Hailing from the legendary Boston music scene, which is notorious for generating some of the world’s best rock bands, Kicked In The Head has managed to successfully carve their own respected nitch into the underground scene. Within the past eight years, Kicked In The Head has exploded onto the scene, impressing even their toughest critics with their unique sound, passionate lyrics and admirable and inexhaustible dedication. “Kicked In The Head may be one of the East Coast’s best kept secrets… flawlessly blending punk, pop, funk, hardcore and ska into a totally absorbing listen,” said a review on punkrocks.net. The members of the band are Gary Hedrick (lead vocals), Anthony Modano (drums), Ryan Dowd (bass) and Matt Sonocki (guitar).
Their debut release in the fall of 2000, ‘Thick as Thieves’, quickly became a hit throughout the Northeastern states, earning various spots on radio station playlists. Not much long afterwards in November 2003, after it was re-released on Resurrection A.D. Records, the album climbed its way to #93 on the CMJ Top 200. “Kicked In The Head offer happy little hardcore anthems, sharp productions and lots of catchy hooks,” according to the January 2002 issue of Modern Fix, “…a catchy infectiousness that a listener can’t help but enjoy…” and “…an unbridled uninhibited sense of fun whether playing their pogo all around like mad rhythms or slyly picking at arrangements and vocal melodies that five a nod to eighties glam.”
The release of their ‘Salita’ EP in November 2002 not only distinguished Kicked InThe Head as unique and talented artists, but also defined and established the band’s signature sound. Kicked In The Head “…has successfully merged punk, hardcore, rock and pop…going from aggressive playing with pounding drums, strong guitar work and screaming vocals to melodic arrangements that almost hint at pop-punk without actually going there,” according to a review from poppunk.com. The band mixes fast-paced melodies with a fun, energetic vibe together with a hardcore edge and 80s guitar-style riffs to create a whole new unique sound, causing them to stand out amongst a sea of sound-alike bands.
The band has become renowned in the Boston scene and the East Coast through various awards and nominations, leading to an impressive amount of industry attention. In 2003, the band won Outstanding Punk Band from the Boston Music Awards after two consecutive nominations in 2002 and 2003. In addition to this well-deserved and hard earned honor, they won runner-up to Dropkick Murphys for the best punk act on Boston-based Phoenix WFNX’s Best Music Poll.
As if all of the above wasn’t enough to detonate Kicked In The Head’s explosion onto the punk/hardcore scene, they have played dates with the VANS Warped Tour in 1998, 2001, and 2003 and even in the Mighty Mighty Bosstones Hometown Throwdown, adding to their own touring schedule.
Among the list of accomplishments that the members of Kicked In The Head have passionately built for themselves, they are featured on the 2003 Warped Tour Compilation, Boston Drops the Gloves, by TKO Records, and “A Little Piece of Our Scene” by Spent Records. The song, “Arizona”, by Kicked In The Head is featured on the Rye Airfield (New England’s Premier Skatepark) Skateboarding DVD, which includes some of the best skaters in the region and appearances by special guest professionals. Last but certainly not least, the band’s single, All the Way, is featured on the trailer for the new Spy Kids 3 movie, which has been used on both Nickelodeon and ABC’s Family Channel.
Source: http://www.ickedinthehead.net
