Jet Kid Committee

Upon arriving at the Canal Street Tavern Sunday evening, I was told the Villains had forfeited their slot and that Jet Kid Committee would be playing solo. I was reassured that my three dollars would be well spent, however, when asked to vote anyway because, “that’s how the band gets paid.”
I had heard positive rumblings about Jet Kid Committee, so I decided to stay and walked into a fairly bustling Sunday crowd whose average age looked to be about 15. I immediately noticed the five young Jet Kids shuffling anxiously near the front of the stage. Jet Kid Committee is comprised of a quartet of dudes who probably can’t see over the dashboard yet and an enormous fifth member who towered over the other four as if he was their security detail for the night.
The band began with an uproarious, Korg-fueled rave-up that had the crowd immediately mesmerized and cheering. This was an incredibly good song for a bunch of kids who probably still get carded for R-rated movies, yet they took charge and beat the song within an inch of its short life.
The next song relied on the great punk rock of yesteryear but the band still managed to charm. As the band finished any given song, the various members would smile knowingly to each other and trade instruments. The first half-dozen songs were handled well by the towering giant behind the drum kit, but then the kids began darting about the stage, switching instruments for nearly every song they played. Each band member also took lead vocal responsibilities at least once during the band’s set, and if they weren’t on lead they were mimicking or shouting call-and-response with whomever was handling the lead.
A Grandaddy cover went over splendidly, with the quintet nearly matching the beeping joy of the original, and the band’s nifty “Volcano/Ship Sank” moved from glorious noise-pop to just plain noise in the space of about five and a half minutes. Jet Kid Committee definitely wears their influences on their pre-shrunk sleeves, but they play so well together that it hardly matters that most of their songs will remind you of certain bands from New York City that even your grandma has probably heard of by now.
I was thoroughly impressed with the set I witnessed Sunday evening and plead with Canal Street to continue to share such unknown treasures with the rest of us. These are some very talented young men who could easily fit on the roster of just about any young indie label sweating for “the next big thing.” I have some issues with the band name (it sounds like a silly children’s television show or a mock meeting group at some lush grade school), but that’s a minor complaint. These kids have got the goods and deserve as many ears as humanly possible.

Reach DCP music writers
Tim Death & Paul Barbatano at
contactus@daytoncitypaper.com. - Dayton City Paper

RE-EXAMINING CONVENTIONAL WISDOM
The Canal Playoffs this year have been a time, for sure, from early battles such as H.A.M. vs. The Villains, which saw the Villains effortlessly win only to forfeit in the second round due to a newfound realization that they could gain more exposure and cash by playing regular gigs. Also, they didn’t have a drummer. I saw the Villains taking their retro rock far (and I think even stated they would in the review of that first show), so their forfeit left me with the brokest heart of all.
The Villains’ forfeit was to the Jet Kid Committee, who were also a favorite of mine and aren’t in the finals for reasons unknown to me. Well, unknown to an extent, anyway. The Jet Kids are very subgenre strong and hard to pin down in a singular title, while the other finalists this year are slightly easy to describe in one phrase (I don’t mean this as an insult).
I’ve been trying to think of a cute sentence or phrase to sum up the Canal Street Playoffs this year, but I can’t. This is the part where the Playoff haters will say, “It’s a popularity contest and it’s all about how many friends your band can pack in.” And they’d be right.
Playoff detractors don’t seem to realize this, but this happens at shows all the time, whether it’s the Playoffs or not. People in bands constantly ask their friends, “Why didn’t you come to my show last night?” and I constantly hear, “Oh, I just came cuz the bassist is my roommate.” I’m not saying that this is the basis for every band’s fans on a local level. But until any band proves themselves and develops fans based on their music alone, then their fan base is inevitably just their friends for the first six months worth of shows, or however long it takes. Considering that most bands that enter the Playoffs have been together for about six months, it is very reasonable that they rely on friends to come to support them.
This is especially reasonable when you consider that many bands in the Playoffs are young, upstart bands that need the Canal Playoffs exposure to get potential fans to become aware of them. This is the reason that about 20 patrons come out to Round One shows and, by the semi-finals, the bar is always packed. It’s the same bar with the same drink prices. The only thing different is that the bands that have stayed in thus far have built buzzes for themselves and are drawing in people based on their music, or word-of-mouth, or extreme flyering, or by handing out demos, or from the press they’ve received. Just like any other non-playoff show.
I’m not saying that Canal Street’s method is perfect. Mona won last year, so it’s obvious that the system does, occasionally, fail. As for this year, I’m looking to see a Wes Tirey & the Easy Hearts win by TKO, and I also expect to hear a lot more from Playoff “losers,” The Jet Kid Committee, in the future. — Tim Death

- Dayton City Paper