Yes You Are

Recently we sat down with a band who plays an unfamiliar genre of music, and hails from a place we here at PEV don’t get to feature often enough – getting to the point, we sat down with 5-piece “black pop” outfit, Yes You Are (Kianna Alarid, Jared White, Jacob Temeyer, Joseph Wilner, Willie Jordan), proud residents of Kansas City, Missouri, and as they put it, translators of this universe. If we look at how Yes You Are’s black pop approach is assembled, the pop portion is somewhat clear – Yes You Are unnamed-2catchy hooks, melodies, rhythms. The black however…is something of an abyss. As Alarid, says, part of it is “lyrics that come from another, strange place.” It seems to be a language that makes up the world around this band – lyrics formed from details gathered from all the little things in everyday life – a song, a passing conversation, a sign, a glance.

Thankfully, Yes You Are is working on a collection of songs (you’ve probably already heard “HGX”, as it debuted on Pepsi’s Superbowl 51 commercial), new music that the band has completely dedicated itself to. White told us more about the effort: “This album is full of hard learned lessons set to melodies that stick with you, whether you like it or not. One of the main processes in writing this album has been the process of learning what real patience is about. It definitely IS a real virtue, being able to wait for what you want, with expectation and to wait cheerfully. You have to fight to do that, against the natural response to complain or resist. Before this album could be written we needed to be taught who we are and what we’re doing here – who we’re writing for and why. In some places on this album we are trying to come to terms with those things and at other times, we’re trying to get out from under the weight of those things. But all in all, people can expect catchy tunes and eternal themes.” Click to http://weareyesyouare.com/ to prepare for the new music to come from Yes You Are – we look forward to the explosion. For now, do keep reading. There’s still so much more to learn in all the answers to the XXQs below.

XXQs: Yes You Are

PensEyeView.com (PEV): How would you describe your sound and what do you feel makes you stand out from others in your genre?

Kianna Alarid (KA): I like to say our sound could be called “black pop”, which is a play on the term black metal. We make music that is accessible but at the same time it’s challenging. Our songs can create a feeling that might make you ask “Have I been here before?” Like, you remember the song but you’ve never heard it. The lyrics come from another, strange place, and are anchored here by all the things that make pop music comfortable: hooks, catchy melodies and danceable rhythms. All of that is present, but alongside a shadow that makes you wonder about yourself. I think that sets us apart possibly, from a lot of music.

PEV: Calling Kansas City home, what kind of music were you all into growing up? Do you remember your first concert?

KA: I actually grew up in Omaha, Nebraska with parents who loved music and listened to it all the time. My dad was either playing Black Sabbath, The Beatles, all kinds of 50’s doo wop, reggae, Hank Williams, Gypsy Kings – OR he would only listen to classical music for long stretches at a time. My mom listened to Squeeze, Steely Dan and a TON of female pop artists like Madonna, Cindy Lauper, Taylor Dane, Sade, Linda Ronstadt. I see very clearly how all of this helped to shape me in my formative years.

Jared White (JW): My dad has always sang and played guitar, piano and harmonica, both in our home growing up and later on he started a cover band, which he still plays in to this day. The majority of the material he worked with was/is 60s and 70s folk and rock. All that got in me pretty good, from an early age. My first concert was Chicago and The Beach Boys in Detroit. I was really into it. Then I saw Meatloaf and I really loved that too. My parents took me to both of those concerts and they definitely left an impression.

PEV: What was it like trying to break into the music scene in your hometown, when you first started out as a band? What was your first show like together as a band?

KA: Starting out in Kansas City was rad because the people in the music scene here are super supportive and willing to come out and see new things. At our very first show, we opened for some friends’ bands, unannounced. We weren’t on any flyers or anything. It was super fun to just get in front of people and play outside of our rehearsal space for the first time. The crowd danced along with us and really got into it, it was a blast!

PEV: What can fans expect from a live Yes You Are show?

Yes You Are unnamed-1KA: I think it’s safe to say that people can expect us to bring a ton of energy and an authentic desire to connect with them. That’s our main goal every time we get on stage. It’s like, “We made this, we hope it makes you feel something and maybe have some fun with us.”

PEV: What is the first thing that comes to mind when you step on stage?

KA: My first thought as soon as I step on stage is a very determined, “Alright, let’s do this.”

JW: I always take a look around and think “What kind of crowd is this going to be?”

PEV: How has playing in Yes You Are been different from working with other artists or projects in the past?

KA: You could say it’s like night and day. For example, my last band (Tilly and The Wall) felt like innocent happenstance, whereas Yes You Are feels like an intense guided mission. With Tilly it was like friends having fun at a party, but with Yes You Are, in a way, it’s like being on the front lines in a war zone – it’s just a totally different thing. It’s not that we don’t have fun, it’s just a more serious kind of fun, which is actually the best kind. It’s pure adventure.

PEV: What is the underlying inspiration for your music? Where do you get your best ideas for songs?

JW: I think our best ideas come from experience. How do we convey this peculiar experience in song? Can we use a song to cause someone else to have an experience like this? Also just by living and listening we get a lot of ideas. If we hear or read a certain phrase or line that resonates we write it down in a list then maybe see if we can cook up a song from the fragments in the list. But there’s no other way to say it: the underlying inspiration is a mystery, one that can be deciphered…but only if you really, REALLY want to figure it out.

KA: Yes, the process can get pretty mystical if you pay enough attention to the inner and outer worlds we live in. You can become very in tune to what’s swirling around you on a daily basis and discern what the worlds seem to be trying to tell you or show you. You can get good at reading the language of the world, once you realize it’s trying to talk to you…although coming to that place is an odyssey of its own. Imagine a language that is speaking through everything from TV commercials, “random” conversations held by strangers passing you by, street signs and lines from books and songs…all simultaneously and all the time. Being comfortable with that “voice” makes you an artist, being out of control with it could make you schizophrenic…It’s a fine line out there in that kind of place…some would say it’s the wilderness but it feels like home to us.

