together a plan to rent a U-Haul for a week we arrive at the gig 20 minutes after doors. The crowd goes nuts when we walk in and we plug in, turn up and rock a wild, frenzied sold-out show for three hours. Tour is about enjoying the opportunity to chase something special.

Straub: In 2009, Kinetix toured with the Flobots, playing 23 dates nationwide. What are your best memories of that time? What was something really important that you learned from the Flobots? Do you keep in touch?

Fairman and Kinetix: We had arguably the best time of our professional lives on that tour. The Flobots are an unbelievable group. They became our friends, mentors and role models. Kinetix grew so much during those two months. The Flobots are uniquely talented. They control the stage so well and bring heat every single night, and they elevated our game accordingly. … They were so supportive, front and center on the dance floor for our sets almost every night, and that’s right before their own shows. That’s just absurd. We keep in close touch to this day and in fact, we got along so well with Flobots guitarist Andy Guerrero that he ended up producing Let Me In. We’re still shocked by how this has all played out.

Straub: Let Me In, your third album, is set for a May 11 release. Your manager, Daniel Kellner, said the concept behind the album was an existential, in-the-moment reflection on being a band. Can you elaborate on that?

Adam Lufkin (rhythm guitar, vocals) and Kinetix: Let Me In reflects where we are both musically and from a maturity standpoint. … We’re at a juncture where we feel like we’ve found our sound, and these are the stories about how we got here. Sure, we’re in this to be successful and make careers out of it, which seems to fall on the same plane as any attempt to create harmony in life or love, but I guess it just never hurts to look in a mirror and remember that it feels good to accept yourself for who you are.

Straub: I hate how some bands don’t seem to engage fans, and you mentioned something about your interaction with fans that I found very refreshing. Tell me about that.

Linit and Kinetix: We wouldn’t be doing this without our fans. … I could list off the email blast, Facebook, website, etc. as a strategy but it’s actually way more simple: When we see a fan out on the road that’s been coming to our shows for four years, that’s a run-and-hug situation.

CD review: Joel Decatur -- Seeking the House-Builder [LP]

Damn I really LOVE this CD. Other than that, Joel Decatur is hard to describe. For starters I’d say this album feels like it is one up from Pearl Jam. (And I do love my Pearl Jam.) Just really inspired, well developed tracks delivered by smooth, professional players -- musicians who, like Decatur, have got the technical side of instrumentation down and who sound great together, like they all share the same organs or robbed stores together as children. I wouldn’t call it folk-rock or Americana, it is more like just plain rock-rock, but that’s what Joel Decatur calls it, noting that he got his start playing progressive metal. “Essentially I cut my guitar playing teeth with a heavier approach,” Joel explains on his website. “Although, innately I was firmly planted in the blues structure.” One thing you’ll surely appreciate is Decatur’s rich vocals on top of the consistently moving orchestration and lyrical brilliance, and it turns out that he worked on those very vocals after an audition to be the lead for Blind Melon. (Note that Brad Smith from Blind Melon makes an appearance on bass on the song “Trust.”) “One thing this did for me was to put my vocals in the spotlight, something I had never done before,” Decatur writes of getting so close to making Blind Melon happen. “So to get such praise from a band I have huge respect for was the push I needed to forge a new path. I started to concentrate on writing acoustic songs, taking vocal lessons and really finding my place.” You’ll be glad he did that, and you’ll be extra pleased that we told you about this fine album.

http://www.joeldecatur.com/
http://www.myspace.com/joelwdecatur
http://twitter.com/joeldecatur

CD review: EOhippus -- Get On [LP]

Get On, the second CD from EOhippus, presents 11 original instrumental compositions that showcase complex rhythms in a cool, straight-forward style, one that is both unpretentious and fresh and up. Fusion lovers are going to dig this CD, especially those partial to up-beat, up-tempo instrumental work. Those not so enamored with jazz-related genres will find the album to sound like especially inspired elevator music, but even they may not want to get off the elevator at their stop once they realize these guys -- Bill Kerr (guitar), Jim Robischon (keyboard), Bruce Crisman (percussion), and George Brangoccio (bass) – are veteran professionals who deliver the goods, unifying influences such as Caribbean and Latin Jazz, Swing Jazz, R&B and Funk. Check out EOhippus live at 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 31, at Woody's Wood Fired Tavern, 7095 E. Evans Ave., Denver. Telephone: (303) 757-4200.

http://eohippus.squarespace.com/

CD review: King for a Day -- The Light is on and Shining Brightly for the Masses [LP]

King for a Day was formed in April 2004 to “play an original brand of acoustic Brit-pop with a hint of folk/rock and freak-beat thrown in for good measure,” according to the band’s myspace page. What you’ll be thinking when you hear this CD: Just wow. Another amazing band Colorado has generated. Just wow. King for a Day is high-energy, focused pop that gives a nod to earlier eras -- think Oasis meets the Monkeys -- without feeling like they are wannabes. Nice use of samples give them an artsy, flippant feel even though this is serious music produced by serious talent that has made the rounds in this town. Further evidence: The band is up for a Westword Music Showcase award under the Indie Pop category, and there will be no surprises when they take that. They are fully actualized. Good stuff!

