Key to the Midway

Key to the Midway is a fresh new young band from Michigan who have just released their first EP this past summer. This EP consists of five songs, all of which are in the pop rock genre. As this is their first EP, it’s good to start off with a great impression, something which they have done with this record. I really enjoyed the EP, even though some songs sound alike to songs other artists have done. However, there is a slight difference, making their cd more their own.

The opener is “Scenery”, most likely becoming their first single off this EP. It really draws you in to the album, beginning and ending on a very energetic beat. Like I mentioned before, there are some tracks that are similar to other bands’, and this is one of them. With that said, it still is a catchy song to start the album. The second song is called “Farewell”. One of things I liked about this song was the fact that it began with a fun tempo consisting of fast guitar riffs and a high pitched piano. It starts slow but quickly goes into a pop-like chorus. The middle song, “Drifting”, is the song that leans more into the rock genre. It’s the darkest one off the record, if you had to pick one off this happy tempo EP.

The other candidate to become the first single off this cd is “Just Me and You”. It’s very radio friendly and I can definitely see myself singing this in the car. Again, with all the other songs in this record, it also has a catchy tone to it. The closer of the EP is titled “You’ve Got Me”. I didn’t find this to be a very strong song to end the record. I would’ve liked it better if they actually changed up the beat of it and created a more unique track for a more complete feel to the EP rather than just another song that could’ve been put anywhere else. All in all, a decent start to a career. Key to the Midway has definitely got potential; all they’ve got to do is continue making the music they already do.
- ForTheSound.com

So you’re walking down the boardwalk of your local amusement park, scoping out which roller coaster to tackle next. At least, until the blaring music and flashing lights slowly reel you into putting up a dollar and taking a chance at a midway game.

Doesn’t matter which one. Ring toss. Hitting a balloon with a dart. Knocking over milk bottles with your best Randy Johnson impersonation. You will always lose.

Except, of course, with Key to the Midway. With this infectious up-and-coming pop-rock group from Kalamazoo, Michigan, and working in the studio with Rob Freeman of Cobra Starship and Hit the Lights fame, it’s impossible to lose.

“Just Me and You,” their newest jam, starts off with a ballad-like feel and builds up into a feel good chorus. The melody sounds like something straight off Top 40 radio, but Key to the Midway sounds as though they are just as influenced by indie-pop heavyweights the Format as mainstream bands like Boys Like Girls. The gang vocals at the end are the perfect anthematic way to close the song.

“Scenery” has a toe-tapping beat with heavy emphasis on the pop side of pop-rock. The guitar riffs are fun to air-guitar solo with, (one of the best compliments I can give,) and the drums are rapid and keep up the fast pace of the song.

“Brighter Than the City” changes their pace nicely with acoustic guitars and vocals oozing with raw emotions. Think Brand New’s anthem to youth, “Soco Amaretto Lime,” with more radio-friendly vocals, and that’s what this aesthetically acoustic track is.

Key to the Midway is not out to con listeners like any midway game at Every Amusement Park, USA, but has all the right facets to their sound to be the biggest thing out of Kalamazoo.

Check out the band at http://www.facebook.com/#!/KeyToTheMidway?ref=search! Recommended for any fans of mainstream, Top 40 radio!
- UnsignedFindMusic

http://kzoonoise.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/page_30_5questions.jpg - West Michigan Noise Magazine Issue #1 pg 30

http://kzoonoise.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/page_28_reviews.jpg - West Michigan Noise Magazine Issue #1 pg 28

http://kzoonoise.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/page_6_IT.jpg - West Michigan Noise Magazine Issue #1 pg. 6

Michigan pop-rockers Key to the Midway have posted 2 tracks from their upcoming debut EP “Keep it to Yourself” on their MySpace page. The effort was recorded with Rob Freeman (Cobra Starship, Hit the Lights, etc.). Thoughts?!?
- IndievisionMusic.com

Who wants to hear fresh, new music?

Shut up, you do. This week we’re spotlighting Key to the Midway, a new pop rock outfit from right in Kalamazoo. These boys kind of surfaced for me when they were thrown on the Flight to Athena show a couple weeks ago at the Riviera Theatre along with such locals as Hello Victor and Their Teeth Will Be Of Lions.

