Kidnap The Sun

While the Heartland may not seem like a breeding ground for hard-core musicians, its welcoming atmosphere is what help set Kidnap the Sun’s punk/screamo music apart from other bands in the area.

The sextet will play at the Industry, 211 Iowa Ave., at 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $5.

Hailing from Cedar Rapids, the band has seen plenty of transformation since its conception, ultimately leading to the final product of pure punk passion.

“Kidnap the Sun was kind of a long process of getting to where it is now,” said guitarist AJ Vens. “Drew [Wood, guitar] and Justin [Novak, drums/screams] are the only two original members who started a different band.”

Over the course of roughly a year, the band took its current form with vocalist Brent Whiting, bassist Nick Barritt, and synth player Antonio Alvarez joining the lineup; Vens came onboard as its last addition in September 2008.

New members certainly come with plenty of musical influences. Kidnap the Sun’s inspiration runs the pop-punk gamut, from Attack Attack to Senses Fail and Taking Back Sunday — which is not to say, however, that the guys are merely looking to imitate their influences.

“There are a lot of groups that have influenced us in some way, whether it’s music or stage presence … but we always make sure we’re not being a carbon copy of them,” Vens said.

The band has been persistent about creating new material, with a catalogue of fist-pumping tracks at its disposal. Crunching riffs and sincere lyrics seem to be the combination at work for the band members, who said they are very democratic about making music.

“Each member writes his own parts to each song. In our writing process, we usually throw out about two or three song ideas before writing something we feel is solid,” Vens said, and the guys “write things that generally appeal to a hard-core scene and a pop-punk scene because we all have different influences in our writing style.”

Because they take their cues from bands with energetic stage presence, it’s no wonder the they do the same on the local circuit. Barritt said he and his band mates always strive to give fans “a show they will remember.”

“We thrive to be as energetic as possible on stage and find ways to involve the crowd as often as we can,” he said.

With captivating stage shows and a love for what they do, the group’s members are optimistic about their future, and their goal is to get signed by a record label by this summer.

The guys plan to draw this attention the way they know best: performing.

“One of the hardest things to do is build a local following,” Barritt said. “We have to play as often as we can and hope that people will spread the word about who we are.”
- Rebecca Koons, The Daily Iowan

IOWA CITY-The hum of their amps marked the calm before the storm as Kidnap the Sun took the stage on the last day of January at The Picador in Iowa City. Once the house music faded, members of the band, three of whom can be seen roaming the halls between classes at Kirkwood Community College, settled in under the lights and prepared to give those in attendance a great rock show.

The band is made up of Justin Novak, a freshman at Kirkwood majoring in Liberal Arts; AJ Vens who is in his sophomore year majoring in Audio Engineering and has spent some time in the college's jazz band; Antonio Alvarez, a sophomore and pre-business major and Andrew Wood, Nick Barritt and Brent Whiting who are all Kirkwood alum.

"Our main focus is to put on a good show that people will remember," said the powerpop/screamo band's bass player, Barritt, before the show.

"We have always said, even if they're not totally sold on the music, we want people to have fun watching," added Wood, who handles the drumming.

Often airborne, and never with a still head among them, the band moved like a pack of kindergarteners after a pixie stick binge. The driving drums, intense vocals and solid riff work made an ideal soundtrack for the action on stage, while the synthesizer, powered by Alvarez, filled in the blanks for a full and engaging sound.

Although the band has only played about 20 gigs so far, they make their practices count by playing as if they were actually performing in front of fans. "We've been running them as if they were the real deal, even talking to the crowd that's not there," said Barritt.

This approach is evident in their stage presentation, where they have an uncommon air of confidence and fluency for a group at this phase in their career.

The members of Kidnap the Sun have a goal of signing a record contract by the end of the summer but say that it isn't the cash and celebrity they're after. "We don't really care if we make a lot of money," said Barritt. "I could live going show to show, paycheck to paycheck, as long as people appreciate what we do. As long as I feel good at the end of the day, like I played my music and someone liked it. That's all I care about," he added.

Kidnap the Sun's next performance will be at 300 Main St. Keokuk on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. Admission is $5 at the door.
- Ben Maynard, Kirkwoodcommunity College Communique