PEV: Thinking back to when you first started out, do you ever look back on your career and think about your earlier days and how you’ve arrived where you are today?

JW: I think the trick is to never “arrive” anywhere, but instead always be in a state of becoming. We reflect though, all the time, on what a strange trip it’s been so far…full of signs and wonders, floods, fires and cold solar wind storms that imbed your world in ice…and we’ve only just begun.

KA: Its total insanity to set out on any real quest and then see how far you’ve come. I’ve been a thousand different people in the past 15 years…it’s a miracle I’m alive today. This kind of career is more than just what you see…more than a singer and a songwriter and the songs. You don’t get to be any kind of “artist” or whatever we are, without some serious demolition and repairs. Thank goodness we know a great mechanic and he’s fair and honest! But really, the song is where we get to express all the life we’ve lived and anything we would dare to say. It’s all there.

PEV: What’s one thing we’d be surprised to hear about the members of Yes You Are?

JW: In all honesty, our very presence appears to set off cataclysmic events in certain people’s lives. We have many theories about why, but it’s a truth we can’t deny. We are highly introspective about that fact, we always want to learn and understand…but suffice it to say you’ve all been warned. If you get close to us, you may never be the same again.

PEV: What can fans expect from your upcoming release? Tell us about the writing process behind this work.

JW: This album is full of hard learned lessons set to melodies that stick with you, whether you like it or not. One of the main processes in writing this album has been the process of learning what real patience is about. It definitely IS a real virtue, being able to wait for what you want, with expectation and to wait cheerfully. You have to fight to do that, against the natural response to complain or resist. Before this album could be written we needed to be taught who we are and what we’re doing here – who we’re writing for and why. In some places on this album we are trying to come to terms with those things and at other times, we’re trying to get out from under the weight of those things. But all in all, people can expect catchy tunes and eternal themes.

PEV: What is the feeling you get after a song or album is complete and you can sit back and listen to it in full?

KA: Relief. Our process is a struggle. It’s not an easy breezy kind of thing that we do. I mean, what we do is exciting, but in the same way that a trip to outer space is probably exciting to an astronaut…it also involves a lot of sacrifice, study and extreme focus. We are usually just happy that the ship didn’t blow up somewhere along the way and we finally landed safely. Its feels like a relief to just be safely back on the ground…for a little while.

PEV: What would you say is the biggest challenge for musicians trying to make a name for themselves these days?

JW: Getting their priorities straight. You’ve got to build a strong, solid foundation – and that foundation is the song. Concentrate on writing the best songs possible, then concentrate on getting those songs produced as good as can be. All the self-promotion, all the networking, all the style, looks, or good pics on social media doesn’t add up to anything unless you have music that people want to hear. As far as I can tell, the music business is still about music.

KA: Totally. You can flash in the pan for a sec but then the fire goes out. Build the material into something you really, truly and deeply believe in first. Build something you’d burn all your bridges and “plan B’s” for…start there and the other things will fall into place.

PEV: With all your traveling, is there one area you wish you could travel around and play that you have not yet?

Yes You Are unnamedJW: Yes You Are has only played shows in the US so far. We are very much looking forward to playing everywhere to be honest…not one place in particular. Just the world. We are excited to play the whole world.

PEV: How have all your friends and family reacted to your career? What’s it like when you get to play in your hometown?

JW: We have always had total support from friends and family. They come to every show they possibly can. They’re our number one fans. Encouragement from family and friends, seeing that they believe in you is priceless – it’s something we could never take for granted. Not everyone is so lucky.

PEV: What can we find each of you doing in your spare time, aside from playing/writing music?

JW: Reading. Hanging out with family and friends.

KA: It’s true, all we do is family first and study if we aren’t working. We don’t have a normal social life or anything like that. We do go to movies sometimes…to eat popcorn in the dark. Livin’ on the edge folks…

PEV: Name one present and past artist or group that would be your dream collaboration. Why?

KA: Presently, I’d love to do something with Twenty One Pilots because I feel like our voices, sound, and aesthetic would make for some interesting dynamics. Also I’d love to write a song with Timbaland, that’s been a dream of mine for a long time.

PEV: Is there an up and coming band or artist you think we should all be looking out for now?

KA: Definitely check out Francis and the Lights if you haven’t already. He’s one of those artists that is always up and coming.

JW: It’s interesting because he’s not widely known yet – he’s done stuff with Bon Iver, Chance the Rapper, Kanye, The Weeknd, and Rostam Batmanglij from Vampire Weekend and toured with Drake, MGMT, Kesha, Mark Ronson etc. His music seems to be something that people who do music are really into and have been into for a while but as far as the general public goes, he’s still up and coming.

PEV: If playing music wasn’t your life (or life’s goal), what do you think each of you would be doing for a career?

JW: I would want to run a vast worldwide trucking company…or build houses…or something in waste disposal.

KA: I would just be a mom! - Pen's Eye View

Through her alma-mater Tilly and the Wall, Kianna Alarid has seen it all. At one point, it felt like Kianna was on top of the world with her songs plastered over ads (and even on the 2014 Super Bowl) as well as some high-profile features from starring on Sesame Street to dropping a track with Tiesto. But it wasn’t something that would last forever and as the indie-pop explosion Nebraska soon died out in favor of the more central Williamsburg scene, things started to slow and stagnate for Alarid. Searching the world but failing to find the right musical collaborator, combined with post-partum depression and a relapse from 8 years of sobriety, took a toll on Kianna. Starting anew and back on her feet, Alarid found herself in Kansas City, Missouri and formed her latest act Yes You Are. A rush of new energy and ideas came back to Kianna and now out of the woods it seems like things are looking up for Alarid again. After all, you gotta be doing something right if the 2017 Super Bowl wants to feature your music again.

