Who’s Up Next? - The Kiddos

This Houston-based Indie-Pop Boy Band joins us to talk about their formation, their bond and their recent/upcoming projects.

Joho: Hi guys. Thank you for joining us. To start things off, who are the Kiddos and how did you come together?

Kiko: First off thanks for having us ! For starters we are a BoyBand consisting of three members. Cesar Juarez on keyboard / Vocals, Jo Riff on Bass , and Kiko on guitar / vocals. We're the Jonas Brothers of the Houston Indie scene. Me [kiko] and Cesar met in Klein Forest High School Choir. We became good friends and ended up hanging out pretty often. Then one day we decided to jam even though we didn't know how to play our instruments. Joseph, Cesar's cousin, came into the picture after our first show when he noticed we were trash and that he could help us out a bit. Even though he never touched a bass in his life. Then the dream slowly started becoming reality.

Joho: In your own words how would you describe your sound?

Kiko: Our early work leans more towards the indie rock side of music. With its complex rhythms and melodies including distorted guitars, keys, and bass. However, in those early EPs there are still hints of pop elements in them. As our sound progressed we've added more electronic sounds and modern beats, while incorporating our earlier sounds. You honestly got to listen to really understand what we mean.

Joho: You just released your highly anticipated EP “Your Future Is Now”. What can you tell us about the development of this project and how it compares to your earlier work?

Kiko: We've had a lot of stressful moments when creating "Your Future Is Now." One being the direction we wanted to go in. We wanted to do something we've never done before, but at the same time making something that is meaningful to us. Testing ourselves to boundaries we've never gone before. It was also a new experience because we got to work with Cesar's cousin Andy who helped on "Comet Club."

Joho: Who are some of the bands and artists you’ve listened to that have influenced your sound?

Kiko: Definitely a lot of Kero Kero Bonito, The Smiths, Turnstile, Beyonce, Jane Remover, Beabadoobee, The Weeknd, The 1975, and Drake were on heavy rotation at the beginning of the creative process.

Joho: The Houston music scene is filled with so many great bands and artists, and you guys still find a way to stand out amongst all of the fantastic talent in this community. I’d like to think it’s because of your close knit friendship with each other. What would you say makes you guys so strong and close in your bond?
Kiko: Thank you for the kind words ! We'd like to quote a famous automotive hero, "Family" Dom Toretto. It basically comes down to that. Cesar and Joseph are cousins first, so they'll always be together. I [Kiko] was friends with them before the music, so the dynamic is grounded in friendship.

Joho: I’ve seen you guys kill it at Warehouse Live, house shows, and all over the city. What’s your favorite local venue and do you have any special or funny memories from a show there?

Kiko: Thank you for supporting us ! We love many Houston Venues and our favorites have to be Warehouse Live, White Oak Music Hall, Numbers Night Club, Raven Tower, AxelRad, 1810 Ojeman, BFE Rock Club, White Swan, and Super Happy Funland. Some of the Special memories include people chanting our names and making a dance pit at Warehouse Live and White Oak Music hall. The light up stage at Numbers Night Club, and cooking alive inside Super Happy Funland (people who have been there know what we mean). A funny memory would be throwing a backyard show and people moshing on a mattress !

Joho: I loved the video game imagery in the “My World” video. What was the inspiration behind it?

Kiko: The song took inspiration from 80s aesthetics and we thought an arcade would translate it well. We also really wanted to film somewhere that was a little out of the box. Shout out the "The Game Preserve" in Webster, Texas and everyone that was involved.

Joho: Are there any new sounds you want to explore in future releases or artists in the scene that you want to collaborate with?

Kiko: Definitely more R&B / Hip Hop and electronics, with some rock elements. Maybe some spanish? As far as collaborations, maybe we can set something up with you [Joho] ? Other dream collabs would be Legaci, Camera Cult, and a female artist.

Joho: When you guys write, what does your creative process look like?

Kiko: It really depends on what we are listening to at that time. One of us will show a song or an artist they've been listening to and we'll try to deconstruct why they like it and what sounds we can pull from it. This ultimately leads to something or nothing at all. We are also inspired by visuals including movies, music videos, anime, video games, and comics.

Joho: What’s next for The Kiddos? Any upcoming shows or exciting projects we should be looking out for?

Kiko: We are releasing a radio edit of "Your Future Is Now" on July 29th ! Along with some videos to go with the whole EP. We plan to start writing "Your Future Is Now" Vol II later this year. As far as shows we have a lot but the easiest way to keep up with them is through our instagram @thekiddos_music or on our YouTube @ The kiddos Official Music. Thank you for having us ! We hope to see you soon ! Also shout to the Houston Music scene and all of our fans.