Mixed Kid Fridays are here, and they rock! Mixed Kid Fridays have a new song coming out soon, so let’s see what they have to say!
First off, What’s up with your name? Is there a story behind it?
You’re not the first to ask. “Mixed Kid Fridays”, what’s that supposed to mean? A white dude is up front, and it’s not obvious that there’s much behind it. Truth is, it means a lot. Calvin is pretty much the founding member of this band. He’s mixed. His dad is black, and his mom is white. He grew up in Wisconsin, where race identity was difficult. His younger brother, Mike, used to host parties at their house on Fridays, aptly called “Mixed Kid Fridays”. It was a night for the weird, outcast, or just plain unpopular kids to hang out and enjoy life together. A few years ago Mike committed suicide. We won’t get into the details of that. Let’s just say, Mike’s spirit stays with us, and we’ll always be Mixed Kid Fridays, and everyone is invited.
Tell us about your musical past, would you tell us about your early years?
Individually, we all come from completely different upbringings. Calvin grew up in Wisconsin, Dom grew up in Alabama, Gil is born and bred In Southern California, and JP is a Michigan boy. So, when we say we’re an LA band, it might be a lie. Calvin and Dom met because they lived in the same apartment building and noticed each other carrying guitar cases in and out. At the same time, Dom and Gil were guns for hire in a band that didn’t really go anywhere, but their chemistry was enough to form a friendship. JP joined the picture later after he saw us live and wanted in. So, “early years” is hard to define, because it was a mixed bag of hermit musicians grinding out separate projects. Once we gravitated toward each other, it became clear that we were all on board with this weird thing we were creating. Even if we didn’t know what that thing was.
How would you describe your sound?
It’s one of the most difficult things to try and describe your sound. We play what we think sounds cool. When we started out, Calvin wanted to form a punk rock band. We went with that for a while. But, over time, we’ve been incorporating much more melody and nuance than the term “punk” can encapsulate. It would be easy to give a list of bands that inspired us, but to say that we sound like them would be wrong. That’s not to say we transcend above any other band, we just hope to bring a unique blend of all of it. If you need a simple answer, imagine Pixies collaborated with David Bowie, there ya go. But that will only be true until our next release sounds like Bobby Darren and Rob Zombie rented an AirBnB together.
What’s your source for hearing new music?
When there’s a cool new act coming up, friends will talk about it. And algorithms on Spotify have gotten decent at recommending new things if you’re feeling lazy. But nothing beats just going out to shows. We’ve become big fans of some bands that we’ve played shows with, and that’s a cool way to discover what’s out there. The sheer amount of great music that’s created every day is staggering. Don’t focus on what’s on the radio, unless you just want an easy path to what’s popular. Not trying to put down the artists who hit it big and are getting airplay, but we live in a magical time where you can discover a new act that, maybe, has 5 views online, and it’s incredible. Granted, you might have to plow through a mountain of BS to find a diamond, but it’s worth the effort.
Who is your dream producer?
If we’re speaking dreams, the producer would be us. We have a great producer named Scott Hallquist. We have a very amicable relationship with Scott. But, at the end of the day, he does things that we would love to do on our own. Those are skills that require a different kind of knowledge. However, in fantasy land, it would be cool to work with Dr. Dre.
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
Probably someone easy to work with, like Adam Sandler. We respect a lot of artists, but they don’t need our drama mashed up with theirs. Collaborating is hard enough without having to deal with who gets the royalties.
What led you to music, and what motivates you to keep making it?
Music is both primal and cerebral. It permeates every aspect of life. It’s honestly surprising that not everyone is a musician. It makes us dance, it makes us cry, it makes us scream, and it gives us a physical outlet for our frustration when you jump into the pit. We’re not special for wanting to play music. Perhaps the state of the world is what makes us keep writing songs. When you see the news and learn that people are getting killed, displaced, tortured… it means we haven’t filled the world with enough music yet. Every musician’s pipe dream is that we can make the world a little bit better by inhaling the bad and breathing out something good.
Tell us about the songwriting process. How does it all come together?
The beginning of a song is the wildcard. An idea can come to you while you’re driving, and you have to record a voice memo on your phone so that its not lost forever. Or maybe a guitar riff manifests from some random noodling on the couch. After an initial idea is planted as a seed, it’s built from there. It can go any number of ways. There’s no set formula. Keeping a file of lyrics is helpful, so that when you’re stuck, you can go into the library and pick something out. Just like anything else, it requires work. We just happen to enjoy the work. Every so often, a song pours out, as if it was already in the air. But, for the most part, we treat it like a goal to reach. It’s way easier to start a song than it is to say it’s finally finished.
How do you connect with your audience? What is the easiest way for them to connect with you?
We’re getting back into crowd relations. The pandemic was definitely a blow. We’re on all major social media sites, and we love to connect with fans. Since things have opened up, we’ve been putting out announcements for new releases and TBD tour dates. Anyone who wants to reach us can go through those channels. We try to be responsive to messages. But, we also don’t waste time on trolls.
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
Spotify
YouTube
What’s next for you?
Touring. There are a few more singles that we need to finish for later release dates. But, yes, hitting the road and making up for lost time is our priority. We believe that our material is best served live.
Anything else you’d like to add or let us know about?
Keep an ear out! The next singles are nothing like you’ve heard us play before.
Bio:
Mixed Kid Fridays, hailing from Los Angeles, California, was formed in 2017 by original members Dominic Zinn, Calvin Klein, and Gil Lopez, and at the end of 2021, they welcomed JP to the band. With inspirations such as The Frights, The Beatles, Arctic Monkeys, FIDLAR, Bad Religion and Blink 182, they categorize their genre as a mix of Punk Rock and Indie. Their biggest accomplishments to date are performing at and securing a spot on Jam in the Van and being named “Must See Band” 2019 and “Best Punk Band” 2020 at the Ventura County Music Awards. Their discography consists of two EP’s and a debut album, their latest being the upcoming single “Something To Shout”. Slated for September 6th 2022 release date. Keep up with the band to see their newest releases, tours, and achievements!
Band Members:
Guitar – Calvin Klein
Guitar – Dominic Zinn
Bass – John Paul
Drums – Gil Lopez