I last met Kianna back in 2008 during one of Tilly and the Wall’s last few shows, but it would be nearly 7 years later until we would catch up again, in a promo email. Since then we’ve been writing each other, and appreciating each others’ quirks on Instagram and Facebook, and a long time in the works we finally decided to get an interview down. We spoke candidly to Kianna about the last few years and what it all meant, that and other things among why the Kansas City Royals is the best team ever.

Tell us about your beginnings and meeting your former band Tilly and the Wall.

When I was 15 I met Todd, Clark and Joel (The Faint,) but at that time I just knew them as Omaha’s best skateboarders, along with my boyfriend at the time. I was very involved in the skate community and was always hanging out with them and found out that they were also musicians. I got very into the underground Omaha scene through them, listening to bands like Commander Venus, Norman Bailer and Simon Joyner. After a few years, my boyfriend and I broke up and I didn’t see that crew for a while.
I started playing in my first real band when I was 18 with a few friends of mine. We were really into hardcore and metal at that time and wanted to write and play that kind of music. I only played bass at that time, I had never really sung, although I did rap during one song. I met a lot of people involved in that scene in Omaha and many of them had crossover relationships with people playing in the indie music scene. I started seeing my old friends around again who were no longer skating as much, and were way more focused on their new band The Faint and playing with bands like Bright Eyes and Cursive. I started hanging out with that crew way more when I turned 21 and started going to karaoke with a handful of them. We went all the time, sometimes 3 times a week. That’s actually how I really started singing and came to realize I wasn’t half bad.
We were out at a bar one night when a few of them were taking about starting a new band, their old band was called Park Ave., and I basically invited myself to be a member of this hypothetical new band and they were like, right on! That band was called Magic Kiss and though it didn’t last long, one of the members Jamie Williams and I became very close and we continued to hang out and write music together. She invited me over one day to meet these two weirdos, Nick and Derek, also musicians, who had just moved to town from Atlanta, Georgia. We all hit it off big time. We starting hanging out all the time, playing music and just having a blast together. We decided to become a real band soon after that and asked Jamie’s old band mate Neely to join as well. That’s how Tilly started, from my perspective.

Though you were born in Omaha, your family is from New Mexico and proudly wear the labels Chicano and Native American. Tell us what that identity means to you?

Both sides of my family are originally from very small towns and villages in New Mexico. I grew up identifying as “Chicano” which, according to my relatives meant “displaced” and wasn’t used with the more commonly known definition of “Mexican-American”. My family used the word more radically, to refer to a race of people specific to New Mexico, who were a genetic mix of the native people of that area, who had lived there for thousands of years, and the Spanish explorers who colonized the area in 1598. There was always a vibe of resistance surrounding the term and we had strong sense of culture relating to our indigenous roots. Kachinas, sand paintings, heavy turquoise jewelry.. these were all normal things in my world. I understand more now why “displaced” was used to describe our people, although possibly the word “outsider” could be interchanged. New Mexico is a very strange and magical place and has a very interesting culture, including a different sort of “singing” Hispanic accent and completely unique food. Not to mention all the UFOs and aliens.

At one point Omaha was to indie pop like Seattle was to grunge. What was it like to be in Nebraska during the height of the scene?

It was awesome! We were a very tight knit group of people and anyone you ask from that group will tell you, with shivers on their arms, about the night when everything changed. The Faint was set play this big venue we had always known to be a place for bigger, touring bands and everyone was excited to see how that would pan out. We all sat there, shocked and stunned as hundreds and hundreds of people kept arriving… people we didn’t know or recognize. It had always just been us at the shows before… a lot of people, but you at least sort of recognized most of the crowd. This was different, it was just so many new faces. It was the first time anything like that happened and it just kept happening from there on out with Bright Eyes and Cursive and so on. At first we were just like, “Who are all these people coming to our friends’ shows!?” Then it just blew up. It was so exciting to be there and help out and celebrate our friends’ successes.

Of course, there’s the highs and lows of touring. What was it like battling with sobriety?

Addiction is a funny thing, it seems to easily go hand in hand with being an artist. It has been the downfall of so many incredible and gifted people throughout history. Drinking is such a normalized part of our society, so it seems pretty harmless in the beginning. I can see why its so destructive. Its a sneaky thing. I am a very intense person, so for me, it makes it a life or death choice. When you’re faced with that reality, it makes it much more clear that you need to choose wisely. I want to live and I want to do my job for as long as possible, so I’m staying sober. To me, having drinks isn’t worth missing my destiny.

I like the fun and funkiness of Yes You Are. Tell us about how “Holy Ghost Explosion (HGX)” came about?

Well, I think all our songs are weird. We aren’t writing from a typical perspective and aren’t even doing this for any typical reasons. We have something to say but it can’t really be said.. so we dance with words in order to cause a certain phenomenon in a certain listener. Could it be you? “HGX” started as an nod to Timbaland and wound up as something else.. but still has that 808 vibe and a fun beat to get down to. Its a creeper and possibly its creepy too, depending on how you look at it.

(Side note: Kianna says "'HGX' stands for Holy Ghost Explosion, which was the title of this viral YouTube video we saw a while back of some Pentecostals really going WILD. Something about the name of the video stuck with us and we wound up using it as a song lyric. We had started referring to the song as 'Holy Ghost Explosion' and then after some time, we just started saying HGX as that’s how we would write it on set lists.")

