Review Fix Exclusive: Kidd Bayou Talks ‘Gold’ And More

Review Fix chats with Oregon native Luke Hall and Chicagoan Joey Colando of Kidd Bayou, who discuss their origin as a band, as well as their new single, “Gold.”

About Kid Bayou:

Their mutual influences, which include Death Cab For Cutie, The Shins, Wilco, and Elliott Smith, allowed the two to discover a cohesive vibe that spoke to both of them. Separately, they come from highly musical backgrounds; Hall spent years producing music for bands in the Oregon indie scene while focusing on his solo project Last Home. Previous to that, he was in Los Angeles-based band Dayplayer, while Colando focused mostly on honing his songwriting abilities and playing in his LA based folk band Meekos & Me. But it was their thirst for experimentation and undeniably chemistry that became the driving force behind the music they created.

Review Fix: How did the band get together?

Joey: We met each other in LA, years ago. I was living with one of Luke’s bandmates. I think we may have met at a party at my place? At the time we were both in our own bands, but we hung out a lot and became super good friends. It wasn’t until much later that we started playing together. The first time we jammed, it was in a closet-sized practice space in LA that Luke was renting. It was big enough for a drum set, a guitar amp, and a tiny desk. He was on drums and I was playing the guitar.

I always loved Luke’s music, especially his solo stuff, Last Home. We have the same influences and dig the same music. So, when we did start playing together it just felt natural. We both ended up moving up to Portland and started recording under Kidd Bayou.

Luke: It was love at first sight when I met Joey! Everything felt natural from the start. It only made sense for us to collaborate, and once we started we realized we had to keep it up.

Review Fix: How did you guys both get involved in music?

Joey: My dad played guitar. Also, I’ve always been surrounded by music. Growing up with a musician father you get introduced to really good music at a young age. I’m super proud to say my first CD was Abbey Road. Granted I did pick up some shameful albums on my musical journey.

Luke: My mother got my sister and I involved in music at an early age, as per her “one instrument and one sport at all times”  policy during our childhood. She also sang opera and my father is a music fanatic, so it was ever-present. I think it’s cool that Joey’s first CD was Abbey Road…mine was a twofer of Barenaked Ladies’ Stunt and Rammstein’s Sehnsucht.

Review Fix: What are your influences?

Joey: Elliott Smith, I would say, is probably my biggest influence. James Mercer and Ben Gibbard, lyrical styles, are pretty present in my writing.

Luke: Elliott Smith, for sure! I find comfort in not only his musical genius but his vulnerability and how he wore his troubles on his sleeve. Also, Matthew Caws from Nada Surf is my spirit guide.

Review Fix: What makes “Gold” special?

Joey: Gold was an exercise in writing a story that didn’t place me as a character. Initially, I wanted to write an album that was all based on historical events. Gold was the first and only song that came out if it. It’s about the Gold rush… if you couldn’t gather that.

Review Fix: What makes your brand of music special?

Joey: It’s certainly special to me. But, I am not going to assume it’s special to anyone else. I just hope people like it.

Luke: I’m proud that we created something that represents both of our tastes and inspirations. I don’t think we’re presenting new ideas, musically, but I think we rearranged things in a way that makes it special and impactful to us.

Review Fix: Why do you think people should enjoy it?

Joey: It’s non-intrusive. It doesn’t offend your ears. I think it’s an album that can be enjoyed without really listening to it. But, it can also be enjoyed and appreciated when you listen intently. You can get something out of it both ways.

Luke: It’s pleasant!

Review Fix: How do you want your music to affect people?

Joey: In any way at all. Any kind of emotion is better than indifference, I guess.

Review Fix: What are your goals for 2018?

Joey: I want to play this album live.

Luke: Live to see next year.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Joey: Luke is getting married and I am his minister. Hopefully, we can make an album about that.

Luke: Dude that’s a great idea! There’s a lot of material there.

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

Joey: Check out the album on Spotify or Apple or whatever streaming service you have.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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