The story of The Kitchen Dwellers begins in Bozeman, Montana. But more specifically, it starts in the actual kitchen.
“We came up with the name ‘Kitchen Dwellers’ because the kitchen has always been our favorite place to practice,” says banjo player Torin Daniels. “And it was the only space big enough for all of us to stand together.”
With a population of nearly 40,000 people, Bozeman certainly had a small-town feel and limited live music options. But in between house parties and flirtatious bars, they passed the time as planned.
“It was pretty common for the police to show up to the events we were playing,” Daniels says.
Armed with a “make do with what you've got” attitude, the Kitchen Dwellers are also a part of such enduring pioneers as Billy Strings, Greensky Bluegrass, and, of course, Leftover Salmon and Yonder Mountain String Band. During their career, the Kitchen Dwellers have already performed at select clubs across the United States as well as notable string festivals such as Telluride Bluegrass in Colorado and Delfest in Cumberland, Maryland.
But if you ask the band members about their origins, they'll tell you that at first they had no interest in bluegrass or even bluegrass-based music. And you can often hear that spirituality permeating. Their songs are known to stretch to nearly 20 minutes, and could be lifted from his long-lost '70s Pink Floyd albums or intricate arrangements reminiscent of Phish's early days. It boasts a fantastical part. They're also comfortable turning his '90s classics like Matchbox 20's “3 AM” and Nirvana's “Breed” into blistering assaults to suit their mood.
“We come from a progressive rock and metal background,” says acoustic guitarist Max Davis. “So we tried to write some songs that favored the 'one chord', which are some of the most fun moments of the show, so where you can do a 'one chord jam.' Other songs are more thoughtfully structured and sectioned. It has always been our great passion to take the listener on a small journey through the composed parts. That's what we grew up with. ”
The Kitchen Dwellers met in 2010 at Montana State University. Daniels and mandolin player Sean Swain actually connected during their first class on their first day of college as freshmen. It was kismet. Daniels was also a mandolin player, but he had only recently purchased a banjo and started playing. They realized early on that while they respected bluegrass music and its traditions, they did not necessarily want to imitate them. Tradition is tradition, but there was no reason to act like a purist.
The quartet has never had a drummer, and rounding out the group is Joe Funk, who provides rhythmic support on upright bass. They began playing whenever they could, and although Bozeman was relatively small, they were able to secure shows at Haufbräu Haus, a local burger and music joint, and at the aforementioned house parties. Before Davis joined, they were playing with another guitarist. However, they parted ways amicably in 2013, and Davis, who had known and played with friends around town, joined them briefly at first. Swain says it was a pivotal moment in the band's musical growth.
“I remember inviting Max to a few shows, and he was like, 'Yeah, I'll play with you until I find a full-time guy,'” Swain recalls. “And I kind of stopped looking, but he never stopped. The first gig Max played with us was at this little local festival in Montana. Something about it felt like, 'This is going to be permanent.'
Over the years, they covered Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Wisconsin, and continued to cover as many gigs as possible throughout the Midwest and Mountain West. In 2014, they were invited to perform at DelFest's “Contest of Bands”, where they were joined by big names like The String Cheese Incident, Béla Fleck, Abigail Washburn, Del McCauley Band, Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby. I was scheduled to appear. By 2016, they began branching out into the world of jam rock on a national level, aligning themselves with Twiddle's electric and psychedelic abode and strategically booking Phish aftershows in popular destinations. In 2018, that slot expanded to open for Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, and since then, the Kitchen Dwellers have continued to be a prominent presence at roots-based music events across the country.
“There have been different eras of live music,” Swain says. “But there is no doubt that there is more emphasis on live performance now than ever before in the history of produced music.”
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Although the Kitchen Dwellers have grown into an in-demand live act over the latter half of the past decade, playing more and more shows across the United States, they remain committed to progressing as a studio band as well. In 2017, they teamed up with Leftover Salmon's Andy Thorn to produce. ghost in the bottle, a fan favorite and a window into their early talent. Rather than simply recreating a live set, the band decided early on to make their studio albums incredibly polished and more moving than your average jam band album.
In addition to two full-length releases, 2019's muir maid And in 2022 wise riverthey also published two reheating A tribute EP celebrating the music of The Band and Pink Floyd. Transforming a cover into a bluegrass-inspired arrangement can be a bit tricky, and Swain says it usually takes several days to create an arrangement that everyone is happy with.
The challenge a band faces as it grows and is able to perform on stage is how to translate that atmosphere into something that can be captured in the studio. It hasn't been easy, and it certainly hasn't been easy for the kitchen's residents, Swain says. But he thinks they've finally cracked the code. They needed a new approach.
