The Key of F

HOT 100 LIVE UNSIGNED ARTISTS AND BANDS OF 2020
FEATURE ARTICLES, MAGAZINENOVEMBER 30, 2020BY MARK NARDONE
Music Connection’s Hot 100 list is our annual opportunity to spotlight artists whose live performance talent made a special impact on us over the past 12 months. Despite the COVID pandemic’s devastating effect on music venues, artists all over the U.S. have been able to take hold of the livestreaming format and make it work, and we have covered their performances avidly. Those involved in determining the results of our 2020 list include not only MC staffers, but club bookers, managers, A&R reps and other industry pros throughout the country.

The Key of F
Rock
Los Angeles, CA
facebook.com/band.thekeyof.F - Music Connection

Harsh! Deservedly harsh that is. I dig it.

The Key Of F tap into a post-breakup vibe here with scathing & brutal honesty that I’d be willing to bet resonates with a ton of people listening out there. If you’ve ever found yourself burned by a relationship in some way, shape, or form – you’ll likely find yourself siding with the emotional powder-keg that “Lies” proudly blows up loudly, and the points that The Key Of F are making on this statement single. The resounding confidence you’ll find in the songwriting for “Lies” is the sound of someone taking their power back…and while the scenario detailed throughout the lyrics must have been a painful experience to have lived through, it’s also clear that in putting a song like this out there, that you might be able to knock the members of The Key Of F down for a moment, but they’ll rise to overcome it all.

Songwriting is probably where I’m the most impressed with the duo of Andie K (Vocals) and Marie Pettit (Guitars, Vocals) when it comes to “Lies” – they’ve definitely communicated the vibe and theme of this song in unmistakable ways. From the way it’s all entirely spelled-out in the chorus – in case anyone out there somehow missed the insights & imagery in the verses of “Lies,” to the undeniable punch in the gut that the breakdown just past the two-minute mark provide, The Key Of F have actually kinda created an anthem for the heartbroken with “Lies,” and a blueprint to bouncing back stronger than ever before.

Lyrically, I felt like I could pretty much quote this song all day long…they’ve done an exceptional job in lining this track with punishing lines that certainly express how The Key Of F is feelin’ on the subject of love…or perhaps more accurately, the dissolution of love. What was once a source of tragedy has boldly turned into triumph, just by the mere making of “Lies” alone, you can infer that whatever occurred in the experiences of the past are now verifiably essential ingredients in what fuels their fire today. Music & vocals-wise, I wouldn’t take away any points from this duo on their debut track either when it comes right down to it. Like almost every project under the sun when it comes to their earliest work, I can hear that there is still room for The Key Of F to evolve and grow as they continue on, but I’m not complaining about anything I hear on “Lies” as it stands right now; it’s a solid single and the hooks have been roaming the halls of my head for the past several days already. I was actually explaining this to my wife just the other night…that’s the advantage of what The Key Of F has created here with this cut – I listen to one hell of a lot of music day-in & day-out, but where much of it gets forgotten over time, I’ll quite likely remember this tune for a long time to come. Whether you like, love, or even hate a song in that situation is nearly irrelevant…when you’ve got hooks that hold up like they do on “Lies,” that’s always a strong positive and an indication that there’s something there you shouldn’t ignore. What I can hear for sure within this single is the desire to entertain, the courage to express their truth, the skills required to make the experience real to us listening, and a solid mix of Rock/Punk/Pop/Alternative sound that’ll all play a big role in their future and keep the people with them and on their side over the years to follow.

Where I’d advise them a little from here as they make their way forward and continue to thrive, is to be as conscious of the gripping energy they create as possibly can be; and to make sure that gets echoed within the music they make. Because here’s where I’m ultimately at personally…I appreciate the in-tune vocals and the smoothness that Andie K brings to the microphone…but I’d probably also be lying a bit by omission if I didn’t mention that I wanted a bit more of what she brings to the finale of this cut to occur a bit earlier on. Like…listen to that added punch she brings to the last surge through the hooks towards the 2:30 mark…that’s gold there, and credit to Andie K for finding that second gear. My point is simply that, when you hear The Key Of F roar into the choruses earlier on in “Lies” and the guitars from Marie come raging even closer to ya in the mix, you want the vocals to go with that energy, as opposed to maintaining the controlled demeanor displayed in the verses – that make any sense? It’ll help big-time in creating that separation between each element of the song’s writing & sound; it’ll have them standing out as they should. Because I think there’s no doubt that the killer guitars, pace, and intensity you’ll find will take listeners on the powerfully emotional ride they’ve sought to create on “Lies” – and I think when they hear that extra energy from Andie K towards the end, there might be a few people out there that would have wanted that switch to be thrown in a bit earlier on, especially when you factor in how capable she certainly is.