Honestly, I never would have taken you as a sports fan. Tell us about your newfound love for sports and more specifically, the Kansas City Royals.

I grew up with jocks for parents and I just could not relate. They have always been die hard Cubs fans and baseball was always on our tv but i just couldn’t get into it. It wasn’t until I reluctantly watched the Royals play in the 2014 Wild Card game that I thought… “Wait, what is THIS? This is baseball? Holy sh*t!” I haven’t really missed many games since that night. Learning the game and understanding it has been a huge revelation for me. I can’t really get into it here because it would take too long, but there is a poetry to the game of baseball that goes far deeper than meets the eye. I never would have guessed I’d become a sports fan but the 2014 KC Royals did some kinda alchemy in me and I’ve never been the same since. Its awesome. These games, these insanely high paid players… it all seems so insignificant on the surface, and possibly for some people it is. To those who have been touched by the metaphors of it all.. its very much something else. Its so beautiful. I even have a closer bond with my parents. I get it now.

Well, for a sports fan being on the Super Bowl not once but twice is certainly the honor. What was it like being on the Super Bowl not only with Tilly and the Wall but with Yes You Are?

We had no idea that our song was going to be on the Pepsi Super Bowl commercial. I was doing our taxes, tuned into the station that day and suddenly the song was on. I just sort of blanked out.. then my phone blew up. It was amazing to us, like a sign of some kind. We have believed in Yes You Are for so long and have just pushed steadily along through hard times and better times but for this amazing thing to be given to us… it certainly felt like a sign that something bigger and better is coming.

So it seems like you’ve done a lot in your career. What’s next?
What’s next is putting out our debut album and getting our songs known throughout the universe and beyond!

Last question! I heard you’re an MMA fan as well. What did you think of the Conor McGregor versus Mayweather spectacle? This is probably completely crazy but do you think you’d entertain the idea of fighting Floyd Mayweather if the chance came up?

No. Definitely no, I would not fight Floyd Mayweather! I guess I may entertain the thought of letting him beat me up for 100 million dollars though (laughs). I thought the whole McGregor/Mayweather thing was just that, a spectacle. I heard the fight was really good and I also heard they hugged like old, rich-ass friends afterward so, whatever (laughs). You know actually, I am a big fan of the Diaz brothers. They’re such ninjas! Nate Diaz actually inspired me to start training Brazilian jiu jitsu at Kansas City BJJ but I stopped after a while because some of the chokes we were doing compromised my throat on more than one occasion. Those guys are killers (laughs). I had a sore throat for over a week and I just couldn’t risk it. I miss it a lot though and I do remember my training and drills so… just saying. - At Cost Mag

Kansas City band Yes You Are performs ‘HGX’ in The Bridge studios at KCPT in Kansas City, Missouri for the fourth episode of Mixtapes & Mixology, a podcast mashing up the local music and cocktail scene. - 90.9 The Bridge

More musical glory is to be revealed to the masses this summer. It seems like it never stops! Then again, who is complaining when the sounds are so damn good? A great example is the explosive video from the Kansas City crew Yes You Are for their catchy track HGX. Making the magic happen across all spectrums of entertainment, the band are folks to remember. Kianna Alarid of the group was kind enough to elaborate on this song and its creative origins.

Motivations were easy to grasp for the shift into a visual format for this song. “We knew that we wanted what would essentially be a performance video but not so straightforward. We had two super talented friends in mind to direct and edit it, and the collaboration between their two styles is how this video got its personality. The location was the top floor of a close friend’s apartment building, where the pool is. It’s a huge space that the residents are allowed to reserve for parties and such, and it came to mind right away when we started scouting for the video. It turned out to be perfect for what we wanted to do and it featured downtown Kansas City, which I Ioved.”

Messages that were to be conveyed were focused primarily on the band as a whole. “The theme of the video was to offer an introduction to us. We just wanted to present ourselves as a band and allow people to put a face to the name. You could consider it a ‘hello’ and a handshake, like this is our band and this is a sneak peek at who we are.” Simple and sweet.

Visually, Kianna had her favorite bits of the video. “I love the shots that the director, Alec Nicholas, got of each individual band member and how it caught their personalities. Then, I also really love the after effects and collage work that the editor, Anthony Devera, did. Its his signature style and I was so stoked that we got to see it applied to our work.” - Punchland

From the beautiful city of Kansas City, Yes You Are is an alternative electro pop band who’s seriously making a name for themselves. After releasing their track, “HGX,” the song was featured in a Pepsi Max commercial that thrusted the song on the radar of countless people.

But it doesn’t stop there. The song was also played during the Billboard Music Awards, as well as featured in the Oscars and The Bachelor finale. The list goes on, and it’s not hard to see why. The track is super catchy, and it’s the very definition of a pump up jam that will get your blood flowing and body moving.
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Sail Away – Randy Newman

Bob Dylan said of this song “it doesn’t get any better.” This song is about setting off on a long journey across the mighty ocean for a shot at freedom and a better life, only to realize, when you arrive on land on the other side that your journey to freedom has just begun.

Playing With The Big Boys Now – The Prince of Egypt Soundtrack

This is a song about moving from the minor leagues to the major leagues. However, it’s important to be able to discern which is which. If you want to get to where you’re going, 9 times out of 10, you’re going to have to face down a few Egyptian charlatans.

Off To See The Lizard – Jimmy Buffet

The chorus says it’s all “Deja vu… believe it and it will come true. Veja du… What works for me might work for you.”

Betting On Us – Francis and The Lights

We are big baseball fans. The feeling and the metaphors of the game are profound and mysterious and Francis uses them beautifully in this song and he seals the deal with his affirming chorus, “And so I’m stepping on up to the plate, And I’m betting on us all the way.” We’re betting on you too Francis, thanks for giving us such a great jam to sing along to.

