The Kickback

Based in Chicago, IL, The Kickback is the result of South Dakota-native Billy Yost's emigration to the Windy Cindy and the subsequent Craigslist pleas for band members that followed. The indie rock act has received praise from Rolling Stone, Sound Opinions' Jim Derogatis, and other publications and their debut album, Sorry All Over The Place (recorded and produced by Spoon's Jim Eno), are set for September release.

The band's podcast, DISASTOUR, has documented the band's successes, failures, and multiple van implosions while trying to cast a light on the realities accompanying a touring up-and-coming band.

Artist Feature

Many of our Feed The Beat bands spend tons and tons of time on the road, and The Kickback are no different. What we love about them, though, is their ability to make us laugh (you've really GOT to hear their podcast), and their ability to write some absolutely killer music. The band's debut album is mere weeks away from release, and they took some time out of their schedule to talk to us about it. There may be dancing:

Tell the Feed The Beat community about The Kickback in one sentence: The Kickback is guy at the party who tries to start a conversation with you about whether or not your parents are divorced.

Your new album Sorry All Over The Place is out SO soon! What are you looking forward to most once the record is out? Starting the next one. Right up until the point that you record your new songs, you are convinced they are gifts to the masses handed down to you from the gods of beauty and wisdom. Then you get them down to tape and just get pissed about a pre-chorus or something.

One of the things The Kickback does that we think is awesome is the Disastour podcast, talking about all of the crazy / great / irritating things that go into being a band on the road. You've got 121 episodes already completed, which is insane! What encouraged you to start recording? What's your favorite thing about putting each episode together? I love podcasts. I have them on while I sleep. It seemed like "broke band touring their buns off and talking about getting in a fight with a show promoter" was sort of a story that hadn't been told in podcast form yet. So we started in 2010. We occasionally have these surreal moments on the road when a stranger will walk up to us and start casually mentioning specific and highly personal information, and we eventually realize we were dumb enough to talk about it on the podcast. It sounds embarrassing, but it's so neat to know your dumb stories are reaching at least a few interested (read: "incredibly bored") people.

What is your biggest "must have" while out on tour? I typically travel with Mountain Dew on hand to avoid bar soda and be a cheap, cheap so-and-so. Lieutenant Dan from Forrest Gump is right on about fresh socks and underwear. We also always seem to have four lint rollers on hand at any given time that never get used. So, if you're coming to the show and are covered in dog hair, come find the creepy looking van out back, I guess.

What else should we expect from The Kickback before the end of 2015? Are there upcoming tour dates that we can get ready to dance all over the place at? Our first record will be forced into the world. We'll be on the road a lot. You don't have to dance, but there also won't be a vice tax on your decision to dance, if and when you make that decision.