As a female-fronted band, The Kid Henry
brings a welcomed alternative rock set list to the Long Island music
scene. The groups distinct sound blends elements of punk and rock,
which are evident on their newly released self-titled EP.
All
four band members - Alexandra, vocalist, Eammonn, bass, Frank,
guitarist, and Vin on drums - are Long Island natives. The group makes
the most of their location, with nearly endless venues and plenty of new
fans ripe for the taking. “Long Islanders love bars and live music,”
Alexandra tells us. “Almost every bar you walk into on a Friday or
Saturday night has live music and it is important to connect with those
bands, to broaden your audience.”
“There
are countries smaller than Long Island,” Vin said. “People don’t
realize what they have here on any given night in any venue on the
Island. I’ll take the Pepsi Challenge with any city in America. No one
has the diversity of music or quality bands that we have here.”
For
The Kid Henry, establishing mutual relationships among other Long
Island bands is important for individual bands and for the entire
industry of emerging bands in the area. “We have been trying very hard
to bring back the camaraderie in our local music scene,” Alex said. “We
think it is extremely important that bands support each other, being
from the music capitol of the world.”
The
members of The Kid Henry all have a long history of working with
creative bands with different musical backgrounds. So, what works with
this unique group? “We all come from extremely different musical
backgrounds, but the one thing we all pretty much agree on is our love
for punk rock music,” said Alex. “We take a little of our personal
favorites, combined with that little edge of punk rock and out pops The
Kid Henry.”
“For
the most part I feel it just flows out like that, to say that there
aren't arguments would be a lie, but they are very rare, and much easier
than I've had in previous bands,” Eammonn adds. “We write every song
the way we want to, we never worry about if people are going to like it.
We don't need to win anybody over; we do this because we like it,”
says Vin.
Part
of the recipe is not taking things too personally. “If someone comes
up with a riff or even a whole song, some words or hums a melody, and
everyone likes it, we go with it. If we don’t like it, we move on,” Vin
explains. “We have very few bruised egos.”
Another
part of The Kid Henry’s appeal is the band’s lead female vocalist.
“When a girl fronts a rock band, there is always a head turning element
of interest. We are blessed with a talented vocalist who really
shines,” Frank said.
One
thing you can count on from this band is a high-energy, exciting
performance. When asked about their favorite performances, Alex
described a show played in early January on the Lower East Side. “To
have kids sing back lyrics that I wrote and be so excited for the music
was unreal. They wanted all of our merch, our autographs and pictures;
it was crazy!,” Alex said. “I had to take off work the next day,
because I felt like such a rock star, I couldn't dream of sitting behind
a desk the next day,” she added.
Vin,
Frank and Eammonn all recounted their experience performing at The
Kraine Theater in New York City, a venue that is well-known for
experimental productions. Sharing the stage with their friends in All
New Episode, tickets were sold out, and the audience sang their songs
along with the band. Eammonn described the performance as a turning
point for the group. “We realized, at that show, that we are doing what
we are meant to do,” Frank said. “It took me a long time to play a
show where the audience was so engaged with the music, and I’m glad to
have it happen with this band,” Vin added.
As
for their personalities, “we’re the same on stage as we are off,” Frank
told us. “We all work hard, and the band is our release...it comes
down to the four of us treat each other like family and I think that
comes through when you see us play a show.”
Check out the band’s website here, where you can listen to their EP and pick up some of The Kid Henry’s merch.
Check our events calendar
for a listing of The Kid Henry’s upcoming performances in Nassau and
Suffolk Counties. Share your love for this Long Island band, and
others, at our Long Island Living discussion forum!
