The trans-Atlantic four-piece "Kill Electric" is the result of ongoing coincidences that have brought together a group whose instinctive musical cohesion has been as exciting as the way they came to be.
It was sometime in early 2005, that singer-songwriter Tye Rutherford met French-Canadian drummer Denis LeBreton as they tried to pacify a pub brawl in West London. This chance meeting saw a friendship form which would be the first step in realizing the music Tye had been writing over the years. Itching to get the songs recorded, they needed to finalize the band line-up which would prove to take much longer than anticipated.
It was another chance meeting in a guitar shop in London's West End that saw them secure Tristan McGarrigle as their guitarist. They would have to wait another month for Denis to meet fellow Montrealer Jasmin O'Meara, on a night out in Camden. As it turned out, while reminiscing over underground punk shows they had both attended back home as kids, Denis had just found Kill Electric a bassist.
However, it wasn't until Kill Electric's first rehearsal that its members realized that the fusion of their individual playing styles and musical backgrounds imbued the songs with a dynamic no one had expected. The energy and connection felt different from anything they had experienced before.
Rooted in punk, Kill Electrics sound is enriched by each members particular interpretation of it.
Having fronted an array of eclectic bands in the past, Tye brings the Mod & 80s New Wave sensibility for catchy melodies to his songwriting; the frankness of his lyrics evoking his british working-class roots. A versatile guitarist and KE's most accomplished musician, Tristan grew up listening to rock and blues guitarists of the 60s to 90s. Hugely influenced by improvisational musicians like of Hendrix and Zappa, he played in rock and punk bands throughout the 90s. Denis and Jazz, KEs rhythm section, received their musical training from the Montreal underground scene of the mid-90s. Pounding away at the likes of Minor Threat, Bad Religion, Black Flag and Dead Kennedys, Denis developed his uniquely aggressive style of drumming in an assortment of American-style punk bands. Jazz on the other hand, despite being an avid follower of the local rock n'roll scene, was playing bass in a two-tone ska band while also fronting an experimental project that named Sonic Youth as its greatest influence.
Kill Electric are based and inspired by London. Its streets and people are the main characters in their songs and the daily struggle of living in London features heavily in their lyrics. Although Tye is the only native Londoner, the other members have adopted the city as their own; their hand-to-mouth existence made tolerable by its people's energy and by the life-long dreams one can fulfill there. The citys history and musical heritage is why they came and why they will remain.
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Music:
Member Since: 5/24/2005
Band Website: killelectric.co.uk
Band Members:
Tye - Vocals
Jasmin - Bass & Vocals
Tristan - Guitar
Denis - Drums
Influences: Mostly British pop and punk from the 70's to the 90's
Type of Label: None