Pop-punk roots feeding a many branched tree…
Goofy, but cool about it, The Outside Kids seamlessly blend the lyricism and sonic sensibilities of pop-punk with the raw grit and energy of grunge, hard rock, funk, and whatever the hell else strikes their fancy.
The Midwestern four piece attacks their local scene with a ferocity usually reserved for a headlining tour, leaving no dick joke unsaid and no riff unplayed. OK shows are a guaranteed sweaty good time! Visit www.theoutsidekids.com/shows to find out where you can catch them next!
The Outside Kids are a self-described “Millennial core/pop-punk band” that formed out a mutual love of Warped Tour energy and pop-punk angst. Flamboyant, hilarious ADD moments and a general sense of “why the f*** not?” pervades their shows and music, and they are not limited by any constraint of genre, often playing shows with trombones, turntables, and multiple guitar changes. However, their core sound is easily identifiable to fans of mid-2000s Green Day and blink 182, Billy Talent, My Chemical Romance, Goldfinger, and Backseat Lovers.
The foursome has opened for pop-punk heavy hitters Brooklane and Camp Comfort, played Four Winds Music & Arts Festival in Sioux Falls and Rapid City, opened shows in Iowa and North Dakota, and is currently playing shows in support of their new single “Get Over It" all over the Midwest!
The Outside Kids start as a challenge Matt Clayton made to himself. “Can I make an EP, by myself, mostly in my own house? Half finished songs are clogging up my notebooks,” he said about the sonic flotsam that became OK’s inaugural EP ‘Are You O.K.?’. Made in 5 days, songs like “Home” and “Streetlights” established a classic pop-punk sensibility, while “Wake Up” prophetically left the door open for heavier future fare. Short and sweet, “Are You O.K.?” laid the groundwork for a strong follow-up: the ‘middle-of-a-pandemic’ single, “Where I’ve Been.” “I don’t know where I’ve been, but if I could go again, I still wouldn’t know where I’m going,” tying the world’s COVID uncertainty to a pop-punk sound that wouldn’t have been out of place as a Dookie B-side. Here, Matt’s production and songwriting style started to evolve. Just in time to link up with an old friend…
Sam Halote first met Matt by punching him in the head. What began as a friendship based on a shared love of martial arts soon developed further. Their similar tastes in music (Sam quickly introduced Matt to his favorite bands, Against Me! and Frank Turner) led to the duo writing music together, merging the happy-go-lucky nostalgia of pop-punk with a socially conscious edge, exploring mental health, personal relationships, growth and set backs through gritty lyrics, pop-punk production, and heavier sounds. Sam and Matt wrote the critically acclaimed ‘Dirty Faces,’ The Outside Kids first full length release. 13 songs that promise healing, commiseration, catharsis.
Now it was finally time to get this show on the road. Cue Zac Conger, a mainstay on the drums in the Rapid City, SD music scene. Matt ran sound for a show Zac played, and instantly knew he’d found the missing link to The Outside Kids. Zac’s background in metal core, with it’s prerequisite discipline, and his earnest easygoing approach to life and friendship mirrored Matt’s to a T. In short order, Zac and Matt approached Pat Fahey, a mutual friend and aficionado of both bass and guitar. Pat’s multi-instrument approach fleshed out the live show in an undeniable way, and he brought a stage and studio presence only hinted at by his height. Joel Adams, the low end maestro of South Dakota, took over bass duties soon thereafter, freeing Pat to focus on guitar and baritone guitar duties, and the rest, if they say, is history.
The foursome played 50+ shows in 2023, writing new music and jamming constantly in-between. That work is paying off now in the form of their newest single “Get Over It,” out 6/7/24 everywhere! Hard at work in the studio on a weekly basis, be sure to subscribe to their mailing list, follow on social media and Spotify, and keep your ears peeled for the next banger from your new favorite bunch of weirdos, The Outside Kids!
The Outside Kids are consistently playing the local Rapid City, SD scene, with their sights set on Sioux Falls, Denver, Minneapolis, Omaha, San Fransisco, and San Diego in as short of order as they can. If you are interested in booking The Outside Kids, please contact admin@theoutsidekids.com!