Key to the Midway has dropped a song on their MySpace from their brand new EP “Keep it to Yourself”. They recorded this bad boy with Rob Freeman, who has done work with other pop rock big wigs as Cobra Starship and Hit The Lights.

The joint is called Scenery and twill get stuck in your head. LISTEN TO IT HERE! Oh…and they MAY be playing an upcoming NOISE! event. Shhhh. - kzoonoise.com

Key To The Midway Is:

Jesse Barnes – Vocals
Drew English – Guitar/Vocals
Corey Yoder – Guitar
Shane Barnes – Bass/Vocals
Ryan English – Drums

Interviewed by: Mary Ouellette

Michigan pop rockers Key To The Midway recently released their new EP Keep It To Yourself. We hooked up with lead vocalist Jesse Barnes and guitarist Drew Eglish to talk about the band, their new EP and the future.



Let’s start out with a little band history – how long have you been together, how did it all fall into place, etc?
Drew: Jesse and I were introduced through a mutual friend and met up and started jamming together. We both noticed a lot of musical chemistry in writing and demoing 2 separate songs; one of them actually ended up being our 3rd track “Drifting,” so we decided to take things a step further in completing our lineup. We both recruited our older brothers to make 4 members of KTTM then we realized that we would need a second rhythm guitarist. After a few different ideas for the position and almost managing to become a 6 piece band we recruited one of my close friends. He was doing vocals for a hardcore/metal band that I had done studio guitar for and I convinced him to take up playing guitar to complete Key to the Midway and we haven’t looked back since.

You’re from Kalamazoo, MI which doesn’t come to mind when you think of a thriving music metropolis – have there been challenges working your music from your home base? What have been the advantages, disadvantages?
Drew: I personally think Kalamazoo is quite underrated for music. There are a lot of people doing some great things to make our local scene what it is today, there are multiple monthly music publications and a lot of great and supportive venues that deserve a lot more recognition as well. It is tougher for us that Kalamazoo caters better towards indie and experimental genres than pop/rock music, but I feel like we still receive a lot of support from the area.

You recently (Aug 31) released your EP Keep It To Yourself – can you tell us a little bit about the overall feel of the EP?
Drew: Well with our first EP we wanted to establish our sound, while still leaving an open-end for some curve balls when we start writing again. I feel like whether you like us or not, you can definitely pick-up a sort of “feel-good-summer” feeling from the record combined with traces of dark undertones and melodies to go along with it.

Jesse: A lot of these songs are about doing or saying the things you sometimes second guess or never actually do hence the title “Keep it to Yourself.” Everybody has certain feelings they don’t express and lyrically our songs can vary from dirty thoughts as in “You’ve Got Me” all the way to the feeling of just saying screw it and moving on as in “Farewell.” We didn’t hold back when we wrote this EP, we wanted to write songs that were real and unique to us yet relative to others lives as well.

Since there are only five songs, do you think we could go through them track by track and you can tell us a little about each starting with “Scenery”?:
Drew: With this being one of the first songs Jesse and I ever wrote, we were very skeptical about recording this track and we almost didn’t. But as soon as we started doing pre-production on it, we changed a lot of things up and it ended up being the backbone of our EP.

Jesse: We wanted to write a song about the dream of being a musician and touring the country while still being fun. You hear a lot of sadder songs about this subject like how hard it is or how long you’ve been at it, and we wanted to change that. We wanted to be positive and just have a song that shows how excited we are to be doing this.

Farewell:
Jesse: Farewell is my personal favorite. It’s a song about being free, wanting to escape, and believing in bigger things. Musically we wanted this song to be emotional but in a good and inspiring way. The idea here is to hit you right at home yet still get you on your feet.