Like A Dream – Francis and The Lights

In this song Francis says, “I’m ready for the big time, is it ready for me?” Sometimes we feel like we’re ready when we’re not. Sometimes you get what you need instead of what you want.

Get In The Car – Francis and The Lights

Dylan once said how as you grow in life the meanings of words change. “Car” is one of those words that means one thing in the day another thing in the night. The word car has taken on a new meaning for us so when we listen to this song it has a different meaning than it might to most people.

Choo Coo Lullabye – Moondog

This song does the thing we are after. It’s like a portal, it collapses time and makes you feel like you’re remembering something you’ve never experienced and makes you feel like you’re in a place you’ve never been to.. even right where you are.

In The New Year – The Walkmen

This is a song about great expectations and knowing your promised land is near. If you know what great seeds you’ve sown then you can know you’ll reap great reward. The angels are singing just for you.

Waiting On A Friend – The Rolling Stones

His whole life it seems like Mick Jagger has always needed a lot of women. This song makes it sound like he just needed a friend. Its refreshingly vulnerable.

Pictures of Adolf – Bill Fay

Every day we get to choose what kinds of presence we welcome into our lives. Not understanding that puts your life in neutral and like most cars left that way, you’ll just simply roll away aimlessly and probably crash.

Jesus Was A Cross Maker – Judee Sill

Judee’s story is tragic but her voice was so pure and angelic. Listening to this song reminds me how complex we are as humans, and how important it is to be conscious, everyday, to stay in the light.

First We Take Manhattan – Leonard Cohen

This is where you’re fully loaded and ready to exploded. Bad grammar but correct sentiment and weird rhymes are fun. You’ve become equipped with the all the right weapons and you’re like, bring it on. Victory is assured. - Impose Magazine

Yes You Are have been gaining attention with their single "HGX" which fuels a recent Pepsi MAX commercial. Jared White (co-writer with Kianna Alarid in the band) tells us about the track. Here is the story:

Very early on in our songwriting efforts together, Kianna was talking about how much she loved Timbaland's production and work. We had just met so I was definitely trying to impress her, and I went to work with the intention of writing something inspired by Timbaland. I came up with that main keyboard riff, somehow imagining that would be something Timbaland might do.. so that was my interpretation of a hip hop hook and beat.

Lyrically I was thinking a lot about "Like A Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan. He famously sings "How does it feel?" I was thinking that whoever Dylan was singing to in that song probably got into their sorry state by doing things that felt right, at the time. Its from that perspective.. from the perspective of a person who has made big mistakes. Its also got something to do with the song 'Just Like Starting Over' by John Lennon which was the #1 song on the day I was born. It got me thinking about the idea of starting over again, after having made mistakes, and the possibility that you can have a new, better kind of life if you want it bad enough.

The verses are about the journey toward realizing who you are and why you're here and what an explosive, life altering experience it is when you are finally allowed to figure that out. In the chorus the part that says "Song oh song, just stop playing if I'm wrong". That was inspired by and in reference to this book of The Bible called "Song of Songs". Its a strange read, and is referred to, by many, as the "X-rated book of the Bible." It's just verse after verse of a man and a woman telling each other how hot they are for each other. Seemed like such a dirty book to tuck into the middle such a sacred, spiritual tome… I wanted to just point at that mystery a little bit.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself here and learn more about the group right here! - Anti Music

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Indie-pop quartet Yes You Are is KC's latest music sensation.

Fans of early-2000s Midwest indie pop will instantly recognize Kianna Alarid as the former bass guitarist and singer of the force that once was Tilly and the Wall. Now raven-tressed, the Omaha, Neb., native is back, bewitching crowds with her sultry vocals as the frontwoman of up-and-coming band Yes You Are.

Self-described black pop band (a play on black metal band), Yes You Are formed in 2012 after Alarid and rhythm guitarist Jared White met through a friend on Facebook. The duo began swapping ideas and lyrics, and their exchange, as Alarid recalls it, was explosive and life-changing. The rest of the band lineup includes Jacob Temeyer (guitar/keyboard), Willie Jordan (bass) and Joseph Wilner (drums).

Alarid and White serve as the outfit’s co-songwriters. Their writing process can be described as a true collaboration, combining Alarid’s bubbly ‘80s-pop-to-present vibes with White’s brooding folk and blues background to create a sound that is both infectious and familiar, yet new.

“What we’re trying to do is cause a nostalgia that makes you feel like you’ve heard something before, but you know you haven’t,” she explains. “That’s one of the magical ways that things make me feel. You can’t put your finger on it. It almost bothers you.”

Lately, the quintet has been gaining popularity with its supernatural carpe diem earworm of a song “HGX,” which is as ubiquitous as a KC pride T-shirt. A selection from Yes You Are’s EP A Dream, the anthem to doing what feels right has been heard on the summer blockbuster Bad Moms, MTV’s Tyrant, the Oscars and a Pepsi MAX commercial.

“So I’m doing our taxes the day of the Super Bowl with the TV on, watching all the pre-game commercials, and I hear our song, and I’m like, ‘what?’” she recalls. “That’s how crazy it was. We had no idea. We had hopes that it would debut in America, and the first time America sees it is during the most-watched TV day of the year.”

Currently, the band is putting the finishing touches on their debut album, an effort Alarid says has been three years in the making. And that’s not because they don’t like anything they’re creating — it’s because every word and every note is intentional. One of the songs to be featured on the 10-track album is the song “Titan,” which was the first song White shared with Alarid during the band’s early days. She credits the song as saving her life when other musical opportunities didn’t pan out.

