The Kicks come to Columbia
The quartet ditched its solo projects to join forces.
Published Sept. 25, 2009
What happens when you take four talented musicians from around the country who are equally ambitious, energetic and Beatle-crazed? This combination amounts to The Kicks, a band of four friends who are charging the music world full-speed. That is, when their tour bus isn't stuck in any blizzards.
All four members were busy pursuing their own solo careers at Belmont University, until they ended up playing a Valentine's Day Beatles tribute show and decided it was time to join forces.
The men soon began playing open-mic nights and campus shows more frequently and in Jan. 2008, the band The Four Kicks was formed, later to be shortened to The Kicks.
By their senior year, the dedicated musicians were juggling classes and playing club shows every weekend.
"We love playing live and want to be a band that is great live," Columbia native, drummer Lucas Cummins said.
Along with his other band mates, Jordan Phillips, Adam Stark and Gabe Anderson, Cummins can sing and play the guitar.
"We are constantly pushing each other to write better material," Phillips said, "We don't settle."
Nothing can stop this headstrong quartet, not even the weather. They ran into some snow (7 inches to be exact) earlier in the tour, but this did not keep them from performing.
The band has a diverse geographical profile, which helps vary their sound. Ranging from Georgia to Minnesota, Tennessee and Columbia, the boys have a unique blend of culture within the band.
"It helps that we are from all over the place because we can play good shows in more cities," lead vocalist Phillips says.
Although their main influence is The Beatles, more common threads consist of bands, such as Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, The Raconteurs and Elton John influencing the makings of their sound.
"The music is very classic rock influenced," Cummins says, "It's a hybrid of classic and modern rock."
Cummins, whose project Demo de Mitz will be released exclusively in Columbia this weekend, admits to taking a pointer or two from Mariah Carey.
The Kicks have been playing regional shows all over the Southeast and Midwest, and plan on continuing on the road to Alabama, South Carolina and Georgia after their show in Columbia.
The Rise of King Richie, their first album, was released Sept. 12 and is available for free on their Web site, thekicksrock.com.
Grammy award-winning producer Mitch Dane at Sputnik Studios in Nashville helped them record their album this summer.
For The Kicks, the inner workings of a song involve all the members.
"If I have an idea for a tune, it pretty much has to go through every one of the guys in order to see rehearsals," Phillips said.
The band takes its song-crafting process extremely seriously; once everyone has approved, they can begin to practice a song.
Their new album is proof practice makes perfect, as you can hear the collaboration of four people who love to play music together.
You will be able to witness the group's unique dynamic as they take the stage this Saturday at The Blue Fugue.
Although their idols are performers notorious for rock and roll and all the good and bad that come with it, The Kicks are simply in the music scene to play quality shows and grow as musicians. They might be found hanging with some close friends in town before a show, watching a Led Zeppelin DVD, or playing Balderdash.
Phillips promises a worthwhile show.
"We aspire to be a band that is great live, and playing shows is definitely where we thrive," Phillips said.