Therefore, the latest release of Kitchen Dwellers is seven devils, his most ambitious work to date. Inspired by Dante's Inferno, his 12 songs are a plunge into more serious bluegrass-filled territory. Inferno is a story about reconciling the concept of hell, the concept of sin, and the path to becoming a better person. seven devils We explore those themes as well and sprinkle a little optimism into those important topics.
Daniels has stated that the inspiration for the album's theme came from the concept of the Seven Deadly Sins, as well as from realizing how many places throughout the country are known as the “Seven Devils.”
“The number seven is a very important number in many cultures around the world, and has been for a very long time,” he says. “I started drawing parallels with other songs I was writing for the album. Human existence and suffering center around many of these themes. Whether you consider them sin or not is up to you, but… , many of those sins can center around lust, greed, anger, anger, and pride, and each of us can be equally guilty of all of them.
Last year, the group holed up in producer Glenn Brown's studio in East Lansing, Michigan, for two sessions. Known for his work on recent Billy Strings and Greensky Bluegrass albums, Brown knew how to get their acoustic sound just right.
The producer helped flesh out some of the ideas the band brought to the table, and by the end of their first nine days together, he says, the band was in a completely different mental space.
“I realized there was a deeper feeling to what they had than just a fire,” Brown recalled. “Of course we wanted a lot of fire. We wanted to push it a little bit further and make it have emotional value on a higher level.”
For certain songs, Brown mixed in some strings, a simple move that ended up having a big impact on the band.
“When I turned around after the performance, three people were crying,'' he recalls. “It was so beautiful and emotionally powerful that they had tears in their eyes.”
The album also includes the title Gong On[1]Tracks “Seven Devils,'' “Meagher's Reel,'' and “Waterford Son'' feature penny whistles and bodran drums. Also, up-and-coming songwriter Lindsay Lu provided vocals on several different songs.
“We treat this as a concept rather than just saying, 'This is our new song.' We said, “This is something thought-provoking,'' Daniels explains.
“We've been trying to hone our craft, and that means being more emotional and putting out quality songs,” Davis added. “To do that, you have to dig deep and really think about what you're trying to say. The world is a chaotic place that's always evolving, and I think this music reflects that.” We're exposed to so much information and technology right now, and what we've talked about as a band is to look inward a little bit.
For Swain, it's about merging the band's two worlds in the most natural way possible.
“In my previous studio work, I wasn't able to really get the same points across that I was able to achieve live,” he says. “And I think that's true for a lot of bands. I have a different feeling about this live show where we can finally capture the whole live sound and bring it to the record. This is the best we can bring out of the studio. It's the closest thing to a live experience you could get, and it's just as loud. Before, it felt like they were actually separate things, and now they're finally merging into one. I think it's starting.”
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Kitchen Dwellers' 2024 itinerary is already impressive. They've confirmed major live openings for the Infamous Stringdusters and Leftover Salmon at Nashville's famous Ryman Auditorium, and they've confirmed openings for the Infamous Stringdusters and Leftover Salmon at the annual Mexico weekend, Panic en la Playa will support Widespread Panic. It will then headline larger spaces in various markets this spring.
The members of Kitchen Dwellers have already been able to bring the new connections they recently cultivated in the studio back to the stage, strengthening their live chemistry and strengthening their improvisational skills. This explains how they are able to stretch the songs beyond his 15 songs. – Mark the minutes each night and easily navigate between seemingly unrelated covers.
“In the beginning, it was like, 'Everyone make as much noise as possible,'” Swain says. “And now I think it's finally settled. It's like someone starts with an idea, it starts working, and then we all build around it and spread it around. And in some cases, it starts working. , sometimes someone can add one idea on top of another. It's a little different, but it still works. I think it's always evolving for the better.”
But while touring the country and 14 years of friendship have certainly contributed to their success, the musicians also realize that the band's recent surge in popularity is simply a sign of the times. ing. “My theory is that bluegrass and roots music becomes popular during times of recession in this country,” Swain says. “People, for some reason, consciously or not, try to go back to the basics that are uniquely American in times like these. And we're experiencing that right now.” But in the end, it's the Kitchen Dwellers' perseverance, chemistry, and unique approach to traditional art forms that have truly allowed them to stand out in an increasingly crowded field.
“As a modern bluegrass and folk musician, I'm very grateful,” Daniels says. “I’ve always been proud of how unique our band is and how we’re not trying to be anyone else. There's a lot of them. They try to sound like someone else and think that's what people want to hear. People say, “This sounds good now, so I should do it this way.” Sho. But in reality, the only thing that sets you apart in a world oversaturated with media and content is actually how different and unique you are. ”