http://www.myspace.com/kfadmusic

CD review: The Jealous Kind [EP]

Here’s the skinny on The Jealous Kind, a solid four-song Indie / Pop / Folk-Rock EP that was released in April under the auspices of Nashville producer Stephen Leiweke. When I first popped in this CD, my initial thought was: It is a good month for local music, because this was the second CD of six and both were more than good -- they were almost great. These guys are like a 2010 version of Pearl Jam et al. (And they own the ’90s-meets-tomorrow sound. As they say on their myspace page: “The duo makes a bow to ’90s-era bands on which their friendship was founded, with a sound … [that is] familiar, but at the same time, new.”) Thankfully, they do have a sound of their own and it is one that can be counted as up-to-the-minute enough, and on top of all that they fall, as I said, squarely in the good-to-great category of musicians. But that, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly the problem with this CD, if there were going to be a problem here. There are just so many bands in the good-to-great class these days that you sincerely have to hit me -- and everyone else -- over the head with something else, something just out of this world, to really make a difference and get me on the horn telling my friends, neighbors, colleagues, Twitter acquaintances and others to check you out, get your CD, see you live. This is their debut EP, so that may come down the road effortlessly enough. The guys behind The Jealous Kind, Josh Queen of Colorado and Dave Wright of Tennessee, again according to myspace, “crossed musical paths in 2002 when touring the Southeast with their own respective projects. They became fast friends over shared musical loves and vowed to one day work together.” Fast-forward to 2009, when they were exchanging lyrics, audio and video via email. “They quickly realized they had something special happening and soon teamed up with acclaimed Nashville producer Stephen Leiweke … to bring some of these songs to life,” according to their page. The result is definitely more than worth a listen, and some folks are going to love them and others, myself included, are going to find them squarely in the good-to-great grouping and move on in search of something more squarely in the bone-chilling mix. No doubt there is a pretty good chance that one or more DJs out there will note the good-to-great quality going on here, and the EP could very well make airwaves. And, you guessed it, that’s exactly why everything on the radio sounds like one big good-to-great track. That’s why so much of it sounds the same.

Sounds like: Pearl Jam in 2010; The Jealous Kind duo themselves say their sound is “reminiscent of Toad the Wet Sprocket and Counting Crows”

http://www.thejealouskind.com
http://twitter.com/thejealouskind
http://www.myspace.com/thejealouskind

CD review: Planning Space [LP]

Strap yourselves in, people: Planning Space’s self-titled LP is the standout Alt-Rock / Indie album for which you’ve been waiting. I don’t know whether to describe the band’s sound as Post Punk-leaning Hard Rock-inspired Alt-Rock or Metal-inspired Post Punk-leaning Alt-Rock, but however you put it, this works. Damn well. The band is incredibly tight, the lyrics are crazy fabulous, the singer – to die for (especially if you are a sucker for just the teeniest hint of Brit Pop). You’ve got seven clean and crisp and very, very inspired tracks. And I’m not kidding about those lyrics. The band -- Cal Pflepsen, Cameron Nicks, Dannon Nicks, and Danny Burton -- list their influences as The Offspring, Tickle Me Pink, Weezer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Greenday, Muse, Chevelle, Red, Sum 41, Metallica, Linkin Park, Rammstein and Hans Zimmer. They know their way around their instruments like they were playing in the womb -- in fact Dannon Nicks is said to have picked up his first guitar at the ripe age of four -- and they aren’t afraid to take chances. They are downright brilliant. Check them out live at 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 3, at the Toad Tavern.

Sounds like: Rammstein meets Brit Pop

http://www.myspace.com/planningspace

CD review: Headhum -- Manican [LP]

This is a crazy-great month for local music, and far, far out in front of the pack is Headhum’s ground-breaking Manican, the seven-song LP slash love child of Andy Tanner, previously the singer-songwriter for the band Laymen Terms, which, over seven years, turned out four albums on Suburban Home Records. Had I known their sound -- or about Andy Tanner’s gift -- before this month, I would have been a huge fan and I would have been blabbing on before now. But, alas, I’m just now finding out. The sound here is like someone of immense musical talent who has the confidence -- and the experience -- to really branch out and deconstruct music to find and build something entirely, entirely new -- new for the Grunge genre and new for Rock and new for just music. We say music or a band sounds “new” or “fresh” or what have you all the damn time. That’s until you hear something like this LP and realize you wasted “new” and “fresh” and have no words left to describe the very newness and freshness you’ve just had the privilege of experiencing. Innovative? That’s just for starters. Joined with the enormous talents of drummer Jonathan Johnson and bassist Noah Harpman, Tanner’s brilliance as a singer-songwriter who plays baritone and electric guitars and keyboards and incorporates sound samples is full actualized on clean, crisp tracks. With influences such as diverse as The Replacements and Nirvana, buckle up for the totally uncharted but for that which also boasts a structural purity – matched equally by intensity -- and lyrics that are on fire, amazing, on and on. This CD is crazy-impressive, brilliant and then some. I’m writing home.

http://www.destinationmoonmusic.com/headhum.html
http://www.myspace.com/headhum
http://www.myspace.com/andytanner

Rachel James -- move over Christina Aguilera ...