Drifting:
Jesse: We all were very happy with how this song turned out after we got it into the studio and started messing with it. It’s got more of a dark tone and a lot of interesting guitar work.
Just Me And You:
Jesse: Some people say this song is cheesy and to be quite honest it’s that way for a reason only because love IS cheesy. I wrote it like a storyline about love where it starts from senior year as a kid to 5 years later when you’re much older and considering the rest of your life together and everything in between. We wanted it to have a strong and smooth pop feel in the verses then turn the chorus and bridge around with a rock sound to give it some energy. We personally love this song and we hope you do too.

You’ve Got Me:
Jesse: This song is just fun. When we started writing it the idea was always to make it as fun and upbeat as we possibly could. But we also wanted to throw people off with some varying emotions and styles also.

Drew: If any song were to get stuck in your head this one would be it.


Do you feel there is one song on the EP that best defines your sound?
Drew: I really don’t think you could sum us up in a single track. We try to switch things up from song to song because we don’t really believe in writing a bunch of songs that all sound the same, but the EP as a whole is a good taste of what you can expect from us in the future.

What song on the album was most challenging to write?
Jesse: I would say “You’ve Got Me.” We worked with a lot of different ideas for the vocal melody and it also seemed like we were constantly messing with the structure too. It was just a song we kept going back to for a while because we were never positive if we had it just the way we wanted, so it took a long time before everyone felt like we finally had it right.

I think after listening to the EP most people are thinking – why only 5 songs?
Jesse: 5 songs just felt right for our first EP. We’re a fairly new band and we really wanted to get something out there that wasn’t pricy. However, on iTunes there is an acoustic bonus track that comes with the EP titled “Brighter Than the City.”

So if we did the math right..there’s two sets of brothers in the band. One might think that could lead to a lot of infighting – how have you worked that to your advantage?
Jesse: It’s simple, were family. Yes from time to time we have our little spats, but overall we feel a step ahead in band interrelations because as family we can always talk it out and get over it. We’ve had our entire lives to fight and bicker with each other and we’ve made it this far, so I think having your family in the band should only ensure people that we work together great and because of that fact I feel like we’re a much tighter knit group of friends.

You ended up working with producer Rob Freeman who’s worked with Cobra Starship, Hit The Lights in the past. How did you hook up with him and what did he bring to the process for you?
Jesse: Really we were shopping all around checking out various producers for a couple months. In the end what did it for us was his track record, but most of all he seemed like a producer who put his all into every band that came through his studio. We’ve all recorded in other projects before, and have learned what a bad vibe from band and producer can do to the overall process. He brought his full individuality to the table, his experience and he always had an opinion on what we were doing so it was a great learning experience for us.
One of the things that stood out to me on the EP are the rich harmonies – has this always been an important part of who the band is?
Drew: As a guitarist that started out playing metal music, I’ve always been a sucker for a good harmony on guitar. I always loved Iron Maiden early on based on the style of harmonies they included into their riffs and I’ve applied that towards what I do on guitar and even in helping Jesse construct some of the vocal harmonies on the EP.

You’ve been compared to bands like We the Kings, The Maine – are you okay with those comparisons and what do you think it is that makes you stand out from bands like that?
Drew: Anytime you’re compared to somebody successful it’s a great compliment. We never aim to sound like a certain artist since our respective influences are very different, but I’m happy anytime anybody gives us a chance even if they don’t end up liking us.

Jesse: I think what makes us stand out is the whole package. Lyrically we try to always be inspiring and fun. Even our more sad songs, we always try to give a good outlook to look forward to at the end of the song so no ones walking away saying, “wow, I feel worse”. We write with our time, things that are going on in our lives, things that motivate us that will hopefully inspire our listeners.

Since some people reading this will be hearing about you for the first time, what would you like them to know?
Drew: We’re a new band in an old game and to some people the genre of pop/rock is too well beaten of a path. But I think I speak for all of us in saying that we’re doing what we love playing what we love. Sure there are a lot of bands out there I respect and listen to frequently, but I wouldn’t change anything we’re doing just to sound a little more like them. Music is as personal as it is casual and we like to keep both in mind when writing, understanding that a good song has to have a certain balance of accessibility and uniqueness.

Parting words?
Drew: Thanks a lot to They Will Rock You for taking time to interview us and check out our debut EP “Keep it to Yourself” on iTunes!

