KYM & Dark Bunny - "Not 4 U" EP Anniversary Celebration
Review by: Sara Liebl, Writer/Photographer @lieblsara
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner/Editor @PlaylistTC
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On Saturday, July 18th, I attended KYM’s “Better Late than Never” show celebrating the second year anniversary of the “Not 4 U” EP. With the hopes of an EP release show in 2020 being dashed by Covid - Kim Schneider (vocals and guitar) did not give up on sharing and celebrating her hard work. “Thanks for waiting two years with me!” Kim called out to the fully packed room of friends, family, and fans at Icehouse. Kim was joined onstage by Drew D’lakes (bass), Riley Jacobson (drums), Alia Jeraj (vocals), and Dierdre McQuillan (vocals). “March 2020 I released an EP and think, “I'm gonna hold a big EP show!” and here we are two years later.” This celebration was, without a doubt, worth the wait. KYM was supported that evening by Foe and Dark Bunny.
Dark Bunny
Before KYM’s set, self proclaimed dreamy buzz pop band Dark Bunny took the stage to perform the second set of the evening. Featuring smooth vocals provided by Emily Youel and great supportive instrumentation, including many beautiful melodic guitar parts. Each member of the band’s energy stood out, especially their drummer, Emma Withers, who was clearly having the time of her life up there, it was almost impossible to take your eyes off of her. Emma also provided vocal harmonies, which fleshed out the band’s performance very nicely.
Dark Bunny puts on a very consistent and clean show. Each song was just as good as the next, keeping the audience captivated by their well written songs and tight performance. They often utilized one of my favorite musical elements, starting many songs slow and simple before propelling the song forward by transitioning to more of a driving rock vibe with a heavier sound to round out the song and keep the audience on their toes.
Dark Bunny chose their cover for the evening very wisely, performing a tender, wistful, and beautifully arranged rendition of Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees.”’ featuring slow guitar arpeggios in the beginning paired with soft, vulnerable vocals. True to the original, the band transitioned to a heavier rock inspired sound when the drums joined, eliciting many cheers from the crowd. Dark Bunny took what could be considered a fairly popular cover, and made it their own, without losing the essence of the original recording.
KYM
KYM came out strong, determined, and never lost energy while celebrating their EP, which was almost entirely recorded in a closet. They play danceable original indie rock songs with just a hint of old country (think Johnny Cash, not Carrie Underwood) influence. They also entertained the audience with some very high energy and fun covers, notably their cover of “Love Shack” by the B-52s, which featured impeccably strong and clean vocal harmonies courtesy of Alia Jeraj and Dierdre Mcquillin. Alia and Dierdre also lent harmonies throughout the majority of the show, placed perfectly to accentuate the right lyrics at the right time. If you didn’t know these three vocalists, their harmonies are so tight you would think they’ve been singing together for a number of years.
You can tell the members of KYM have a lot of fun onstage. From Kim commanding the stage while both playing and speaking to the audience, to Drew D’lakes (bass) bouncing around the stage with the energy of an excited puppy, to Alia beaming with joy, it was very fun to watch these talented musicians enjoy their time onstage and see how energized they were by the crowd dancing along with their music. It was clear they were over the moon to be performing together again.
Kim dedicated much of her time during the pandemic working on her guitar skills and writing new music. In fact, to the audience’s delight, she teased that she has already finished writing the majority of a new album, which we are anxiously awaiting to hear. She treated her audience by playing three new songs for us that evening, explaining her writing style of coming up with snippets of lyrics and piecing the best ones together until they create the right song, even joking that one of them is composed of “the best lines from 20 bad poems.”
And the award goes to…
Best Dressed - Kim Schneider of KYM for her rainbow sequined halter top
Most Fun to Watch - drummer Emma Withers of Dark Bunny
Most Creative Lyric - “I’m feeling a little in-KYM-idating” - KYM
Favorite Cover - “Fake Plastic Trees” performed by Dark Bunny
Most Creative Merch Item - The “KYM-zoo,” hand decorated by Kim herself
