NORTHERN EXPOSURE: Kidstreet

(Northern Exposure is a feature where Mark incessantly rambles about music from his home country of Canada.)

I was an only child growing up, so I never knew what it was like to have siblings. That might explain why I’m such a loner now, but that’s a topic for another day. My main point is that one of the more improbable things in the world is three having siblings forming a band and actually be successful at it, but that’s exactly what Kidstreet are doing with their brand of hyper synth-pop.

The trio from Waterloo, Ontario is made up of siblings Karl, Cliff and Edna Snyder. It’s a unique situation to say the least but it’s definitely a formula that is working.

I’m very fortunate to live close to this band because that means I get the opportunity to see them live on a semi-regular basis. The reason this makes me so happy is because their live show is fun as hell. It’s one of those all out dance party situations when you go see Kidstreet. Even though last time I saw them there were only maybe 100 people there, the energy this band creates live was enough to whip even a reserved person like myself into a frenzy. There are a lot of bands that I would suggest you go see live if you get the chance, but if you like to have fun then Kidstreet should be at the top of your “bands to see” list.

Even if you've never heard of Kidstreet there is a chance that you’ve heard a song of theirs if you watch any TV. Kidstreet’s simply titled song, “Song” was featured in a Ford ad a few years ago.

Bands lending their music to commercials is an interesting topic that is worthy of it’s own post, so I’ll try to be brief right now. 

Is it selling out? I don’t really think so. It’s not like Kidstreet are a filthy rich band who are just licensing their music to make more money. That fact is that they’re a young band trying to get known and what better way to have people hear your music than on a commercial that hundreds of thousands of people will see. On top of that they’re getting paid to have people hear their song. If one person found out about Kidstreet because of that commercial, then I think that’s awesome.

Kidstreet released their debut album titled Fuh Yeah back in September 2011 on the legendary Vancouver label, Nettwek Records.. Like their live show, it’s just a super fun album. I don’t think that you’re going to get anything deep or introspective from Fuh Yeah, but it doesn't really sound like that was the goal. I'm sure they just wanted to make a fun, catchy synth-pop album and I'd say they accomplished their mission. It was also cool hearing some reference to Waterloo in songs like “Out Loud”.

To add to their resume, Kidstreet have toured with acts like Girl Talk, HEALTH, Dragonette and Mother Mother.

So needless to say I’m excited to see what Kidstreet does next. I have no clue what they’re up to at the moment but getting to watch whatever they do from a close distance is something that I know I’m going to enjoy, hopefully you’ll enjoy them too.