There’s no denying that some bands will go to extreme lengths to create music that may or may not be chart-topping. Some bands have locked themselves in a basement with nothing but their instruments; others have partied all day, every day to get their inspiration. Indie-rock band KIDS hopped in a van and set out to the mountains of Chattanooga, TN to create their upcoming album, ‘Rich Coast’ (due out 01/27/15).
The guys took in the sights, smells, and feelings of the adventure to allow their fans to travel to a dream-like escape while listening to their music. AltWire had the chance to speak with singer/bassist Joshua Diaz about the upcoming album and their trip to the mountains of Tennessee. Check out what they had to say!
AltWire [Mattison Keesey]: The bio on your website states that the band was founded on brotherhood. How would say this relates to your music? Do you feel your music may have been different if the band was derived differently?
Joshua Diaz [KIDS]: If we weren’t all like “brothers”, our music surely wouldn’t be the same. We’ve all gone through so much together. We’re all past the stage of being afraid of looking or sounding stupid to each other. So there’s a comfort level there; everyone’s allowed to say dumb ideas until we find a brilliant one. The comfort level brings out more creativity.
AW: I also read that you guys traveled to the mountains of Chattanooga, TN in order to gain inspiration, so that your fans could experience a dream-like escape just by listening to your music”. Do you feel you achieved this goal?
Joshua Diaz [KIDS]: To be honest, The goal in the writing retreat was more for ourselves than our fans. WE needed to get away to express ourselves. WE needed to dream. And yes, we accomplished that. The fact that others hear our art and dream with us, is humbling, and an honor.
AW: What aspects of this trip did you use in your writing?
Joshua Diaz [KIDS]: We used every aspect of this trip; from breaking down in the vehicle the first 100 miles from home, to reaching our shelter cabin at Hawk Mountain, to the documenting of the adventures in the cabin afterward. Art is an interpretation of experiences. We were experiencing the whole time; so we were writing the whole time.
The simple view of the mountains always seems to inspire a certain type of melody, used in such songs as “Loves Song”, “Falsetto”, or “Sunshine.”
We watched an unhealthy amount of spaghetti westerns and Kung fu films on the drive and in the cabin.. Probably contributing to some of the sounds in “Lone”. There was a moment we were all racing each other down the Appalachian Trail, running and jumping gaps, boulders, and creeks; and every time we play “Second Star To The Right”, we get that same feeling back. Or the feeling of abandon you have to have when jumping off of a waterfall, or sliding a natural rock slide… I believe that’s how we wrote the hook in “Vistas”.
All of this trip made it in the record somehow.
AW: Have you guys thought about traveling anywhere else to create a different scene for your listeners?
Joshua Diaz [KIDS]: Like I said before, we need different scenes for ourselves. So we will always find something new, somewhere we haven’t explored. Sometimes it will be to make a record, and sometimes it will be out of necessity to breathe some clean air. But It’s everyone’s responsibility to explore this world for their own inspiration. If you want to create surreal art, you have to live a surreal life.
AW: Aside from the lengths you go to make good music, what would you say makes your music stand out, or differ, from any other Indie Rock Band?
Joshua Diaz [KIDS]: If there’s anything that sets us apart from other indie rock bands, it’s that we aren’t “trying”; we aren’t “trying” to be different, we aren’t “trying” to be the same, we aren’t “trying” to stand out, we aren’t “trying” to be more indie, more hipster, more vibey, more fashionable, or even more successful than other bands. Rather, we’re just trying to have fun! We’re searching inwardly. We just want to be as happy as we were as adolescents walking to the ball field with our baseball gloves. Not interested in throwing the ball farther than the kids in the other fields, but just obsessed with the ball itself; and having someone to play with.
AW: We’re really excited about the release of your upcoming album, ‘Rich Coast’. What inspired the name of the album?
Joshua Diaz [KIDS]: Rich Coast is an album about adventures. Love, inspiration, fear, aspirations, tragedy, betrayal; the chase for these things, the disappointments, the rewards… The unknown.
The past few years for me have been a flood of those feelings. And many of them due to a chapter in my life that was directed toward investing in a life with someone in Costa Rica (literal translation, “Rich Coast”). A time investment that failed to say the least. But failure is one of the biggest adventures of all; because you get to see what you’re made of, If/how you get back up, and who/what you put hope in next… Chasing something again.
Don’t get me wrong, Rich Coast is NOT an album about Costa Rica [laughs]. But it is a documentation of many of the feelings, experiences, and adventures that accompany endeavors that came with that time.. sentiments that EVERYONE experiences: learning how to hope, losing hope, then hoping again.
AW: If you could pick one song that best represents your trip to Chattanooga, which song would it be? Why?
Joshua Diaz [KIDS]: It’s so hard to pick just one song that would represent the Chattanooga trip. But if we had to, I feel we would pick Second Star on the Right. It’s a song about authenticity, risk, adventure, and wandering; all dominant feelings of the trip.
AW: Can we maybe expect a follow-up tour after the release of ‘Rich Coast’?
Joshua Diaz [KIDS]: Tour will soon follow the release of the record. Destinations are TBD. But everyone should for sure sign up for our mailing list at thebandkids.com to be well informed of when we’re coming to town.
AW: What other plans do you have for the band in 2015?
Joshua Diaz [KIDS]: The band KIDS is privileged to work alongside and for C&I Studios (a media and idea agency out of south FL). So aside from touring as much as possible in 2015, we fully intend the next year to be filling everyone’s social feeds with all kinds of media that will bring refreshing new ways to hear and see our music. I can’t spill all the beans now, but we’ve already started working. Keep your eye out. Lots more to come soon.
AW: Is there anything else you would like to add about your music making process or the upcoming album?
Joshua Diaz [KIDS]: We have so much coming up to share with everyone. So don’t get caught sleeping; but if you do, at least be dreaming of what you’ll be doing when you’re awake [winks].
