KIDS THESE DAYS

Kids These Days comes from Chicago but their music comes from everywhere. With a horn section, a rapper, a blues-rock trio and a female singer, KTD blends a wide range of influences — hip-hop, jazz, soul, blues, and classic rock — into a unique, fresh sound that breaks boundaries while honoring America’s musical heritage. In their first 24 months, they have built a solid following, with over 14,000 fans on Facebook, who turn out for their high-energy, groove-oriented shows at clubs like Reggie’s, Hideout, Subterranean, Lincoln Hall and The Metro. While still in their teens, they beat out 150 Chicago bands of all-ages to win first place in the Congress Theater’s Next Big Thing battle of the bands in November of 2009. In March 2011, KTD made their first trip as a band to the illustrious music festival, South by Southwest in Austin, TX. It is safe to say that they made a little splash in the musical ocean, surprising the audiences at venues such as Peckerheads and Pure Volume House. On July 1st, 2011, KTD performed at Milwaukee’s Summerfest, where they opened for Third Eye Blind, spreading their musical message to a very receptive audience of over 5000. KTD includes Liam Cunningham on guitar and lead vocals, Lane Beckstrom on bass, Greg Landfair on drums, Macie Stewart on keys, lead vocals, and background vocals,Vic Mensa on rap vocals, Nico Segal on trumpet, and J.P. Floyd on trombone. They have shared the stage with noted hip-hop artists Rhymefest, the Cool Kids, Mic Terror, and Dom Kennedy, Snoop Dogg, Big Sean, J. Cole, George Clinton, The Roots, Tedechi Trucks Band, and many more. Their influences run from the Roots, Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder and Jimi Hendrix to classic bebop and modern jazz artists such as Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Christian McBride, Miguel Zenon, Nicholas Payton, and Roy Hargrove. Trained musicians, they also perform regularly with side projects at the Jazz Showcase, Symphony Center, Ravinia, The Velvet Lounge and the Chicago Jazz Festival. KTD’s first project “Hard Times”, which features five original songs, is currently available on iTunes for download (at the low price of $3.99); it was released on June 28th 2011. Look out for their next project, a mixtape, “Trap House Rock”, which will feature songs that are mixed together with a KTD twist, paying tribute to their many, many influences!