By Eileen Tilson/ @tktalt_tn
The first time I saw The Kicks was two years ago at the Hard Rock Cafe in Atlanta opening up for Ben Deignan. I remember going to the show, prepared to see a baby band, and being surprised by the authenticity and potential talent the band possessed. Well, my hunch was right because in those two years Nashville natives, The Kicks have gone on to play at prestigious festivals such as Austin City Limits & South By Southwest, as well as having their single “Hawk Eyes” and “Shake it Loose” featured on hit TV shows such as, Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars, and The Real World. Looking to get back into the studio this year with Grammy winners Mitch Dane (Jars of Clay) and Vance Powell (The Raconteurs, Kings of Leon, The White Stripes) we chatted with Jordan and Adam before their show this Saturday at Smith’s Olde Bar, which they are playing with Atlanta’s sons, Red Letter Agent. BE SURE TO ENTER BELOW FOR A CHANCE TO WIN TICKETS TO THE SHOW!
What was the first gig you ever went to?
Jordan: Mine was The Doobie Brothers! I was around ten years old in Hilton Head with my parents. It was a Hawaiian shirt & Dockers heaven! It was like being in a crowd of about 30,000 of my parents!
Adam: Mine was Michael Bolton when I was seven. My parents took me. It is amazing how hard you can fall with a bad perm!
What is the best gig that you ever played/performed at?
Adam: I would have to say probably ACL ( Austin City Limits). It was just so cool to be around all these other monsters of bands. We were walking around with acts like Muse and The Black Keys. For me personally, I learned how to play guitar watching Stevie Ray Vaughn play on the ACL TV show. There is just something about the energy that gets captured in a room; it makes us remember that we go out on stage to create an experience.
Jordan: I think our most memorable gig was probably in the infant days of The Kicks. We played in St. Louis with a 13 piece rap group called 13 Spade, and we pretty much thought we were gonna die. They kept passing the mic around, not looking very gangsta, but they totally were.
What is the best gig you have ever been to?
Adam- For me it is a toss up between seeing Paul McCartney at Piedmont Park or seeing U2 at Vanderbilt Stadium.
Jordan: I was with Adam at McCartney which was obviously incredible, but for me, seeing My Morning Jacket in Nashville was life changing. I saw them before we even started The Kicks, and they inspired me to want to start a rock band. After seeing them, I knew they were a modern day beast live. What we do live with The Kicks is very inspired from seeing them; they are simply a wall of sound.
Gig you would most like to play?
Adam: I would love to play Wimbley Stadium having 80-100,000 people all there to see one show. That’s pretty awesome.
Jordan: um, Royal Albert Hall! But being from Nashville, it would be pretty meaningful for me to sell out the Ryman. I know it’s not the biggest venue, but I believe it is a place that all Nashville artists aspire to play.
What would be the lineup for your dream gig?
Well I think we would have to be direct support for the Beatles, and we would let them headline, since you can’t really get any bigger than that. Throw a little Zeppelin in there and oh how about some Queen. Would be cool to have the Stones in there, and we could have Crosby Stills & Nash open. We would play in Rio in front of a million folks like the Stones did.
Catch The Kicks Jan. 7th w/ Red Letter Agent and Indianapolis Jones at Smith’s Olde Bar
Happy Pre-Valentines Day! The Explorers Club new CD / LP GRAND HOTEL comes out Feb 14th, and if you ask The Explorers Club founder Jason Brewer about his hopes for the band’s sophomore album, GRAND HOTEL, he’ll tell you straight up: “We really want this record to make a lot of people smile, to inject some positivity into the world. Let’s stop making things so serious and introspective, and get away on a musical vacation so we can bring a little bit of joy to people.”
We’re going to keep on going with the giveaways today. Here’s some great giveaways from The Loft. As always, fill out the form below for your chance to win.
Missing that feeling of getting lots of presents and goodies? Don’t worry – we have the cure for your holiday hangover. It’s giveaways! Fill out the form below for your chance to win a pair of tickets to these fab shows at Vinyl.
Just in case you haven’t heard, Wale is a D.C.-based rapper that uses has released two studio albums since 2009. His most recent release, Ambition, was released this year and debuted at number two on the Billboard charts.
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