 The Glitter Kicks
by Jason Meier
Saturday afternoon at around 2:00, The Glitter Kicks graced
the stage with their wonderful pop rock sounds.
The members of this band include: Tawni Freeland- Guitar
and Vocals, Ed Rose- Guitar, Chris Wagner, and new drummer Craig Haning. They have been
around since January of 1998. They have gone through a couple of lineup changes in their
short history, but hopefully those days are behind them. Craig was the last member to join
this lineup and has proven to be a perfect fit for their sound.
"Craig is the best thing to happen to this band since
we formed" said Tawni. "He plays about half heavy and half not, which fits
our sound very well."
The Glitter Kicks sound is very much like that of the Juliana Hatfield Three, the Go Go's
and the Pretenders, among others. It is very much in the pop rock vein, and I think that
Tawni, the bands primary songwriter, tends write some of the best and most insightful
lyrics of any of the local bands. Tawni writes mostly about past experiences.
"She writes a lot about relationships and things from
her past," said Chris Wagner. "We write on stuff we know about more than
anything."
Some of the set highlights included the song "New Cup
or a Refill," "Invisible," and my personal favorite "Fourth of
July." I thought that the sound for the band was very good, as I could hear both
guitarists distinctly and all of the vocals very well. Sometimes, in the clubs, that is
not the case because of the setup. The crowd was kind of small at this time of day, but
those that were there were treated to a good solid set.
The band has been very busy as of late putting the
finishing touches on their debut CD which will be entitled "Love Everything." In
fact, as soon as the band got done playing their set and talking to yours truly, they were
hoping in the van and heading to the studio to mix and master the disc.
This CD has been a long time in the making and I look
forward to hearing and reviewing it for Synapsis as soon as it comes out. After the CD
comes out, the band wants to continue playing a lot and getting better shows. They also
might do some regional weekend-type touring, depending on schedules. They also would like
to play with some different bands, including Coaless and Nasa's Little Secret. Local
favorites that the band typically gets to play with include: The Creature Comforts,
Ultimate Fakebook, Grovel, Crutch, and Danger Bob.
The band has been playing quite a bit lately and have done a couple of other outdoor shows
prior to Spirit Fest. One of these outdoor shows was not a good experience for the band.
"Omega Fest in April was one of the worst gigs
ever," said Ed Rose. "The weather made it just about impossible to enjoy."
The show at Omega was hampered by hot weather and lots of
wind. The winds were strong enough that they blew over Tawni's guitar amp and Craigs
cymbals. There also wasn't much of an audience. But the band has mixed emotions about
playing outside.
"I think it looks much cooler in a bar," said
Chris. "We also don't have to worry about the heat factor as much inside."
Twani and Craig on the other hand have a different way of
looking at it.
"I like to play outside so I can look at the sky while
we play," said Tawni.
"I think it is easier to relax and let loose
outside," said Craig. "It's also cool to play outside cause it's all ages and we
get to play good pop rock for the kids."
Upcoming gigs for The Glitter Kicks include Saturday
September 12th at the Hurricane for the Creature Comforts' CD-release party. Also on that
bill is Ultimate Fakebook. On Sunday, September 20th they will open for 80's rock legends,
Missing Persons, at the Granada Theater in Lawrence and on September 24th they will be at
the Bottleneck along with Exit 159 and House of Large Sizes.
Also make sure to pay a visit to their new and improved web
site at http://www.barbersitch.com/glitter_kicks/.
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