Your next favorite band could be just a town (or a few states) over, which is why Kansas City’s Friendly Thieves are leaving home to play a few out-of-state shows on their first big tour. They’re stopping in Dallas to play at Zounds Sounds B-Side on July 17, then heading to Austin to rock the Hole In The Wall on July 18. This group's energy is infectious and their loosely labeled “funk rock” is a standout in any playlist. Its closest comparison is something pulled from the soundtrack to a Persona game, the JRPG franchise developed by Atlus. Everyone in the band carries their weight like a workhorse, and the resulting product is spectacular to behold.
Sam Wells’ powerful, alluring voice careens through “Rush” while Jamae Breeze plays sharp, bright guitar riffs over a bumping bassline courtesy of Samuel Millard. Matthew Chipman tastefully transitions from a driving syncopated backbeat to a laid-back pocket in “Get It Yourself,” a flashy track that would perfectly score a high-stakes moment in a video game.
“When I was making my parts, I thought, ‘Man, this would go so hard as boss fight music,’” Millard says over Zoom.
“Persona was my jam,” Chipman adds, “Persona 3 and 4 were some of the best games I played growing up.”
We spoke to the band ahead of their performance, and everyone joined the call on time except their saxophonist, Ben Baker. Of course, he plays a pivotal role in the band and was crucial to the interview, but the rest of the Thieves took this as an opportunity to warn us against giving Baker such praise, lest his ego grow any larger.
“Please don’t gas him up,” Millard says, laughing. “He’s about to be grounded.”
Baker eventually joined the call, already prepared to defend himself. It seems this is a role he’s accustomed to playing.
“Listen, how about y’all – this is gonna be unprofessional, sorry – how about y’all shut the fuck up with some of the shit you’ve pulled in the past,” Baker says, receiving nothing but laughter in response. “Now, we can start.”
Fittingly, when Baker applied to join the band through a Facebook ad, Breeze says they were mainly looking for a keyboard player, but if they played sax, it was a bonus. Baker had a different vision.
“When he responded to the post, Ben said, ‘I can play keys, but once you hear me play sax, it’s not gonna matter,’” Breeze recalls. “Unfortunately, he was right.”
“I’m really good at lying on a resume, and I really didn’t want to carry all that shit to every single show,” Baker says, looking very proud of himself.
For all the hell they give him, Baker’s saxophone is an irreplaceable facet of the band’s identity, and any ego he may have is at least somewhat earned. His driving licks and held notes embellish “Hot Summer,” and his ascending phrases on “You Better Run” add a certain suave that pairs well with Millard’s brooding bassline. “Get It Yourself” wouldn't have the same spunk without his buttery notes, and he gives Wells a run for her money on “Rush,” resulting in a jazzy back-and-forth between the two.
While their tunes are groovy, Friendly Thieves are far from a funky one-trick pony. Songs like “Warning Shots” and “Wasted” showcase the band’s ability to weave heavier moments and themes into upbeat songs without killing the vibe. It's the dangerous kind of sonic range that could have the listener thinking about an ex during the verse and busting a move by the time the chorus comes back around.
Kansas City's Got Talent
As it turns out, Kansas City, Missouri, has quite the crop of musicians on the rise, from heartfelt singer/songwriters like Heath Church and The Swallowtails to high-energy acts like Big Fat Cow that can get a whole room up and moving. While there could just be something in the water, the Thieves attribute the abundance of quality music to KC’s close-knit community.
“The scene and the city are so compact that even though it’s a big city, it’s really a small town,” Wells explains. “So we’re able to not only learn and grow from each other, but support and feed off of each other’s momentum in a way that you don’t really get in large cities.”“I don’t know what the communities are really like in other cities, but here in town, it feels like everybody knows everybody,” Breeze adds. “Everyone’s goal is to grow with everyone.”
Baker and Wells moved from Ohio and Arizona, respectively (though Wells now lives in Chicago), and both found comfort and support from the community upon their arrival.
“Even if you’re not from there, Kansas City cares about elevating good musicians,” Wells says. “If you’re good, then it just makes the city look better and the scene more valuable.”
But despite the bright and bustling community, there’s only so far you can go in Kansas City. They’ve built a solid following through playing local shows and their “secret sixth member,” Jess Breeze’s active social media presence, but now Friendly Thieves are ready to hit the road and expand their out-of-state audience the good old-fashioned way. After rolling through Texas, they’re hitting Oklahoma and Georgia.
“We’ve played everywhere here and sort of made a name for ourselves, so now we want to share our music with more people around the country,” Breeze says.
“It's a ‘if the people aren’t coming to us, we’ll go to the people’ kind of situation,” Wells adds. “We’re going back to the classic rock and roll roots of, ‘I guess we’re just gonna have to do it one person at a time.’”
Friendly Thieves with This Saturn Factory and Mason Merritt will perform on Thursday, July 17, at 7 p.m. at Zounds Sounds B-Side, 10050 Shoreview Rd Ste B. Tickets are available starting at $19.32 on Eventbrite.