- TheyWillRockYou.com

Michigan pop-rockers Key To The Midway present a 5 song EP, 'Keep it to Yourself' ,a pop laden collection of songs produced by Rob Freeman (Hit The Lights, Cobra Starship) that paints a good picture of what this band is about.

“Scenery,” is an up beat sing-a-long that nicely sets the stage for the rest of the EP, and immediately brings to mind fellow pop rock outfit We The Kings, and this thought is resonant throughout the 5 tracks. Blending vocals and instruments perfectly, “Farewell” showcases Jesse Barnes’ vocal ability.

“Drifting” calls attention to the fact that these guys can play their instruments well in a nicely placed musical interlude. “Just Me and You” contains super-rhymey lyrics that include years (2005 and 2010) that just scream “cheesy,” and ends up being the weakest track on Keep it to Yourself. Ending the EP is the catchy “You’ve Got Me.” Despite it’s shallow lyrics, its hard not to sing along.

This well produced EP is a fairly impressive first release for Key To The Midway. With solid melodies and vocals and complex instrumentals, it is clear that these boys from Michigan know what they’re doing. However, they end up sounding so similar to We the Kings (and every other band that sounds just like We the Kings) that they’re going to have to find a way to differentiate themselves from the sea of pop rock bands. Keep it to Yourself is a little on the safe side, but turning up the intensity and toning down the pop would be a good starting place to standing out.

3.5/5
- AlterthePress.com

Featured Band of the Month of July on the front page of dfjams.com - dfjams.com

Who?

Key to the Midway is a five piece band from Kalamazoo, Michigan. The band is made up of lead vocalist/keyboardist Jesse Barnes, Guitarists Corey Yoder and Drew English, Shane Banes on the bass guitar, and Ryan English on drums. The band of brothers (and friend) play pop rock with the addition of keys mixed in here and there, creating light-hearted infectious songs that basically anyone can enjoy. The band recently released their brand new EP entitled Keep it to Yourself. The band worked with producer Rob Freeman (who had worked with bands like Cobra Starship and Hit the Lights) to create the EP.

How is it?

Keep it to Yourself is everything you want and need in a quality pop rock album. It is reminiscent of Boys Like Girls – not the mess that was [i]Love Drunk[i] – we are talking about the great pop album that was their self-titled release (you know you like it). Each track on the EP has it's own flavor while remaining consistent. EP opener ''Scenery,'' sets the tone for the EP. It's an upbeat pop rock anthem that will remind you of the fun-filled days of summer that have recently passed us by.

The most standout track on the Keep it to Yourself EP is of course ''Drifting.'' The track contains mid-tempo verses and a high energy chorus that is so ridiculously catchy you'll be singing it over and over for days at a time. ''Drifting'' certainly has got to be one of the best pop rock songs to come out in recent months. ''Just Me and You'' is a cutesy pop song, telling the tale of love. Vocalist Jesse Barnes' smooth-sounding vocals are the track's strongest feature, as he displays the range in his voice.

Of course all good things must come to an end as the Keep it to Yourself EP comes to a close with the near five minute track ''You've Got Me.'' The song shows off just what the band is capable of doing musically: Infectious key work, smooth drumming, fresh-sounding guitars, and even some classic whoa ohs thrown into the song by vocalist Jesse Barnes.

That's a wrap on Keep it to Yourself. You've got five great tracks of poppy goodness to spend quality time with on the remainder of your summer days and even onward. Key to the Midway is impressive in the early going, giving us a solid effort with the Keep it to Yourself EP. If they are able to keep this up when they go into the studio and record a full length record, we could very well have another timeless pop rock album on our hands.


