Check out WPGU’s interview with Kids These Days here!
Quick! Think of every musical genre that you can.
Now, combine them into one band!
What do you get? Probably something similar to the Chicago-based group “Kids These Days”. True to their name, KTD are a bunch of 18 and 19 year old kids from Chicago (mainly from Whitney Young Magnet High School), who like to kick ass and take names.
I was privileged enough to catch up with them at the Addicted to Music Festival in Bloomington on Saturday, and they certainly did not disappoint.
They’re only one year out of high school and they have already decided to pursue music professionally. Their recent EP (Hard Times EP) coupled with performances at Lollapalooza and South by Southwest have catapulted them into the Chicago music limelight.
Vic Mensa (Rapper), Macie Stewart (Female Vocals, Keys), Nico Segal (Trumpet), Liam Gallagher (Guitar, Vocals), Greg Landfair (Drummer), Lane Beckstrom (Bass) and J.P. Floyd (Trombone) all come together and mesh every style that you could possibly imagine.
Of course, the elements of rap and hip-hop are there, but Stewart and Gallagher’s vocals are also dripping with a soulful sound that is relatively unexpected when you look at them. Segal and Floyd play their horns masterfully, providing a jazzy backbone to the sound (especially their solos on the song “Summerscent”). Landfair is perhaps one of the best jazz drummers I have seen in my entire life. He plays off of everyone else in the band exceptionally well, and he never seems to get tired or drop the pace.
Mark my words: This band is the future of Chicago music. You need to catch one of their shows (a truly immersing experience) before they blow up … as it is only a matter of time before that happens.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mriAvnEctro