“It’s one of those things that when you put it on, you put it on on purpose to pump yourself up. I was in a low place … I know it sounds really crazy, but it saved my life in a way. It’s probably one of the best songs we’ve ever done,” Alarid says. “It’s going to be crazy. It’s relentless, pumps you up. I want to end up on the Olympics. We have a lot of big dreams.”

Catch Yes You Are at Buzz Beach Ball on Sept. 8 and 9, and at Kauffman Stadium on Sept. 27. To learn more about the band, visit weareyesyouare.com - 435 Magazine

Okay, today we’re going to be talking about a band that you definitely want in on. Trust me.

You might recognize their breakout single, “HGX” from Pepsi’s Super Bowl commercial (or several other tv placements). You’ve probably never heard my personal favorite of theirs, “World Without End”, but you should go do that immediately. Seriously. Go hear it. Thank me later.

This is a group that is an alternative pop party on the surface, but has a lot going on in the deeper dimensions. I was pretty quickly converted to a fan of theirs by listening to their music, but then I got a chance to speak with them, and holy heart eyes! I fell in love with this band all over again.

From Bob Dylan to Cyborg Michael Jordan, and all the Reptilian Ballets in-between, this is not a conversation you want to miss out on. They’re bringing all the charisma and character that I fell in love with in their music.

Without further ado, here’s what happened when I got to sit down and chat with the lovely humans of Yes You Are!

Anie: Yes You Are! Can you tell me about the process of finding/selecting your band name? (It’s very fitting, btw.)

Yes You Are: We had a list of over a hundred names! Anything that came into mind we would put down – I.e. “Scuba Gear, Reptilian Ballet”, “Crystal Frog.” Etc… We even played our first show with no name. The second show was a little bigger and we had to have a name so our bass player, Willie, went over the list again and insisted that the right name for us was Yes You Are. We decided he was right because we liked the way it sounded. Kianna had put it on the list of names because it was a line we sung over and over again in an old song of ours called “Straight Into The Sun”. It went “I got you on the run / running straight into the sun / yes you are / running straight into the sun. / yes you are.”

Anie: That’s amazing! Speaking of the sun, “dark pop” is now one of my new favorite expressions/sub-genres. Can you explain what that means to you and/or why you feel that label resonates with your musical identity?

YYA: I think we’ve referred to it as “Black Pop” – but “dark pop” is good too. We liked the expression because of the secrecy and mystery it implies. Secrecy and mystery might be central to how we operate in the world of alternative/pop rock music. On the surface it looks like we’ve got the same desires and motivations as any other band, but we might be doing this for different reasons.

Anie: Dangit! I messed it up. Okay, “black pop”. That is an awesome answer and très intéressant.
Give me a sentence on the topic of: Bob Dylan.

YYA: Bob Dylan is the Tweedle-Dee to Yes You Are’s Tweedle-Dum.

Anie: Obviously. So, as soon as I heard “World Without End”, I was 100% converted into a fan of yours. I feel like depth and exploration into esotericism is a thing with this band. That’s my very favorite thing about art in any medium! Can you talk a little bit about what draws you in or inspires you in that vein?

YYA: Well, we just think there’s more going on here than meets the eye. The real secrets aren’t hidden away by people, but are just, by nature, not accessible until a person is really trying to find them. So once you find a few of those, you’re not going to be interested in much else. As far as inspiration and enthusiasm for writing goes, its a goldmine. Just an endless source of ideas and encouragement and its not some exclusive thing, there’s an open invitation for anyone willing to go hard.

Anie: Finding a compatible co-writer is so important if you’re not in a solo project, and it’s such a beautiful, open experience. What do you think it is about Jared + Kianna that is so dynamic and kismetic?

YYA: Most importantly we trust each other implicitly, we both respect each other and are fans of each other’s work. We’re both very honest in our own self evaluation and we acknowledge our individual strengths as well as our weaknesses. When we work together its like, the spaces where one lacks, the other one fills. Its like a puzzle. That magic doesn’t happen when we work separately. No other piece fits, so I guess this was just meant to be.

Anie: That is beautiful. What is the craziest/most random conversation that has happened during a band rehearsal?

YYA: When we’re all together it’s essentially just an unbroken cacophony of nonsense with small pauses for playing the songs or planning out a schedule. Friends who are not in the band have described hanging out with the us like slipping into another dimension – like they were Alice surrounded by some mad characters. I can’t tell you the craziest conversation, so I’ll just tell you the most recent… We co-created a character named Cyborg Michael Jordan who is a poorly maintained, malfunctioning robotic replica of the basketball great, designed to cheer up mentally distraught teen boys in hospitals. He has a theme song and he flies.

Anie: So my next question is, can I come to your next band rehearsal? Kidding! What is one song lyric or quote (yours or someone else’s) that has inspired you or resonated deeply throughout your life?

YYA: “I’m going to make you come to grips with fate. When I’m through with you, you’ll learn to keep your business straight” – Bob Dylan

Anie: I should’ve expected Bob Dylan! So, you guys are building up the the release of your debut LP, and it’s been a bit of a lengthy process. What has been your favorite part of writing/recording this record?

YYA: Whenever we hear an idea that’s working, that’s definitely my favorite part. I wonder if people realize how many hundreds of bad songs and bad ideas it takes to really hit the nail on the head. Learning how to fail the right way has made any successes feel like a real reason to celebrate. Which we do every time.. with food. Its basically all about the food.

Anie: Hear, hear! What are you the most excited about in conjunction with the album release?

YYA: We just can’t wait to launch this puppy! Its been a long four years and we have worked very hard. We are excited for what’s next, even though we don’t know what that is. We can say that we definitely expect to release our debut album and be touring next year!

Anie: Yay! I can’t wait! If you could accomplish anything with your music, what would you hope to do?

