UNDERRATED: Kids In The Way

Not every band will become something big or popular and there are plenty acts who have dedicated followings we don’t even know about at the moment. However, some get on the cusp and have the opportunity to land into the ears of many but miss the mark for various reasons. One of these bands for me that became an early favorite for a few years were Kids In The Way. I feel this band was truly underrated and didn’t catch on to the mainstream alternative scene like they should have because they had the package from the look, sound, and talent.

Introduction: Kids In The Way

The band was originally called Serenity and were formed in Noblesville, IN in 1997. After a self-released EP and landing some major shows with Christian Rock staple Audio Adrenaline, Flicker Records took notice and picked the band. Kids In The Way then released three records ‘Safe From Losing Flight’ (2003), ‘Apparitions Of Melody’ (2005), ‘A Love Hate Masquerade’ (2007). The band disbanded after 2007 and seemed to be back doing local shows in 2010 with hints at new music which never came to fruition.

K I D S

While Kids In The Way is no more, some members are in an active newer band called K I D S. K I D S did release an EP in 2017 titled ‘Side A’ which still has some of the raw elements of Kids In The Way while possessing a more modern mature rock sound. You can connect with the band on Facebook HERE. The EP is also below to stream:

My Discovery And Why They Matter

I found this band back in 2005 on a Christian music countdown on Steel Roots TV. This was the FUSE or alternative music show for the Christian music scene in the mid-00s which also featured skateboarding and other extreme sports throughout the week with the countdown every Wednesday which for me was before heading off to my youth group.

This channel coupled with FUSE was my music discovery space from about 2005-2008 on top of MySpace of course. I discovered Emery, Norma Jean, Oh Sleeper, and my favorite Underoath all through this show and Kids In The Way’s ‘Phoenix With A Heartache’ and Underoath’s ‘Reinventing Your Exit’ were the two songs that hit me once I heard them. These two bands stuck with me, those songs getting stuck in my head. There was something special about these songs and looked forward each week to hearing these two songs coming on.

We all know Underoath went on to become a very influential band, but for a few years, both of those bands were my bands. The talent Kids In The Way had seemed to not get enough recognition as they would have fit in perfectly with the mid-00s emo Warped Tour aesthetic that other bands such as 30 Seconds To Mars, My Chemical Romance, Hawthrone Heights, Emery, From First To Last, and the like all had. If this band had just clicked, they would have been amongst those names to this day I feel.