For this year’s Fall Concert SUBOG has brought us Matt and Kim featuring Sage The Gemini.
And like it is every year when the performers are announced, some people were super excited, some people were indifferent, some were kind of bummed out, and others had no idea who they were.
A lot of people will recognize Sage The Gemini as the artist behind the song Gas Pedal. However, Matt and Kim may be a little harder to place. The “Ah ha!” moment that I had was when I googled their song “Daylight”. UConn student and fellow HC writer, Jen Birchwale, has this to say about the band, “[They’re] definitely much more indie than most mainstream bands. Daylight is probably their most popular song and it’s really catchy. I would suggest [this song] as a way to start listening to them if you’re interested.” According to their VEVO Youtube page and their own Youtube page “Daylight” is their most popular video with 14,000,000+ views.
If you still didn’t recognize them through that song but you want to know more about them before you make the decision to purchase tickets, I have put together a brief FAQ about the musical duo.
Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino are an indie pop duo from Brooklyn, New York. They released their first self-titled album, Matt & Kim, in 2006 and three more after that including, Grand (2009), Sidewalks (2010), and Lightning (2012). They have been on several U.S. tours following the release of each of their albums. Matt is usually lead vocalist and plays the keyboard while Kim is on drums. However there are a few songs where she joins him on vocals such as in this song called “Let’s Go.”
The duo is known for their wild concerts that always end up in some sort of spastic dance party. Their interaction with the fans combined with the element of live music really sets this group apart. In an interview with Artist Direct, Matt says this about performing, “‘I really believe that a band should be honest when they play,’…’Kim and I are generally just excited to play; I mean I cannot believe that I can make a living off playing music, which is what I get to do now; it’s just so incredible,’…’We’re excited just to be able to play and we show it, as dorky as that can look.'” According to that same interview, when they first started collaborating neither one of them had ever played their particular instruments, which as the article states is, “a fact that makes the band’s success story almost as unique as their distinctive brand of synth-and-drums dance punk.”
One thing for sure is they’re definitely not afraid to have fun on stage. In one interview about Lollapalooza, Kim reveals that after opening the set, the group and friends celebrated their successful performance with a few drinks. Little did they know that only hours later they were needed to close the stage after another band didn’t show up on time. She talks about being almost too drunk to even stand up but making the most of it and having a blast with the music and the audience. It also seems like Kim has a habit of crowd surfing while standing up and a signature booty dance to match!
If you were wondering, yes, they are a couple as well! They met in 2004 while attending college at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and started working together on music shortly after. When asked about his relationship with Kim in this MTV interview, Matt has this to say, “‘We’re really on the same page. And we’ll be frustrated at different times and every now and then — basically once a month — there’ll be a note on the bus door that says “I’m having that time-of-the-month. If you see me, just try to avoid,” to let everyone in the crew know. We’re human, but in the end we’ll finish a tour after being on the same bus for a couple of months and we’ll get home and be like “Alright! Wanna go out to eat?” It’s not like “Ugh. You go to your room.” I can’t figure it out, really.'”
If you want to know a bit more about their personal lives you can watch this vlog where they both answer questions from some of their fans.
Matt and Kim have created a wide variety of music experimenting with electronic sounds as well. They have also collaborated with artists such as Soulja Boy and Andrew W.K. and have worked with various DJs to produce remixes of entire albums. While some people may not appreciate their style of music, these musicians have created some seriously good tunes with their own unique vibe. Be sure to check out their website for music releases, tour info, and other news.
If you want to learn more about Matt and Kim you can find a variety of interviews here.
You can also find them on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, tumblr, and Instagram.