While most bands form due to illusions and hopes of grandeur, Kaddisfly was created out of a hobby and developed into “this thing [they] wanted to take seriously.” Swarms of girls transfixed by guys in bands, fame intertwined with financial success, and household recognition were not factors in the decision to form Kaddisfly. Influenced by the music of Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Silverchair, Tears for Fears, Glassjaw and many other prominent music scene figures, the band also draws from the inspiration found in “film and painting and life in general…you can draw inspiration from anything.” Most bands write songs that are based upon breaking up with girlfriends, but Kaddisfly is not like that. Kaddisfly has substance.
The current music scene is “thriving.” The scene is overwhelmed with bands: whether talented or not, they still exist. “It creates a lot of, [Aaron Tollefson- guitarist] hates to use the word competition because music and art are not about competition, but when you’re trying to make music for a living it’s kind of tough to separate the bands with good intentions from the others.” If you can pick up a guitar and use the internet, you can create a Myspace account and call yourself a band. Whether this is detrimental to the scene or helpful is debatable. It makes it more difficult to weed out those with talent and integrity, but makes it easier for smaller bands to get the recognition that they might deserve. “Ten years ago there were really good bands and now there’s just a lot of then.” To separate themselves from that over saturation, Kaddisfly tries “to be creative and take it to the next step.” They’re not going to sell a million records at any point in the near future because they are “taking risks.” Their own recognition and acceptance of this fact is what sets them apart. As a band, they see why large-scale success has not yet been achieved: they keep doing what they want to do and write songs they want to hear rather than songs they “think other people want to hear.”
Writing the songs that comprise a Kaddisfly album is very “collective.” Everyone puts in their “own two cents” and the bands creates songs from those riffs, rhythms, or song lyrics. No matter who starts a song, the product is that of Kaddisfly – not an individual member. It goes in its own direction and becomes something of which the band is proud. Throughout the six years the band has been in existence, the process or the goal has not changed. They keep “pushing consistently.” Sacrifices have been made and they see no reason to hold “normal jobs.” If another six to ten years is needed – Kaddisfly is going to keep on pushing. “It’d be nice to make a comfortable living.” And in the music industry, being financially comfortable is a difficult thing to do unless working for a large corporate-driven record label.
A band’s feelings on major labels versus the largely-hyped indie labels vary from genre to genre. “It’s not about selling out – it’s about what kind of music you play.” Some bands just happen to have that distinct indie sound and would not go over well if signed to a major label. It’s not about sounding mainstream, which can be a hard sound to describe, “it’s weird.” Aaron uses Incubus as an example – although they do not sound mainstream, due to their fan base and prominent place in the industry, they would simply not benefit from being added to the roster of an indie label. A lot of bands just have that indie sound and wouldn’t go over well on a major.
Touring is an aspect of being a professional musician to which one must become accustomed. Aaron enjoys the inevitable prospect of being “in a different city every night.” A routine and expected answer but when couple with the completion of his answer, allows him to stand out among the other bands. As an outlet, “playing music every night is a given.” As well as “meeting people…getting to meet tons of cool musicians and it’s amazing meeting the kids who come to shows.” I mean before being in a band – Aaron was waiting tables. Being on the road is by far preferable to living on the tips of customers. But traveling and lack of sleep can take its toll on an individual as well. “When you’re driving doing eight hour drives every single day. It’s rough on you and it gets tiring.” But within Kaddisfly – there are too many positives to emphasize the negative.
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