All this being said, it’s also important to note that, they’ve got verifiable hooks here to be found everywhere…that essential smoothness of the verse, the energy that surges through the chorus, the short but all-killer no-filler guitar-solo, big harmonies…you name it, you’ll find hooks happening all over the place and all kinds of ways to get into what The Key Of F is up to on “Lies.” So…don’t get me wrong, these are just my own opinions & insights, but I’m definitely not knocking what they’ve already accomplished here on “Lies” – considering it’s a debut, they should really get bonus points. Like I’ve said many times here on these pages of ours throughout the years, the LAST thing you should ever want as a band is to have nowhere else to go, no way to develop, no way to expand or evolve the art – the fact that there’s still room for The Key Of F to grow in this respect, is a complete positive in my mind. Bottom line is that they’ve got plenty to work with and a debut single that they should certainly be proud of. Their performances are solid & professional, the production sounds great (provided by Alexx Calise & Dennis Morehouse, members of the band Batfarm), and there’s clearly a lot of thought going into the lyricism and songwriting that point to a band that’s willing to put it ALL out there to entertain.

Essentially, what I’m saying is…if this is where The Key Of F is beginning, imagine where they’ll end up! Lots of positives to be taken out of what was once clearly a negative situation on “Lies” – Andie K and Marie sound like they’ve truly set themselves free with this debut single, and I’d be willing to bet they continue to thrive & survive as they continue to surge forward from here over these next years to come. - Sleeping Bag Studios

If Joan Jett and Danyell Souza of Dead Posey had a lovechild, it would be The Key of F. The all-female rock band consisting of frontwoman Andie K. and multi-instrumentalist Marie Pettit have just released their first single “LIES” on all streaming platforms.

The post- breakup-punk rock tune was co-written by Andie K and Pettit, and produced by Alexx Calise and Dennis Morehouse of Batfarm.

This is Andie K’s first foray into writing her own songs, although she has been a vocalist for many years. Marie Pettit is no stranger to band life and was previously in the goth rock band, Sinister Sirens. The two are also entertainment industry vets, having starred in various TV commercials and shows over the years. Together they are finding a harmonious blend of rock, punk, goth and a hint of rockabilly in their musical style. - Guitar Girl Magazine

Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. You can include as little or as much detail as you’d like.
I’ve been singing since I was a little kid. I was born in Florida, so of course I started singing Disney songs as soon as I could string a sentence together. Music has always been a major part of my life. Although oddly enough, I didn’t learn to read music until recently, which is really counter productive. I definitely wish I did that sooner. I always relied on my ear to pick up melodies and harmonies.

I was fortunate enough to work for Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando where I performed in several shows, including an a cappella group called “4 Girls Only”, plus singing in various musical dinner theatre productions and I was a backing singer for a cover band called “Motown Madness”. Being an artist in Orlando, you usually had 3 or more jobs. It’s a very close knit group of musicians and performing artists, so you usually work with the same people in different gigs. What always surprised me was when a tourist would recognize me from Universal while I was at one of my other gigs .

I made the jump to Los Angeles and met my collaborative partner/bandmate Marie Pettit and we immediately hit it off. Marie invited me to some of her jam sessions, where I would sing and Marie did the backing harmonies. We realized how well our voices blended together and started joking around about forming a band. One day we decided to stop joking around about it and actually do it and The Key of F was born.

Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road has not been smooth, ha! Throughout my music career I’ve been told that I didn’t have a “good enough” voice . I’ve been on countless auditions that I never booked, some of them for Broadway shows. One guy even told me I wasn’t pretty enough. So I never dreamed I could be the frontwoman of a rock band. Who am I ? I’m not good enough to do THAT. So I stuck with doing backup singing here and there. But I still loved music, especially rock music.

One of my all time favorite bands is KMFDM, their music has been with me through the highs and lows of my life. Frontwoman Lucia Cifarelli is very gracious with her fans, always telling them to go out and be fierce and fearless. To really believe in yourself.

