It’s always sad when a band you love calls it quits, for any reason. So when I was sitting at the New Mexicans today surfing Facebook as I waited for my lunch to arrive my heart pretty much sank when I came across the news that Kithkin would be playing their final show together on Sept. 3 and then going their separate ways.
If you aren’t familiar with Kithkin you have been missing something truly special.
The first time I saw Kithkin was at the 2012 Doe Bay Fest. This was also my first trip to Doe Bay. I had no idea who Kithkin was but wandered over to the main stage anyway to check them out. What happened next was one of the most insane live performances I had ever seen. I had never heard any of these songs but they all made me want to paint my face, strip and run off into the forest (and that’s coming from a guy who doesn’t really love being in the forest). I guess that’s what they mean by “Treepunk”.
As if the set couldn’t get any more incredible, Kithkin then threw us all a curveball and brought Seattle hiphop group Kung Foo Grip on stage to perform with them and the outcome was fantastic.
In 2013 I attended the first Timber! Outdoor Music Festival in Carnation. Big surprise, Kithkin stole the show again. Only this time they did it with an unscheduled performance in the woods lit only by the headlights of a few nearby cars. When I think of drum circles some sort of anti-establishment or political movement comes to mind and I don’t really get excited. Unless it’s a Kithkin drum circle, that’s a whole different animal.
In 2014 Kithkin released their album Rituals, Trances &Ecstasies for Humans in Face of The Collapse which quickly became one of my favorite albums of the year, and I don’t just mean locally. This was also the year they put on my favorite performance at the Sasquatch! Music Festival at The Gorge and released a pretty great music video for their song “Altered Beast”.
Do you know how to make something completely raw and primal that is still stunningly beautiful? Because that is exactly what Kithkin spent the last four years doing and I’ll never forget the feeling I had each time I got to watch them do it.
Kithkin plays Chop Suey on Thursday, Sept. 3 with Bod. Tickets are $8 and you can count on it selling out so get yours now. If you have loved the band for years or just heard about them you don’t want to miss this chance to experience these guys live.
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