Wednesday night was a big one for Tyson Letang (guitar, vocals), Simon Shearsby (lead vocals, guitar), Kevin D'Orazio (bass), and Aaron Dunn (drums).
Collectively, they’re known as K.I.C.K. (Keep It Cool Kids).
And collectively, they took home the grand prize from this week’s Tidal Records Battle of the Bands hosted at the Canadian Night Club.
The four-piece was also awarded top honours in the Best Original Song category by battle judges Rob Speers (Village Media), Rob Figures (Sault Metal Scene), and Dustin Jones (Tidal Records).
“It definitely feels good. We’ve put in a lot of work this year, working on our originals,” Shearsby told SooToday following the victory.
As the newbie to the K.I.C.K. lineup, bandmates credited D'Orazio with expanding the rock outfit’s dynamic sound and appeal.
“These guys are a lot of good guys. I love jamming with them and playing with them. It’s always a good time,” D'Orazio said. “I’m really proud of these guys for it all coming together tonight.”
Shearsby said the band plans to have a four- or five-song EP set to release by the end of 2016.
Wednesday night’s cash winnings will be tucked away to help facilitate recording, the boys said.
The second annual Tidal Records Battle of the Bands also featured competitors The Din, Heavy Head, Eclipse, and Stereo North.
Next up, K.I.C.K. is scheduled to perform at the Rockstar Bar on April 29 with Gnaeus.
Follow K.I.C.K. on Facebook for further bookings and album updates.
The 2016 Battle of the Bands was made possible through support from Tidal Records, Village Media, Case’s Music, The Rad Zone, Labatt Breweries, and Maxx Graphics.
To learn more about Tidal Records, please click here.