The Kills: New and Old

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            Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince look like a band from New York City’s glory years of music. Their band, The Kills, has a sound and a look that comes right from the New York City bohemian and punk scenes of the 60s and 70s. Mosshart has the classic punk demeanor and long wild black hair to make her look like Patti Smith’s daughter. When she sings, she stretches her leg out on the PA like Joey Ramone. Jamie Hince, the guitarist, pouts and wears a leather jacket. He has a drug addled stare that would easily fit in among Lou Reed or Bob Dylan. This band—The Kills—knows its origins. In front of a crowd of thousands last weekend at Terminal 5 last weekend, they celebrated their tenth anniversary. Ten years of making music influenced by the rock pioneers of New York City.

            In interviews, Mosshart cites classic New York City rock bands as her main influences. Bands like the Velvet Underground and Patti Smith were the foundation for her musical upbringing. The Kills’ sound is raw and jagged and is reminiscent of the loud and to-the-point style of the CBGB scene. Like the punk movement of the 70s, The Kills don’t claim to be wordsmiths. In an interview with Ponytail Magazine, Alison Mosshart says, “Great songwriting has never been our intention. It has always been about a triumph of ideas over ability.”

            When discussing their initial connection as a band, they list the New York scene as a major influence. “We talked about Edie Sedgwick, The Chelsea Hotel, New York… that scene—the late ’60s, early ’70s—like it was our heritage, and that’s what we wanted to see again, be part of. We were both looking to start over, whether at the time we were conscious of it or not.” As an acknowledgement of their influence, The Kills have done a few covers of Velvet Underground songs including Venus in Furs and very recently, Pale Blue Eyes.

            The Kills are not a band that is stuck in a past Generation of music, they sound as contemporary as they do nostalgic. The influence of the New York scene is more in the idea of art than art itself. Hince explains that connection, “But that’s what makes a great scene, it means a lot more than it ever intended, it says a lot more than it ever meant to as time goes on. That scene with Edie has become more and more important because it had more meaning then it ever intended.”