These Kids Wear Crowns @ S.C.E.N.E.fest 2011

Anybody who has gone to smaller shows and festivals and talked to the band knows it's no easy task to be a struggling musician. Their constant self-marketing, and endless touring can sometimes be tiring and super frustrating - but it can also pay off. These Kids |Wear Crowns, a once small town band from Chiliwack B.C., got an amazing opportunity to appear and compete to win top prize on MuchMusic's Disband and totally rocked it. It seemed for once a small town band's hard work had finally paid off. Finally getting noticed on a national scale, these six guys are working their butts off to impress music critics and fans a like. And while it took me awhile to warm up to their album, after seeing them live, I started to hear a whole different tune.

One of the many things that draws me into TKWC is their constant energy. Not going to lie, I am a sucker for bands who look like they are truly having a good time on stage. It is too often these days where bands will just stand there and sing. What's the point of paying good money and going to a show and seeing them stand there, when you can do that for the price of a CD at home? These guys are all over the stage, especially front-man Alex Johnson. At this year's S.C.E.N.E.fest that took place on June 26th, they definitely made it worthwhile to check out. Having seen them perform at Canadian Music Fest a few months earlier I already had high expectations and I was definitely not disappointed. Full of energy, excitement and fun, they rocked out to a full set and a great crowd.

The exceptional thing is they performed their high energy set on very little sleep (less so then the expected for musicians) all because of a mishap on their way from Montreal to St. Catharine's. As they explained on stage (and after their set to Zebraprintsky's Jenny ellis and I), they were on their way from their show in Quebec when their tire blew on the van in the wee hours of the morning. And if that weren't bad enough, their spare tire didn't fit and they had to wait until 8 a.m. before they could find a replacement!

"I take a cab 30 minutes back to our van, I put it on the van and we got here with 20 minutes to spare," said Alan Poettchker (vocals/guitar), during an interview with Jenny Ellis at S.C.E.N.E. 

It's a good thing they made it on time!

One of my favourite parts of the sets (besides the obvious fun songs and dance tunes), was their cover (and recently released single) of "I Wanna Dance with Somebody". The Whitney Houston song is a classic to begin with but their twist on the song is fresh and really makes you want to dance. I honestly turn up the radio every time I hear it and to see it live is just that much better. Other songs performed were a mix between songs off their new album Jumpstart as well as off their first self-titled EP. Favourites included "Skeletons," "Jumpstart" and "Break it Up".

On a final note, I would like to mention how much I love the fact that the vocals are split up between Alex and Alan. When I first listened to their music (before seeing them live) I had thought that Alex was the only one singing the main vocals. It was nice to find out that they shared the role, bouncing back and forth between the two of them. It's definitely worth it as they both have unique, and awesome voices!








Check out the interview Zebraprintsky did with Alex and Alan below!!



(I love their spirit and how super sweet these guys were...they were so willing to talk and just hang out! Wicked band vibe right there!)

You can check out TKWC on all social networking sites like myspace, facebook, and even twitter!