kid:nap:kin

"Rarely has the...post-punk genre sounded this urgent and this volatile. If anyone told them that you can..t have sweet Jeff Buckley kicking into a psycho rant with axe chops of guitar, or a jazz chord break in a punk song, then I am glad they haven..t listened. This record makes my testicles feel funny."
- The Noise

"Progressive, kinda avant garde and WAY original. They obviously put a lot of time/thought/energy into it and should be proud. The guys all play well and you can tell there's a fair amount of theory goin' on."
- Tommy Aldridge (Drums for Ozzy Osbourne and Whitesnake

"Reminiscent of early 90's grunge...displaying great enthusiasm, vigor and a commendable stage presence. Their sound was clear...giving kidnapkin a more universal appeal."
- Northeast Performer

"The judgment here is that these guys will go places further than just Allston or Brighton." - Boston Herald

"An odd-time indie rock attack...truly original music that challenges the notions of what rock is supposed to be."
- Berklee Groove

I was fortunate enough to meet with [KID:NAP:KIN] who just returned from a recording session in Los Angeles with Alien Ant Farm’s Mike Cosgrove. A fitting background of ***Ziggy Stardust*** blasted over the speakers at a bar Allston, MA as we talked.

The Los Angeles recording session serves as a follow up to the band’s 2nd EP, **Touring The Riot Scene**— a genre defying disk that could draws comparisons to At The Drive In, Thrice, Fugazi, and Quicksand.

This is high energy rock with nods to the post-hardcore bands of the late 90s, insane hooks, and vocal parts written for each band member as if each person was putting their two cents to incite a street fight. I’ve caught their tight live set more than a few times and have found myself with eyes closed, swaying back and forth. I’d open my eyes to see I wasn’t the only one. [KID:NAP:KIN] has loyal fans, all getting into the groove.

The band is a three-piece, all hailing from different parts of the country originally, but meeting in Boston at school. Daniel Ellis, from California is the guitarist and lead vocal, Jamila Weaver from Pennsylvania handles five-string bass duties, and finally Midwesterner Patrick Hanlin is on the skins and supplying, from what I can tell, the party.

After some touring and successful placement in Boston area band contests, Sidehatch Entertainment has taken on [KID:NAP:KIN] as one of their clients, joining an impressive local roster that includes Thick as Thieves, September Twilight, and Spiritual Rez.

With Bowie clipping out my mic, thus making a podcast impossible, here are some highlights of the evening.

Noise: How did you end up recording with Alien Ant Farm’s Mike Cosgrove?

Pat: Our friend in a band called Red Skeleton (LA) played it for Mike, when they opened for Alien Ant Farm.

Dan: He got a hold of us and we tried to hammer something out! We were going out there to do some shows, so it worked out that we could kill two birds with one stone.

Noise: Is this for a full length?

Dan: This is for just a couple of songs, trying to build a relationship with Mike, and we are going back to LA soon.

Noise: How has the crowd response been on the road?


Pat: Since we’re from different parts of the country, we use that to our advantage. We’ve done the Midwest a few times…

Noise: The Midwest is cool; everyone is so nice!

Pat: …Yeah, and the South was the same way, Texas was awesome. Not only are they good people, but it seems like they are people dying for good music.

Noise: Y’all played South By Southwest this year?

Dan: Yeah, twice!

Noise: And how was that?

Dan: We played a party for a Berkelee event and later that night we played on an outside stage. Good response.

Jamila: It was cool because we had some kids that had seen us at our first show follow us to our evening show five hours later!

Noise: I’ve seen you guys play, I’m a fan, you are a dynamic band and you have great songs. You are into playing and you are having fun, I couldn’t ask for more from a band!
In comparison to the local shows and the touring, how would you say your live energy translates to the recording process?


Dan: We’re really happy with how our last record came out, but it still failed to capture some of that energy. It’s tough to grab the live feeling in the studio, especially as a three piece.

Noise: Right, you have more guitar tracks to lay down, etc.

Dan: We mostly recorded live this time, with some more tracking to do over that.

Pat: It’s not to say we don’t love recording, we’re all used to it, and do love it.

Dan: It’s great to give your fans two faces to yourselves. First you give them a great studio effort, with lots of extra cool and imaginative stuff to really push the limit of the songs. Then you can hear the CD, go to the show and get a different message, a different vibe from the same songs.

Noise: Who’s writing the songs? All of you?

Jamila: Pretty much. Dan will come in with a guitar part, and from there we make it into a full song. Which is cool with this band, because I’ve been in a lot of bands where someone tells me my bass line, and I say, NO WAY! With this band, we work together so well at this point, where one person’s idea will branch off into a million others. If you were to hear one of our songs on the first day and then listened to the song when it’s done, it’s completely different. If any one member of this band were someone else, our sound would be radically different!

Noise: Are you at the point where you are writing in the studio, or are you bringing songs into the studio?

Pat: For us, at this point, it has to be a complete product.

Jamila: We do a lot of the arranging and final touches in the studio, that’s where Mike Cosgrove comes in. We usually go in to the studio with songs completely done. It really helps when a producer hasn’t heard the new stuff and encourages us to try something new. At first, I may think it’s a terribl - Clay N. Ferno, The Noise