Killed By Art

My first encounter with Killed By Art was a couple of months ago at Hank’s Pub in Dayton. The band opened the show and absolutely blew my mind. I had heard a few tracks that the band had on Facebook and I just had to see if these guys sounded as good live. Well let’s just say I have seen the band twice more since then and I can’t seem to get enough. The band just released their first CD entitled “Habeas Corpus” and it is without a doubt one of the most played CD’s in my collection, just ask my wife Lisa. The album is an amazing collection of tunes that you want to play over and over again. The first song on the CD called “Roots” is a rocking tune that sets the tone for the entire album. It is kind of a “take a stand for independence” tune that highlights the bands edgy sound. The song begins with this heavy little guitar riff by Kirkbride and then Weiss shows her chops with the lyrics “You told me what to do, what to think, what to feel, and what to say. You controlled my every move and made me lose my natural way, but it was too heavy of a load, so I had to head on down the road. Couldn’t let you that far in my mind, had to leave that shit behind.” Wow! Most recently the band made a return visit to Hank’s where the band played to a packed house and performed Roots as well as the rest of Habeas Corpus.

 

Killed By Art was formed in 2009 in Springfield, OH by Bassist Todd Panstingel, Drummer Brian Wise, (former members of Entrenched), and Guitarist Bill Kirkbride. Guitarist Nathan Goff (Entrenched, SNAG) and Weiss (Far From Eden, Harm’s Way) were added to the line-up a year later and the band has been honing their craft into a rock powerhouse. The debut album “Habeas Corpus” is solid, there is not a weak tune on this album; each song (11 tunes in all) is as good as the last and makes for one of those CD’s you put in and rock from beginning to end. As good as the studio tracks are, the stage is where Killed By Art really shines. The band’s live show is bursting with energy; just ask anyone in attendance at one of their shows. I am not the first to be blown away by this band; on my first trip to Hank’s Pub I was accompanied by my stepson Brad. It’s been two months since the show and he still talks about how he can’t wait to see them again. Killed By Art has that effect on fans in part due to the passion you see coming off the stage from each band member.