Wild At Heart
Wild At Heart
Enjoyed watching that great comeback win by the Lions over Carolina, so they need only 2 more wins for their first winning season in a long time. I remember a time when I didn’t even notice the Lions existed with the exception of their Thanksgiving Day game and now I have become a full fledged fan. It’s a wonder what having good players, a new attitude and no Matt M____ mean to a team.
I am really excited about tonight when I am going to a local club to see the post-punk band the Chameleons in concert. This is a band I never thought I would get the opportunity to see live. I became a fan in the late 80’s, right when they were breaking up, based on a request by a frequent radio listener of my show who knew I like punk and new wave, esp the more experimental and unique bands. Gary floated this band my way and the quickly became one of my favorites with wonderful albums like “Script Of The Bridge” and “Strange Times” and one of my favorites 80’s songs “In Shreads” which I frequently played on my show on WXOU. Being from England, and essentially broken up, I never thought I would get to ever see them live and now after 20 years, I am going to see them tonight. To get me pumped up, here is a song to help get me going. Hope you enjoy.
I will also have the pleasure of covering Social Distortion in Buffalo, NY (soon to be playing in Toledo and Grand Rapids) on Wednesday and I hope to have an interview ready prior to that show.
Speaking of interviews, I recently sent some questions over Deleano Acevedo of K.I.D.S. who is part of a line-up of great music on Thanksgiving Eve (Wednesday, Nov. 23) with five Detroit bands at PJ’s Lager House (1254 Michigan Avenue). Here are my questions and his answers for your viewing enjoyment.
1) I had been a big fan of your previous band Silverghost and was wondering what the status of that project is.
DA: Silverghost came to an end last winter.
2) How does K.I.D.S. differ musically and aesthetically from your previous work?
This band is more guitar driven. I wrote all of the songs on the guitar but still wanted them to be simple-pop structured. It was much easier for me to write songs at the beginning of 2011 with an acoustic guitar. I finished about 30 before I started K.I.D.S.
3) I have seen numerous acronyms for the band. Was that intentional or do you have a standard definition for what K.I.D.S. stand for?
Everyone of the acronyms I have seen pretty much has helped us evolve as a group. Outside influence moves us forward into deep space.
4) How do you describe the sound of K.I.D.S. to those who are not familiar with the music?
Live: Rock and Roll/Punk/Pop. Listeners have compared to bands like the Buzzcocks, Guided By Voices and Brenden Benson.
Recorded: Less noise/more synth/more harmonies
5) I listened to a few tunes on Beehive Records website and thought I heard a 60's style garage rock sound that reminded me of bands like the Zombies or the Hollies. Was that something you were looking to do or something that just happened?
I only had the vocals and rythmn guitar written when I went into Beehive. We finished everything in one day and I just wrote the drums/synth/bass/vocal harmonies as I went along. Steve Nawara's set-up kinda evokes that vintage sound, so basically the songs ended up a big mix of lo-fi/hi-fi/medium-fi-ness.
6) I heard that you did all the instrumentation on those first songs. How did that come about.
I just played each instrument for a few takes until I had it down and then we would record. It all came fairly fast and the 3 songs were done in 6-7 hours.
7) Later you actually recruited a band. How did you come around to picking them? What were you looking for to compliment the work you had already done?
I wanted a great drummer, so I asked Don Blum. He wasn't in any bands so it was perfect. Scott Stimac was not in any bands either and I knew he had a ton of pedals, which I wanted for the lead guitar. Nick Jones is a great musician and friend. All four of us get along great. We have tons of positive vibes.
8) I see one member was Don Blum, formerly of the Von Bondies. You worked with Marcie Bolen (also of the Von Bondies in Silverghost) so is there a love affair with that band or a certain type of affinity for their music or just proof they were a great band?
Things just happened that way. No reason really.
9) How did you come to Beehive Records and how important are they to promoting the music of Detroit? I see that they have some wonderfully talented musicians in Audra Kubat, The Octopus and the Hentchmen. What are your thoughts on the current music scene in Detroit and how does K.I.D.S. fit in?
I knew recording with Beehive would help promote the band before we would play any shows. It worked out cause people already knew the songs at the first show. I'm not sure how we fit in to the scene. There are so many bands and they all sound so different. It more just about playing with your friends, having a good time and hoping people enjoy your music at the same time.
10) What is going on in the near future for the band? What would you like to see K.I.D.S. evolve into?
We are doing a split 7" with our friends Glossies. Then we are recording our first full length this winter. After that.....total success or failure.
11) You have the big show this upcoming Wednesday. What would you like to say to the readers of motorcityblog about the show and about the band?
Lets give a big Kiss to all the Intersecting people who are Different and live for music Scenes
I’ll leave you with a video of K.I.D.S. to give you a taste of what is to come.
For those looking for other options this holiday week, here are a few recommendations:
Wednesday (11/23) - Amy Gore @ Small's, Sponge @ the Ritz, Pistol Day Parade @ Rock & Roll Billiards (Riverview), Puddle of Mudd @ Machine Shop, Robin Thicke @ St Andrews Hall
Friday (11/25) - Peter Murphy @ the Crofoot, City And Colour @ the Fillmore, Uncle Kracker @ Royal Oak Music Theatre, Sponge @ Small's, Whitney Morgan and the 78's @ Machine Shop, Hank III @ St Andrews Hall
Saturday (11/26) - 60 Second Crush @ Mo Doggies (Fenton), City And Colour @ the Fillmore, Bassnectar @ Compuware Arena, Tommy Castro Band @ Callahans, NOMO @ Blind Pig, Jay-Z @ Palace Of Auburn Hills, Social Distortion @ Omni (Toledo)
Have a good weekend and I hope to have some good Social Distortion pics this Wednesday or Thursday and maybe some Chameleon pics next Monday.
