By Alex Schaaf
Kid, You’ll Move Mountains is an infectiously energetic group based out of Illinois that has been gaining in recognition lately. Jim Derogatis of the Chicago Sun-Times reviewed the band’s album, Loomings, saying that KYMM is “a (band) with an optimistic moniker and an effervescent sound that amply justifies it.” This band is a great example of what hard work and dedication can get you, and they are set to play one of their biggest shows yet at the Metro in Chicago this coming January 2. I recently sat down with Jim Hanke of KYMM to get his thoughts on various things.
When was KYMM formed, and why was it formed? What brought all of you together?
Nate and Andrew Lanthrum from our band, who play drums and bass respectively, used to play in Troubled Hubble, a really fantastic band out of suburban Chicago that I became friends with around 2003 or so. They were all such nice guys, really humble and fun to be around. Our bands played together a bit during that time and they eventually signed to Lookout Records, who put out their final full-length in 2005. Unfortunately, they broke up that September. I was still living in Milwaukee at that time and had stayed in touch with Andrew and Nate after Hubble’s split and I think around spring of 2006, conversations like “Let’s hang out” or “Come down to Illinois for a weekend” eventually spun into “Let’s bang around some song ideas” and then “Let’s start a band.” I certainly didn’t want to rush them, since Hubble had been such a huge part of their lives – playing SXSW and CMJ several times over and touring so hard – and it had just suddenly stopped a few months prior. But they definitely had ideas of what they wanted to try with a new project, like Andrew wanted to do more with pedals and play baritone guitar sometimes instead of bass, which I think is a pretty neat approach. So Nate’s wife Nina and our friend Corey Wills, who fronts his own band Inspector Owl, joined in as well and I think we played our first show in the summer of 2006.
How was your album recorded? Can you give a little insight into the recording process?
Andrew and Corey recorded it where we practice, which is Nate and Andrew’s parents’ basement in Elburn, IL. A major reason in me moving down to Illinois was to be available more and to get things done quicker, but admittedly, since I was down there and we weren’t trying to cram a lot of work into one weekend, we all were kind of lax in finishing the record once we started. Andrew and Nate’s folks, Linda and Terry Lanthrum, are so special because they truly champion whatever craziness their sons are creating. They come to nearly every single show, no matter where it is, and they seem to love having music in their house and seeing their kids play their guts out. They treat Corey, Nina and myself like their own kids when we’re over there and it truly feels like their an extended part of my family.
What can you tell us about the Metro show? Why should people go?
We headlined the Metro earlier this year and they’ve been kind enough to invite us back, so this time we’re doing something kind of unique in order to get word out. If people go to www.greatestshowever.com, they’ll be able to download free music from the entire bill, including our full-length, as well as print out a free ticket to the show, before 9pm that night. All the bands – us, Picture Books, Venna and Crayolala – got together and thought this would be a good way to get people out. The Metro is hallowed ground to a guy like me, so we wanted to do something special and luckily the folks at Metro have been way behind it. It’s just rare for people to be able to legally download music from each band and get into the show for free. We figure there’s nothing to lose for people who just may be first hearing of any of our bands, and it’s also a treat to those who do follow any of us who may have not have gotten around to seeing or hearing us lately. An all-local bill playing one of the biggest places in the city should be a huge deal. A celebration of sorts.
How do you feel as a Midwestern band? Do you think there is a cohesive “scene” in Chicago or Milwaukee, or do you feel more disconnected from the rest of the bands in the area?
We definitely have close musical friends wherever we tend to play. Milwaukee and DeKalb just seem to be a bit more open to having pretty diverse bills than Chicago, because they’re small enough cities where most of the musicians in whatever you’d call a scene are friends or at least know of each other by proxy. In Milwaukee, you could easily see Call Me Lightning, Decibully and the Rusty P’s on the same bill and think “Wow, that’s an amazing line-up!” rather than “That’s too weird, I’m not going to enjoy that.” Chicago is just such a huge mecca that it can be hard to meet bands and set stuff up together. That’s kind of why we wanted to do this idea with greatestshowever.com – We all promote each other’s music in hopes people will come early or stay later than they planned, and check out each act. We’re also extremely lucky and humbled that so many Chicago promoters and venues have had us back. There are so many bands to pick from in the city and being chosen to open up for groups that I really admire, like Chin Up Chin Up or Murder By Death or the Smoking Popes, has just been overwhelming. I could never take opportunities like that, or playing the Metro twice – let alone once – for granted.
What’s the best live experience you have had? How do you view the live performance, in terms of importance for getting your message across or accomplishing what you are trying to accomplish?
A huge part I learned from watching and playing shows with Troubled Hubble was that you could be energetic and fun without being hokey. You could get the crowd to participate without being Bon Jovi, and you just do whatever felt right without any thought at all as to looking cool. And I’d like to think what you see with us is what you get. We’re really excited to play wherever we go and we hope that translates. Nate and Andrew are two of the most intriguing guys to watch play music I think and the downfall of playing with them is that I don’t get to enjoy sitting back and taking it all in anymore, because I’m just trying to keep up. The best was probably playing the Metro last time, honestly. To have that many people come out to see you on one big night is just insane, so we hope we can again provide adequate entertainment for everyone who cares enough to come and support us or any of the other acts.
The internet has dramatically altered the way artists can reach an audience. With things like blogs/MySpace/etc, what are your thoughts on the power of the internet in terms of helping (or hurting) your music?
For a band in our situation right now, it helps a lot. We all have day jobs that pay our bills and feed us, so free downloads just hopefully get word out more and maybe even persuades someone to come to a show sometime. But for those who make a career out of it, I’m sure it’s tough. You have to really manage your merch way more than previous eras because if people are getting your music for free, merch is your lifeblood. And I’m sure guarantees have to be skyrocketing as well, and thus, ticket prices would have to follow. If we ever get to a point where we’re on some sort of national level, we might have to stretch ourselves and have more than one t-shirt design, you know? My wife and I have had serious discussions about what the solution to musicians and labels bleeding these days is and, like everyone else in the world, we have yet to find that missing link.
What kind of day jobs do you all have?
Nate is a juvenile probation officer; Andrew works at a law firm and does some electrician-type jobs on the side; Corey works in marketing and sometimes has to fly to places like Sacramento just to film a room of 12 or so kids, talking about why they do or don’t like a certian kind of skateboard; Nina teaches ballet to cats; I work for a computer company that manages servers for doctors offices.
We’re always looking to uncover new favorite artists, are there any band(s)/record(s) that you could recommend to our readers?
Our friends Fable & The World Flat, from Milwaukee, should be mega-stars. They play laid-back stuff, highly influenced by both hip-hop and clean indie-rock. They’re this weird meeting point between Karate or Tortoise and Q-Tip or Maxwell. They’re astounding both on record and live. There’s also John The Savage, also from Milwaukee; They get a lot of Tom Waits comparisons, but they’re influenced by just about any musical or ethnic style you can imagine. Salsa, chamber-pop, some funk even. Andy Hartzell from that band used to play with me in a band called El Oso.
What is your favorite album or artist of 2009?
My two favorite albums of this year are A.A. Bondy’s When The Devil’s Loose and Never Better by P.O.S. They’re completely different from each other obviously, and completely different from our band, but they both hit me like a ton of bricks. I really liked the stuff from Wilco, Phoenix, Dinosaur Jr., Passion Pit, Dirty Projectors and Brother Ali as well.
Buy: Kid, You’ll Move Mountains – Loomings
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