Girl at the Rock Shows

Being a solo band is something very intimate. I mean, that goes without saying, right? You write the instrumentation, you come up with the lines of words and, eventually, you are left on a stage, all alone, pouring your heart out to strangers. Honestly, some of my favorite songs are solo songs because of that raw vulnerability that comes through when it’s just one person and one heart behind a song. KESTE is a trio yet their new song “The Music We Dance To” was giving me solo energy. It was odd, I was intrigued, and I jumped on the opportunity to learn a bit more about this amazing trio (which was actually started as a solo project from Matt- the vocalist- so my spidey senses were right!).

We’re going to start off with a two-parter:
Pick between It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Office, or Parks & Rec
ALL: The Office
Now that you’ve picked, please assign each band member as a character from said show
Sean: Darryl
Matt: Andy
Ben: Jim

What’s the most awkward date you’ve ever been on?
Sean: I took my high school girlfriend to a Face to Face concert for our first date, and she had never been to a punk rock concert with mosh pits and crowd surfing. I convinced her to crowd surf and the crowd led her all the way up to the stage where she got invited by the band to stay on stage. She basically got to party backstage after with all the bands and I just kinda hung out desperately solo 😥.
Matt: don’t have one 🤷🏻‍♂️
Ben: My first date was an ice cream date, and I knew she was not the right one, so we got in the car and left – meanwhile the ice cream melted in my hand while I was driving.

If you could compare yourself to a sea creature, what sea creature would it be and why?
Sean: Octopus – 3 hearts and a whole lotta brain
Matt: Probably a seal. They aarf and that seems fun.
Ben: Wobbegong shark – they like to chill and their name is an Australian word for beard

Let’s say you’re a pro wrestler now– what is your “walk-out” song?
Sean: “We Came to Party” by Too Short
Matt: “Bring Me to Life” by Evanesence
Ben: “One Armed Scissor” by At the Drive-in

What’s the first concert you ever went to?
Sean: Technically, I “went” to see Poison when I was 9yrs old, but Bret Michaels had a sore throat and didn’t show like a jerk. After that, it would have been NOFX in 1993.
Matt: Baha Men with 98° – I’m dead serious
Ben: Probably a band like Newsboys or dc Talk…

Everyone says that every crowd is their favorite but, what city has the best audience and why is it ?
Sean: San Diego, because it’s San Diego.
Matt: The underground music scene in Tampa, where I grew up, was an absolute blast.
Ben: One of the best shows I’ve played was in Phoenix. There was a special energy the crowd had that the bands fed off of

Favorite lyrics of all time?
Sean: Dobie Gray – “Drift Away”
Matt: the entire Deja Entendu album by Brand New
Ben: A Glass Can Only Spill What It Contains – mewithoutYou

What’s your favorite menu item at Taco Bell?
Sean: Aren’t they all the same? They all come with a stomach ache.
Matt: black bean crunch wrap supreme
Ben: Just a classic quesadilla

What’s your favorite method of listening to music?
Sean: Vinyl, of course!
Matt: digitally on my Bose headphones
Ben: I love vinyl, but if I am not in the mood for the ritual I’ll listen to flac files on my headphones

Does pineapple belong on pizza?
Sean: Unequivocally, YES
Matt: Absolutely, one of my favorites
Ben: Nah

What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?
Sean: Rage Against the Machine at the LA Rising festival in 2011. Garbage bins were getting lit on fire for fuck’s sake!
Matt: Summer Sanitarium Tour 2000 – Mudvayne, Deftones, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, and Metallica headlined
Ben: Sunny Day Real Estate with The Appleseed Cast in San Diego in 2023 was incredible. Two of my favorite bands playing an absolute killer set

What’s your favorite thing to do outside?
Sean: Snowboard
Matt: Run, I love running
Ben: Walks with our dog

What’s one thing I should know before listening to “The Music We Dance To”?
ALL: The verse riff was actually meant to be a throw away. It was written as a basic piece to spawn some ideas for vocal melodies, but was planned to be replaced. Instead of tossing it, we bolstered it with a fun bass line and dynamic harmonies. It ended up balancing out nicely we think.

What is the music you dance to?
Sean: Rap (hip hop, hardcore, whatever)
Matt: Post-Hardcore
Ben: Midwest Emo

You mentioned to me that you all helped create this song. Can you expand on that a bit and tell me who brought what to the table?
ALL: KESTE existed before Ben and I joined as a solo artist project with Matt. He had a few songs that he had done all the instrumentation and vocals on prior, but getting to write this first song collectively was both a gift and a curse. Getting to bring our (very) different influences to the table was exciting, yet challenging to make coherent. Not just instrumental styles, but vocally as well. Matt loves complex harmonies and dynamics, but was limited with just his own voice at the time. Now we have Ben, who we like to say has the voice of a Midwest-Indie-Emo angel, and then me – the screamy, punk guy. It’s pretty interesting what it produces, all together.

It’s crazy, with so many different people involved, there is something super cohesive about this song. Do you all have the same favorite band?
ALL: If we were being judged purely on the influence of other bands, I would say we are completely incompatible lol! But somehow, we make it work through other means – friendship, humor, and yeah – we all happen to work at the same company. I will say this though…we all love us some Jimmy Eat World.

Say a top-40 pop star were to cover “The Music We Dance To”– who would you want it to be?
Sean: I’d love to hear Billie Eilish or Lady Gaga do some weird, hard-to-explain version of this.
Matt: Dua Lipa
Ben: Yea Billie Eilish would be interesting

What color do you associate with this song and why?
Sean: Black, because when the airwaves are silent, you hear nothing.
Matt: Orange vibes for me, not entirely sure why
Ben: Green, I think because of the Jukebox

So far, you have two EPs out and now this bangin’ new single– what’s next for Keste?!
ALL: More kick ass singles, more time in the studio, then shows.

What else would you like to tell everyone?
Sean: Be gentle, it’s been 17 years since I was last in an original band.
Matt: I’ve been quite tepid in past projects, but working with Sean and Ben truly feels like the real deal. I hope your readers give the song (and us) a chance!
Ben: I still like ice cream.

Whether you’re looking for a little burst of energy, a little trip down nostalgia lane, or a song to just come in and soothe your heart and soul, “The Music We Dance To” is the song for you and KESTE is the band that you want to start obsessing over. I know that Sean mentioned that it’s been a hot minute since he’s been in an original band and that Matt mentioned that he been a bit tepid in past projects but, after just one listen to this band, you will surely pick up on the fact that there’s some magic here. Join KESTE on their inevitable rise to the top and make sure to show them some love!

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