This Brooklyn based band is the kind of band you'd want to play at your birthday party every year... They're playing at Bottom of the Hill March 1st with Erase Errata as part of Noise Pop.I really like seeing bands in kitchens. Hopefully thatÂ’s not foreign concept to you because thatÂ’s something everybody should experience at least once in their life. Watching a band at a house party, crammed into someoneÂ’s kitchen or living room with 50 other people is sort of amazing and gives you a closeness to the band that you lose at a venue.
That being said, Matt and Kim is my favorite band to see in a kitchen ever. Matt and Kim consist of two people (Matt and Kim respectively) from Brooklyn, New York who play the funest, danciest, goodtime songs youÂ’ve probably ever heard. The kind of band you want to have play at your birthday party every year (unless youÂ’re more into speed metal or something). Since they have been getting an insane amount press lately, I figured we should get our questions in there too.
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Kim: It is an Astro Van. I like to consider it the gangster mini van and itÂ’s our home for many months of the year.
Matt: One time I got a charge during a tune-up related to air-conditioning, and I said "but it doesn't have air conditioning" and the guy said "I still had to work around it even if it's broken" and I said "dude, it just doesn't have it. Look there's not even a knob!” He was totally busted. Also, it is dark green, almost black.. great in the summer.
Matt: Our friend gave us a Girl Talk CD on one of our tours, we though it was so rad that we were playing it through our amps and getting psyched before we played our set. Then we heard Greg was down with our stuff and we've been really stoked to open for him.
Kim: We haven't played outside the US...yet! We are planning on going to Norway in August and hopefully the UK after that. I finally got a passport so I am ready to go.
Matt: It's really tough to pick out one show since we've started, it's almost like asking what's a day in you life in the past couple years that made it to the top ten. There has been so many kick-ass shows that it's tuff to say. On the ‘odd kick-ass side’, one time we played at an art camp to like 300 8-15 year olds. That many pre-pubescent screams could cut bricks in half. I don't know how Hanson can still hear.
Kim: It is tough now to play house shows here in Brooklyn. One of the last house shows we played was so packed, that most of the time Matt's keyboards were either in his lap or on the floor. Then the cops showed up but they couldn't squeeze through until we were done playing and people filed out. They came up to us and asked who lived there. I said "Oh, I will go get them" and then I just left the party. A smart woman once told me never deal with the cops unless you have to. Even if you have done nothing wrong, always run into the woods. ..Well that was in Vermont.
Matt: We still love playing house shows and we do so across the US, but some places it can be a little tricky like Kim mentioned. We want to play places that can keep that vibe, but have decent stages. I like to be able to see a band I am watching. But yeah, we still play basements, living rooms, and kitchens.
Kim: Matt is my best friend. We realized that on tour our only break apart is when one of us is in the bathroom. ItÂ’s kind of funny that when we get home from tour we still hang out with each other all the time.
Matt: Yeah it really is kinda crazy. I've been in cars with other people for long periods of time and it's easy not to get along, but Kim and I only really duke it out when we are lost.
Kim: I think we all know who would win!
Matt: Yeah I'm not about to start with her. She's super tough. She's snapped like 3 bass drum petals! One time she head butted me in the sternum and I think it still makes cracking sounds years later.
Kim: We wanted to do something with a friend. Franki and Travis are pals with our friend Zane. At Zane's going away party here in NY, Franki saw us play and was into it.
Matt: We got together through a mutual friend and meeting first at a roof party we had played. Franki was djing in Greenpoint where there was a literal pool of blood. Well a kiddy pool anyway. Us being one of iheartcomix's first releases and our self titled album being one of our first recordings, we are all trying to figure it out together.
Kim: Ha.. yeah, I guess it is now only new(ish).. If that. I am really excited about it. We had been touring across the US so many time with the same EP that it was about time to have something new. I am now ready to have a newer one. Matt and I are home in Brooklyn for a bit working on new stuff. As for vinyl... we have been talking with our friend Ian who does tapesrecords. He wants to help us get the vinyl out. We are going to hand silkscreen all the covers and each album cover will be one of a kind. I like the idea of that. It is similar to our To/From EP when we were hand coffee staining all of them. We did have to stop doing that after 3000 though. I like to think that the first 3,000 were limited edition.
Matt: Yeah I'm stoked on it being a fun summertime album (even though it came out in the winter) but I guess you can have a fun wintertime album as well.
Matt: We recorded at a studio called Infrasonic in LA and we went to a donut shop every day. We recorded to 2" tape but only had one reel, so we'd do a song or two, then import that into the computer and record back over the tape again. We did that because we wanted a "low-fi", more organic kinda sound, but it was still was a little sterile for us. Maybe next time we'll record on cassette.
Kim: Wow that is the first time I have heard that. That is kind of harsh! We are on stage as we would be if you ran into us on the street. It is fun to be up there playing and I think it shows. There was this one show in San Diego where I had mud butt and you could tell by looking at me! I was so unhappy... then I puked outside afterwards. Worst show ever and I wasn't smiling! Oh, at that same show it was so hot in there that matt threw up in his mouth and swallowed it. Damn that was an awful show.
Matt: We try to be honest with however it goes, but Kim tends to smile if she's happy, nervous, or even scared... One time I took her to see Freddie vs. Jason and she couldn't stop laughing. Not because of the funny parts, but because she was terrified.
Kim: I am totally down with being a party band. I think that sounds awesome.
Matt: I think pitchfork said "quintessential party band" and I said "tiiiiiiiiight".
Matt: Well not as of late. I used too, but I have been concentrating on the band lately. I worked on music videos and did motion graphic stuff. It's cool, but itÂ’s also a lot of work behind a computer everyday and that's not always for me.
Kim: We went to school with Tod. I really appreciate how he'll come out to all our shows. I figured he would be sick of us by now.
Matt: Yeah he's been really great and supportive of Matt and Kim with his different means. Kim and I each knew Tod before we knew each other, so we date way back. He'll always get a call when we're about to do something stupid that we feel deserves some documentation.
Kim: Hot chocolate with candy canes in it.
Matt: T-shirts in general.
Matt and Kim are playing The Noise Pop festival at the Bottom of the Hill on March 1st. with Erase Errata.
You can normally find out more about Matt and Kim and listen to music at their website, but they had too many hits and now it's down. You can check stuff out here.
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