Kid Stuff: Welcome to Funderdome!
Thursday, December 17th, 2009
By Gus Fernandez.
There are ticking time bombs in every city, ordinary people capable of doing great things. They wait tables, answer phones, sit in traffic. Unfortunately for some, they tick forever and never explode, but in the case of Ryan Stang and Kid Stuff, the fuse is hot and short. On the brink of blowing up, Kid Stuff already boasts a local draw more sought after than some of Atlanta’s more established bands just months after playing their first show.
…There are ticking time bombs in every city, ordinary people capable of doing great things…
Ryan is an Atlantan at heart, having spent the last few years in Alaska as a bicycle tour guide. He returned last year much to the delight of his friends and family. Since then he’s been a regular all over town at local rock and roll shows from the 529 or The Earl to The Highland Ballroom. A lover of music, Stang’s built friendships with devoted members of the scene including garage folk-pop group The North Trolls, Small Reactions, and This Piano Plays Itself. He calls himself a fan of these bands, but his passion lies in hip-hop and programming beats.
Before moving to Alaska, Ryan was squatting with Kyle Withrow, now in charge of booking at 529, at the Peachtree Hills apartments, which had supposedly been vacated to be leveled and replaced with new housing. While managing free rent, Stang built himself a make shift studio in one the bedrooms where he could program beats over which future Kid Stuff melody-man Tim Kohler would rap using his alias “The Electric Jew”, and record Withrow’s ongoing acoustic projects.
Perhaps because of the illegal nature of the operation, this whole project was kept secret from the world, and eventually was undone when Stang left the state.
… more sought after than some of Atlanta’s more established bands just months after playing their first show …
After returning, Stang struggled to settle back in, waiting tables at multiple restaurants, looking for a place to live with a nice big basement to make music in. Luckily for Atlanta, Ryan found his basement on the east side.
Tim Kohler of Hannah Barbarian soon after hauled his keyboards down to Ryan’s basement and put his contagious pop sensibility to work, writing hooks and vocal melodies over thumping beats. Sam Jacobsen, formerly of Small Reactions joined in with his synthesizer, adding another layer of swagger, dance moves, and impressive skill, never missing a note while wailing on the tiny keys of his Korg.
“The band is just about having fun,” Kohler says, “We just want people to forget about work, girlfriends, boyfriends, finals, and have fun”. The band’s first show was in the basement in which it was born, named, ‘The Funderdome’ by the group. Friends piled in wearing tie-dye t-shirts that had been homemade by Ruti Jones and friends especially for the occasion, and it was a complete mess of a success.
… “The band is just about having fun,” Kohler says, “We just want people to forget about work, girlfriends, boyfriends, finals, and have fun”. …
Ruti Jones became an official member at a Wonder Root show, their first performance outside of the Funderdome, when she was called up to sing back-ups on their cover of Aaliyah’s, “Are You That Somebody” (a 90’s classic). The dynamic between the four was completed as she added harmony, rhythm on tambourine, and most importantly, always a new idea to make the next show as much a visual experience as a musical one. The band makes and wears costumes. They bring in their own light show to venues. They put friends to work, gearing them up in homemade paper mache masks to wear in the crowd. They truly put on a performance.
Beginning the year, Ryan Stang’s social circle knew him as the guy who makes dance music in his basement. Now he’s quickly marking accomplishments off his list, having made people dance behind his mysterious box of beats at The Earl with Gil Mantera’s Party Dream, and 529 headlining a show with Living Rooms, and there’s more to come.
… will work together to make sure the event will force out the troubling emotions caused by real life …
The band is planning a show with The North Trolls to release a split on tape titled, “North Kids Trollin’ Fer Stuff”. The bands, each with an energetic live show, will work together to make sure the event will force out the troubling emotions caused by real life.
Tags: 529, Alaska, Atlanta, Atlanta artists, Atlanta bands, Atlanta concerts, atlanta georgia, Atlanta hip-hop music, Atlanta indie, Atlanta live music, Atlanta music, Atlanta music band, Atlanta new music, Atlanta night clubs, Atlanta rock band, Atlanta rock music, Atlantan, beats, Gil Mantera, Hannah Barbarian, hip-hop, Kid Stuff, Kid Stuff music band, Kyle Withrow, Living Rooms, Party Dream, rap music, Ruti Jones, Ryan Stang, Sam Jacobsen, Small Reactions, The Earl, The Electric Jew, The Funderdome, The Highland Ballroom, The North Trolls, This Piano Plays Itself, Tim Kohler, Wonder Root
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