As punk band Slick Shoes releases it's second full-length project in two years, preceded by a debut EP, the idea of having a lead vocalist who just picked up his driver's license is a bit difficult for some to swallow. Such is the on going dilemma of Ryan Kepke and his bandmates.
"That's still one of the first things people say about us," Nixon says. "How old's your singer?' We were kinda worried about the voice change thing, but I think it's already changing. You can already hear the difference between our EP and our last record and how much older he even sounds on the new record. It's changing, but it's changing for the better."
It's a process the band has observed over the past two years dating back to Kepke's addition to the band. Slick Shoes was originally birthed from the Orange County-based band Today's Special which included guitarist Jackson Mould, and drummer Joe Nixon. The two stuck together for over a year just writing songs together until the rest of the pieces finally fell into place. Bass player Jeremiah Brown helped complete the band while Mould's took charge of lead vocals. At 14-years of age, Kepke soon joined the band and became the permanent frontman. Two weeks later, the band was signed to Tooth Nail Records. Most recently, Slick Shoes has added second guitarist Dale Yob (90lb Wuss, The Cootees) to it's lineup.
For the band's latest release, BURN OUT, Slick Shoes once again enlisted the services of Steve Kravac (NOFX, Vandals, MxPx, Supertones) who produced and engineered the record at West Beach in Hollywood and mixed it at A Studios. The band took a more forward-thinking approach to this record as opposed to previous records which relied heavily on a single writer.
"We wrote most of the songs for this record really quick, but they were mostly ideas we had on tour," Nixon says. "We'd just be fooling around at practice. But we didn't put the songs together until a month before we recorded. We were just confident with our songwriting and we knew what we wanted for our sound."
Already considered one of the tightest punk bands in the industry, BURN OUT finds Slick Shoes pressing its relentless, high-speed rhythms to a new level. The addition of Yob, along with increased harmony vocals, also adds depth to the band's already full sound. Much like Slick Shoes fans have come to expect, intricate guitar riffs abound, displaying the bandmates' musical past which includes a love for one of the '80's least-appreciated genres.
"Back when we were in high school, we were influenced by metal," Nixon says. "When we first started playing, the kind of music that showcased our instruments was the old metal and thrash music. Even though we don't listen to it anymore, it still kinda rubs off on us."
BURN OUT also includes much of the same lyrical fare of albums past that delve into the writers' day-to-day lives, whether it be relationships with friends, girls and God, or just what may have happened at school that day. The record also includes a cover of the 7 Seconds classic "Clenched Fists, Black Eyes," and a remake of "Silence" from the band's EP. Ultimately, the band's musical and lyrical content comes from a desire to wear their hearts prominently on their collective sleeves.
"We just want to be true," Nixon says. "We don't want to put up a facade. We're just Christian kids having fun in a band. We don't want too many expectations of us. Some people put too much on bands. We do feel a certain amount of responsibility and accountability to the kids. But we just want to entertain. That's our focus."
Discography
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