The kickass life is never over
Interviews
Three roommates in the heart of Salt Lake City are kicking the emo world’s ass, and it’s none other than kickass.
The band released its debut EP, Life = OVER, this past May, and it follows themes of growing up and coming to accept yourself for who you are. Consisting of Kyle Ashcraft (guitar and vocals), Jack Hamilton (bass) and Jayden Christensen (drums), their story is just beginning, and they’re hungry and excited for what they have yet to bring.
The group has spent their lives growing up in the Salt Lake City emo scene, and it’s where they met. Ashcraft and Christensen have been friends since seventh grade, while the three eventually met in the Milosport pro snowboard sale line where they began bonding over music. At the time, Hamilton was playing for the band eardrums. Ashcraft and Christensen started going to their shows, and after about a year, they all got together to jam.
The jamming then turned into something special: kickass – the name coming from the song “A Kickass Life” by Midwest Pen Pals, which happened to be one of Hamilton’s favorite songs.
Although they draw a lot of inspiration from similar bands and genres, they don’t tie themselves to one specific sound. Instead, they retain their own originality.
“We definitely like a lot from the ’90s era. A lot of Strictly Ballroom, Audience Of One and some newer ones too, like Train Breaks Down,” Ashcraft says.
For Hamilton, bands like The Story So Far are a major influence, specifically lyrically, but despite their influences, they don’t try to force kickass into one genre.
“It’s hard to say what you actually are because I’m just playing what I want, like what I think sounds good,” Hamilton says.
Life = OVER comes from a story involving Ashcraft and Christensen’s friend getting married right after high school graduation. Christensen responded with, “Life equals over, bro.” Ashcraft immediately thought to write that down, never knowing it would become the title of their EP and its first track.
“They just totally went and got married and didn’t try to explore more of themselves,” Ashcraft says. And that’s what the record’s about: growing up and finding yourself, going out and taking risks and making mistakes. For kickass, being young doesn’t need to be rushed.
A lot of the songwriting is done by Ashcraft coming up with something on the guitar and bringing it to the others. The three now live together, so it’s nothing but a quick trip across the living room to hear what the other thinks. Each member comes with a unique music background, Hamilton being classically trained, Ashcraft being a longtime guitar player and Christensen just beginning the drums at the creation of kickass. That diversity is a reason for the chemistry, and their ability to work together smoothly gives them an opportunity at making it big.
Since their debut, they’ve been playing shows and enjoying what they’ve accomplished. Rather than immediately jumping into new music, they’re taking a step back and letting the music take a natural course. Although, there’s a new song that’s been in the works called “Line Leader” the band plans to drop at the release of a snowboard video this October.
Looking ahead, kickass is still seeing what takes shape, but with their introduction of Life = OVER, the band is just getting started.
Read more from Zack Pinter:
Localized: Icky Rogers
Local Review: Tower of the Sun — Sindar
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