Recommended If You LikeBoys Like Girls' Boys Like Girls, Artist vs Poet, Capital Lights (if you know who they are), good pop rock - Absolutepunk.net

After knowing some of the band members from Key To The Midway for several years, we have gotten to know how goofy, as well as how talented they are. Starting from the ground up, these five guys from Kalamazoo, MI went ahead and named their band after carny carnival folk slang for something that is considered a “fools errand” and enlisted the duties of producer Rob Freeman (Cobra Starship, Hit the Lights) for their first effort. The result being the bands new EP “Keep It To Yourself” which was released during the perfect time for light-hearted pop rock, the middle of summer.
Keeping consistent with much of the pop rock up-and-comers, KTTM follows a path set forth by recent bands that have found infamy in the mainstream. So if you are a fan of bands like The Maine, Forever The Sickest Kids, and Sing It Loud, you will instantly find a home in their 5 track EP. What separates them from the rest of the pack however, is their intuitive use of pedals, acoustics and tempo (which is instantly noticeable on the EP’s opener “Scenery”) to creatively layer riffs and bridges with more depth than the average chorus-centric radio rock band. Much of this can be attributed to the combination of quality production and the matching chemistry of Drew English (guitars) and Corey Yoder (guitar). I guess it also doesn’t hurt when you’re pumping out some of the more addictive, up-start, pop-rock around, as you will agree with me when you hear the innocent, yet moving track, “Just Me And You.”

Vocally the band has a three front offense, helmed by lead singer Jesse Barnes, who’s assisted by a harmony of both Drew and bassist Shane Barnes. Jesse does fairly well, matching vocals swagger with singers like John O. (The Maine), but he uses a shorter range, choosing to stay with both guitarists voices rather than becoming a crooning spectacle all his own. In the end it enhances the final product, along with the down-to-earth lyrics that don’t seek to confuse and instead pull at heart-strings we can all relate to.

I real only issue with “Keep It To Yourself” is how quickly it ends. These five catchy tracks leave me aching for a full-length, which will be on its way soon after the country gets a listen to this memorable EP. Who ever said “too much of a good thing is bad,” obviously hadn’t listened to Key To The Midway. So if infectious pop-rock about love, hope, and life’s tribulations is something you can stand by, and you don’t mind a feeling of genre deja-vu, KTTM is ready to hijack your playlist for a month (at least). ~Staff

Score: 4/5

Track Listing:
1. Scenery
2. Farewell
3. Drifting
4. Just Me And You
5. You’ve Got Me
- Bringonmixedreviews.com

Mini-Biography (from MySpace):

From Timbuktu to Kalamazoo, Michigan pop-rockers Key to the Midway are out proving their relevance in today’s music scene. After over a year of meshing their respective influences into their innovative sound, they’ve already generated quite the buzz. To live up to the hype surrounding the group, Key to the Midway teamed up with producer Rob Freeman (Cobra Starship, Hit the Lights, etc) in creating the quintet’s upcoming offering dubbed “Keep it to Yourself.” With over 1,500 plays within the first 2 hours of releasing their first track titled “Scenery,” it’s become quite evident that fans of this group are having a tough time keeping them to their selves.

To vocalist and songwriter Jesse Barnes, this comes as no surprise. After his previous efforts with his brother Shane had earned over 110,000 plays online and the attention of Fearless Records, it was only a matter of time before the Barnes tandem would be back at it again. This time around however, they would gain the metal influenced core of brothers Drew and Ryan English as well as lifelong friend Corey Yoder who had been in talks with the brothers about a project for 3 years.

The name of the game with these guys is quite unique. By combining heavier undertones with delicate melodies and infectious choruses, it’s undeniable that Key to the Midway have the much needed breath of fresh air rock enthusiasts have been searching for. It’s not often that you can mention Justin Timberlake, Boys Like Girls, and Misery Signals in the same sentence let alone the same breath of air. But somehow Key to the Midway have done it and by boasting their plans of “hit[ting] the road in a beat up van, show to show” it’s quite obvious that they’re already making the full time commitment of being a successful name in the pop-rock game.


Overall:

This had it highs & lows. I felt that a lot of the tracks were too mainstream. Originality these days is important, but I guess if you follow a model that already works, you should succeed, right? At a total time of 19.1 minutes, this CD perfect for a quick trip across town. Songs that stand out would be “Drifting” & “Just Me & You”. These guys are off to a great start & hopefully we’ll hear more from them in the coming years. Let’s hope that we’ll see a bit more diversity on their next CD!

7/10 - IndievisionMusic.com