Meet Captain Kidd, an alternative band that now currently calls Columbus, Ohio home. Combining alternative rock sounds with pop vocals and melodies, their music is a refreshing take on dance music that stands out from the norm. Already enjoying success around the state, headlining their own shows around Ohio and having the pleasure of opening for artists like Afroman, they’re ready to take on the 20,000 #Fest-goers once April 12 rolls around. We had the chance to talk with the band and learn more about them:
#Fest: How would you describe Captain Kidd to someone who hasn’t heard of you?
CK: I’d say we’re an alternative dance band. We’ve been described as a mix of Arctic Monkeys, Foster the People and Two Door Cinema club. We write music we think people can dance to.
#Fest: As an Ohio band, what’s it like being able to perform at one of the biggest festivals in the state?
CK: It’s an incredible feeling. We’re gonna play in front of thousands of people partying at the #1 party school in the nation. We’re proud to represent Ohio in its craziest music festival of the year, everyone knows what #Fest is.
#Fest: You guys released the “Captain Kidd” EP this Valentine’s Day. Tell us about it - where did you draw inspiration from? What was the creative process like and how easily did these songs come together?
CK: Valentine’s day seemed like the perfect date to release our EP because a lot of its themes fit with the holiday. It’s pretty funny how we discovered our sound. We really wanted to get some new material out there, but did not know what direction to take it. We had some skeletons for songs, but we really wanted to write music people could dance too so we set out to write a catchy song, so we wrote “Freaky Love”. Everyone loved it so we wrote our EP around this new sound. It was extremely hard writing the EP during fall semester, it took some time for all the songs to come together, but we’re happy with the release! As far as influences, we had been listening to Arctic Monkeys and a mix of other alternative bands.
#Fest: What’s it like working with BravoArtist, an Ohio promotion company who has been doing big things around the state?
CK: BravoArtist has done so much for us as a band and for the Ohio music scene in general. Ben and Cory are some of the hardest working people we’ve met in the industry, and we love working with them.
#Fest: Have you heard of #Fest before? If so, what have you heard about it? What are you expecting come April 12?
CK: Our friends constantly tell us their epic stories from the past #Fest’s so we’ve heard all about it. We’re expecting to get really tight with Wiz backstage so we can hangout with him all the time. Im expecting a crazy and rowdy crowd, one that goes nuts during our set and then parties way harder after.
#Fest: Quick! What are the last 3 songs you listened to?
CK: Empire Ants by Gorillaz, Evil Friends by Portugal. The Man, and Best Friend by Foster the People.
#Fest: Do you have any big plans for the rest of 2014?
CK: We are going to be continuing to write music for our first full length album, finishing up our tour schedule for the summer, and getting ready to release a few music videos! Couldn’t be more excited about the future.
#Fest: It’s 2:30AM and you’re at the Taco Bell drive-thru. What are you ordering?
CK: This one’s easy—one chili cheese fry griller, two chicken burritos and a nacho supreme.
Follow Captain Kidd on Twitter: @capn_kidd
Listen to the latest from Captain Kidd:
#Fest Countdown