YYA: Inspire people. That’s all.

Anie: Honestly? Mission accomplished.

Are you in love with them yet? Yes You Are.

Support Yes You Are by visiting their website, following their socials, and buying/streaming their EP on your favorite digital music store (iTunes, Apple Music, Google Play, Amazon, etc.)

And stay tuned for their debut LP and more great things to come! - Why You Should Love Music

In this Dream Tour segment, Kianna Alarid of the pop band, Yes You Are, lets you know who she would like on her ultimate tour lineup. You can check out the feature, after the break.


TWENTY ONE PILOTS
These dudes.. wtf. It’s just two very down-to-earth guys, and they put on such a powerful performance. Their fans are rabid… you know that’s the case if your fan base has its own name. That says a lot about them. I think Yes You Are would be a good compliment to what they’re doing and would have a crossover appeal to their fans as well. I really resonate with their intense work ethic and attention to detail. I would definitely take advantage of any time we would have on tour to hang out and just get to know them because they seem super fun and I really think they’re doing things the right way.
FRANCIS AND THE LIGHTS
Francis is such an incredible talent, vocally, physically, creatively- everything. His performance just has that “it” factor you can only point at but never quite put your finger on and he’s got this mercurial throwback thing going on, he’s like a cool Steve Winwood, but also completely unique. He makes me feel like I’m in an awesome 80s movie about baseball and cars and dancing, where everything is just gonna work out great. If I could watch him perform every night on tour, I would be a very happy girl indeed.
M83
This is one of my favorite bands. I’m not picky per se, but it takes a lot for me to really fall for a band and when I do, I am very loyal. I love the cinematic way Anthony Gonzalez creates, it’s so powerfully effective. I basically cry overtime I hear M83, especially the song Wait. M83 does the thing where the songs can make time collapse and creates what I can only describe as a feeling of nostalgia, but not from the past exactly, but maybe from the future or from some alternate universe. It all just melts together. I would just love to listen to them live every night and I may possibly crash the stage to sing some of my favorite sampled vocal parts too if security didn’t catch me first. - Digital Tour Bus

Jared White’s job of working in a warehouse gave him the opportunity to spend eight hours a day immersed in anything other than the sounds around him. He chose the sounds of Bob Dylan – from the studio albums to bootleg collection releases. Eight hours a day, six months in a row, White dived into what he said was the most influential music experience he ever had.

Because of that, he began to write songs differently. Songs that essentially wrote themselves.
White’s commitment to music was validated more once he connected with Kianna Alarid. He was familiar with her music and sent her a demo of a song he wrote based off of one of their text message conversations. Once she heard it, it marked the beginning of Yes You Are.

The Kansas City electro pop band chose their name based off the idea of having belief or doubt in one’s self. “It’s a name that can cause peace or panic,” White said. “It's an affirmation of agreement. You are whoever and whatever you say you are. The implications of that are crazy but I believe it's true. It seems like most people don't think the right things about themselves - they seem afraid to.”

It’s apparent that Yes You Are says that they are a band that knows how to get what they want. Their song “HGX” was featured during this year’s Super Bowl, playing not once but twice during Pepsi MAX commercials. It was also played in Bad Moms, including their names in the end credits, and was broadcasted during the Billboard Awards, the Oscars and The Bachelor finale.

They are currently working on their debut LP with producers Greg Collins and David Spreng, who have worked with the likes of KISS, Alice Cooper and White’s major influence, Bob Dylan. Alarid originally worked with Collins several years ago and it was more than just a coincidence that he reached out when they were looking for the right person to finish producing their album. “I had never, in my life, worked with anyone who was such a creative and competent vocal producer. He got me to do things I wasn't aware I could do. He allowed a safe place to play and discover,” Alarid said.

From eight hour shifts inside a warehouse to eight hour sessions inside a recording studio, Jared White has come a long way since playing Bob Dylan tracks on repeat. Yes You Are has hit the ground running and doesn’t seem to doubt where they’re going next. - Black Is the New AP Style

Yes You Are — the Kansas City indie-pop quartet that features Kianna Alarid, the former bassist and lead singer of Tilly & the Wall — were featured in a Super Bowl ad last night. The Pepsi Max spot aired during the game and showcased the band's newest single, "HGX," which only just debuted at the end of January. The band's full-length is thus far untitled and unscheduled for release, but you can keep an eye on its Facebook page for updates. - The Pitch Kansas City

Yes You Are is a whirlwind of intentional destiny. It's a second stand for frontwoman Kianna Alarid (formerly of Tilly and The Wall), who has paired with local Jared White to create a unique pop buzz. Alarid and White form the heartbeat of the five-piece band, which always seems secure with a little bit of musical chaos. The track “HGX” not only anchors the soundtrack of “Bad Moms,” it has people singing along and bopping during Yes You Are’s riveting live shows. We took the toe-tapper to Jax Fish House and mixologist Kenny Cohrs. He traditionally keeps it buttoned up under his vest, but on this cocktail, "Not Another Sequel," he decided to let loose a little. - 90.9 The Bridge

Vocalist Kianna Alarid and guitarist/songwriter Jared White lead the Kansas City band, Yes You Are. Kianna discuss her transition from the indie rock band Tilly and The Wall to the pop rock group, and they both talk about how faith has shaped their music.

Video : https://www.facebook.com/KCURKansasCity/videos/10154314632794326/ - Fountain City Frequency (KCUR 88.3 Kansas City)

Sam Interviews: Yes You Are

(Image courtesy of Yes You Are's Facebook)


So there's plenty of great acts from this city and after spending so much time getting to know their music and talking to plenty of acts I've managed to actually get the chance to interview what I believe may be a band that I could consider the next big thing Yes You Are.

