Published: June 01, 2009 10:45 pm      

Local band to perform at FAI’s Live in the Courtyard

EDMOND — A four-man pop-punk band, with members from four different Oklahoma cities, including Edmond, soon will debut its first album, “A City of Life.”

Kid Chicago will be singing some of the album’s new songs, including “Bad Girls” and “Promise Me,” at Live at the Courtyard at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Fine Arts Institute of Edmond, 27 E. Edwards.

“Live in the Courtyard started four years ago and is an outlet for teen bands to perform and teens in general to have an event here in Edmond, which is safe and fun,” said Mitzi Hancuff, executive director.

Lead vocalist and guitarist Antony Rosales, of Yukon, said Kid Chicago’s sound is a more progressive style of punk with some jazz influence.

“Mostly, my biggest thing, is for people to move away from the overproduced pop scene,” Rosales said. “The majority of songs being produced are auto tuned and fixed and cleaned up. It’s not music anymore.”

While Rosales has had some professional training, he and the other members, including bass guitarist Tyler Sanders, of Mustang, drummer and vocalist Reed Hoppe, of Edmond, and guitarist Tyler Brownen, of Bethany, mostly are self-taught.

“We just jam the songs over and over until we build a foundation,” he said.

The group gradually came together about a year ago as the members met each other by playing for and then combining various bands. They previously played at “Bricktown Live” with Harp and Lyre, an Oklahoma City band that tours full time, and have played with various other bands, including PMtoday, School Boy Humor and The Hit.

At Live in the Courtyard, the band also will play with Berkley to D.C., a Midwest City band, and JV Allstars, a Missouri band that will headline the concert and currently is scheduled to be featured at the 2010 MTV Music Awards. The concert costs $5 and will be from 7-9:30 p.m.

Several of Kid Chicago’s songs are based on real life situations. For example, Rosales wrote “Bad Girls” based on Sanders’ previous relationships, which the band says other teens also experience.

“You want a relationship but you only get bad girls,” Rosales said.

The lead vocalist also wrote “Promise Me” based on his own relationships.

“I dated a girl for a long time. I got into another relationship and it was constant drama (with the ex),” he said. “It’s like me asking the ex if she was really trying.”

Kid Chicago plans to release “A City of Life” in late summer with a CD release party. The band already is planning for their next album. While the first album is a mixture of songs the group has written together, the next album will focus on drug experimentation and the negative consequences, including loss of friends.

“We’ve all seen friends get destroyed,” Brownen said. “I’ve seen some really good people get washed out by it.”

The band also will perform at 7 p.m. June 21 at Ground Zero, 5801 S. Anderson, Midwest City.

For more information about Kid Chicago, visit www.myspace.com/kidchicagomusic.