So in 2019 when I went through a horrible break-up and I needed somewhere to channel the pain and heartache, I remembered what Lucia said and I started writing. Marie took one look at what I wrote and promptly said, “Hey! You’ve written a song. How’s the melody go?” And together we found a melody and then brought the song to our production team and they helped us shape it into what you hear today.

Tell us about your business/company. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
I am the frontwoman and half the writing team for the band The Key of F. The other half is Marie Pettit, who can play several instruments and does all the backing harmonies. We are a new rock band in Los Angeles blending our separate styles to create new music with hints of classic rock, goth, punk, hard rock and a dash of rockabilly.

I think the dichotomy of our personalities sets us apart from other bands. Marie and I are like opposite sides of the same coin. She is incredibly bubbly, gregarious, and filled with light, whereas I have what I like to call “resting murder face”. Ha,ha. I’m the darker , more sarcastic, and edgier one.

You wouldn’t think that would work well for writing songs together but somehow it does! I don’t know how it works, but I’m glad that it does. We’ve found this grey area between our personalities and we create from there, while still being true to who we are as individuals.

How do you, personally, define success? What’s your criteria, the markers you’re looking out for, etc?
This is a tough question because the answer is multi-layered. Personally, I define success by level of happiness. Not just mine or Marie’s, but our fans’ happiness and how they respond to the music we create. However, happiness doesn’t pay the bills. Ultimately, my goal is to be able to make a living doing what I love to do while having our followers enjoy our songs.

One of the best moments that I can think of is when a listener told me that our latest song, “Lies”, described exactly what she was going through and that it helped with her healing process. That, to me, is success. If I can elicit emotion in you, can help you overcome a hardship, or touch a broken heart and let you know you aren’t alone, I’ve done my job. - BuzzLA.com

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andie K.

Andie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born in Florida and started singing along to Disney songs at a very young age. As a young kid, I ended up auditioning for the school musical just so I could get out of going to a math class. (Yeah, I was THAT kid). I ended up getting cast and something just clicked inside me, it’s like when you walk into a place you’ve never been before but you feel like your home. My school years were anything but pleasant, I was viciously bullied on a daily basis for years. The only solace for me was music and being able to perform in various school musicals.

Eventually, I ended up working for Disney and Universal Studios in several different shows, various dinner theatres in Orlando, and I was even a back-up singer for a cover band for a while. I was incredibly fortunate to work alongside some fantastic singers, actors, and musicians. They became a part of my extended family.

I realized if I wanted to further my career, I really needed to move to Los Angeles. It was one of the hardest decisions to make and I was absolutely terrified. Fortunately, I had a few friends from Orlando who had previously moved here and they went above and beyond to help me settle in.

Shortly after moving here, I met Marie Pettit, who is a very talented musician, singer, and actress. We clicked right away and she invited me to come to her jam sessions and sing. We both enjoyed how nicely our voices blended together, so we started doing cover songs and joking around that we should start a band. We even had a couple of (hilariously awful) band names picked out.

In 2019 we decided to stop joking about it and actually do it. I had just gone through a horrible break-up and needed an outlet to channel that pain. One evening I sat down and just started writing. Marie had come over and looked at what I had written and said “You wrote a song! How does the melody go?” Together we found a melody and then decided on the band name The Key of F, mainly because I kept annoying Marie by asking her “What key are we in again?”. She’d constantly be telling me “It’s F, we’re in the key of F”.

We took our first single “Lies” to our vocal coach, Darci Monet who helped us woodshed it and have it take shape. Our dear friends, Alexx Calise and Dennis Morehouse of the band, Batfarm agreed to Produce and play on the track so the song evolved even more. Our engineer, Charlie Waymire of Ultimate Studios Inc was wonderful too and contributed to making our debut single what it is today. I’m really grateful for the team we have, they all were beyond amazing.

I honestly didn’t know how our debut single was going to be received and I was really nervous, but the response was so good that I was overwhelmed. So, Marie and I have spent the last 11 months writing several original songs for an EP, we‘re in the studio recording our second single- which is a hybrid swing-rockabilly tune called “Feelin’ the Mood”, and for some reason, I decided it would be a good idea for me to learn to play bass guitar. I blame the pandemic for that. - Voyage LA Magazine