For those unaware Yes You Are are a 5 piece kind of Indie-pop-Alternative act consisting of vocalist Kianna Alarid, rhythm guitarist Jared White, guitarist and keyboardist Jacob Temeyer, bassist Willie Jordan, and Joseph Wilner on the Drums from Kansas City Missouri and Omaha Nebraska which started out as a series of discussions between White and Alarid on various online forums before eventually forming into a full band by about 2014 that have toured around the country opening for the likes of Neon Tree's and playing all throughout the local Kansas City music scene including this years Homegrown Buzz Showcase and Afentra's Valentines Day party thrown by local alternative station 96.5 The Buzz.

After seeing them a few times I've managed to get an interview with them and for this interview I'll be talking to Kianna Alarid and Jared White.


1. So how has your past experiences in other bands shaped how you go about writing and recording music for Yes You Are?

Jared: Nothing could have prepared us for how we were going to be writing songs for this band.

Kianna: It’s true… although I’ve written many songs before, there is a huge difference between the way we write for YYA and the way I wrote for my other bands. Everything else felt like some kind of happy accident but Yes You Are’s songs are from somewhere else and come with a different weight. Its like before I was a circus performer and all of a sudden I’m being asked to fight in the UFC. Nothing quite prepares you for that.. but maybe you are better off that you’d at least been in a ring before.


2.So I noticed seeing you live that you guy's go through quite a variety in sounds from the kind of hart hitting Sister Sun to a very larger than life almost anthemic World Without End and Miracle, did that variety spew out of not wanting to get to formulaic or are you just that all over the place in terms of what you're looking to achieve?

Jared: I hear a lot of bands today whose songs all sound the same. You hear the first song and it's “Wow cool riff, so groovy I'm gonna get my indie dance on!" Then it's like that same thing for the next 10 songs. Very proficient at what they're doing but you start thinking “Wait a minute... is this some type of formula for success you think you've developed?" I just can't buy into it. There's something wrong about that... Something that can't last.

Kianna: There is formula and there is mama’s milk… one is synthetic and the other is organic. They’re similar in many ways and will both nourish a baby but one comes from a much more powerful source. What we care about is the source.. what the songs turn out like isn’t as important to us. We follow the inspiration and it takes the songs where they need to go.


3. So Why shouldn't we fuck with Buffy Saint Marie?

Jared: You shouldn't fuck with Buffy Sainte-Marie because her name alone has enough medicine in it to blow your brains out. She's got a newish song about power in the blood that could summon a vampire.

Kianna: Yeah, the girl from our song is like Buffy the Vampire Slayer plus the actual Buffy Sainte-Marie put together. So she’s a young, wise, ultra talented, native american vampire slayer. She also drives around in a pimped out, purple Astrovan packed with crossbows and whatever else a young vampire slayer might need to do her work. Does that sound like someone you should fuck with?

4. So you guy's are not only crafting some huge sounding songs but you're a damn spit fire when it comes to your live show where does all that energy come from and what's your favorite song to play live?

Jared: The energy must come from the songs and the music.. all I know is that it's not forced. We just feel like jumping around and dancing and moving to the music.

Kianna: Something just comes over me when I step onstage and that first song starts. The songs are alive.. its an energy that takes over. Its not me, because otherwise I would definitely tap into that every time I need to wake up at 6:45am. Coffee doesn’t even come close to the kind of supernatural energy that the songs bring to me onstage. ;)

5. Any bands that you've enjoyed playing with local or on a more national scale?

Kianna: We love playing with Rachel Mallin and The Wild Type. They’re great people and are growing into a super solid band. They’re new stuff is awesome.

6. Aside from obviously releasing the next big album of 2016 are there any big plans you have up your sleeve?

Jared: Our song HGX was licensed to Pepsi for a national ad campaign. We don't know any details yet except the deal is done. We figure if Bob Dylan will license to Pepsi then it's an ok thing to do.

Kianna: Yeah, the Pepsi thing is awesome, we can’t wait to see what happens with that. We’re wizards over here though, so we have huge sleeves and lots of tricks up em.

7.So to those interested when can we all get to see you guy's live?

Kianna: We are playing this Friday June 24th in St Louis at The Demo and this Saturday June 25th at Californo’s here in KC. We have some great shows coming up throughout the summer like supporting Holy White Hounds at Riot Room (outdoors) on July 9th and the Spirit of KC Fest at CrossroadsKC at Grinders on August 12th. We may also have a big show announcement for the 4th of July! Stay tuned to our social media for updates!


Stay tuned you most certainly should below you'll find links to Yes You Are's various social media accounts along with their excellent A Dream Ep which recenlty got posted onto Spotify, I'd like to of course take a second to thank these guy's for their time and inform all my readers to go check them out.

Facebook

Twitter

Website - Sam's Song of the Day

What can be said about Yes You Are that hasn’t already been said? The five piece makes narratively and musically complex pop music. Taking the production quality that makes the biggest pop songs acoustically perfect and the passion that gives the best indie bands that je ne sais quois aspect that elevates them beyond pure instrumentation, Yes You Are’s music splits the difference between the anthemic and introspective. With the skill to recreate the quality of their recordings on stage, Yes You Are burns through their sets with such a commanding presence that it is hard to watch them without moving one’s own body. - Mills Record Company

But videos and traditional music sales aren’t the only options for monetizing recorded tracks. KC’s Yes You Are, who is currently in L.A. recording tracks for its first full length, struck licensing gold last year, when the track “HGX” was featured in the film “Bad Moms” and a Pepsi commercial that aired during the Super Bowl.

However, Jared White, guitarist/vocalist for the band, is trying not to put the cart before the horse when it comes to streaming.

“I’ve always looked at any revenue that came our way through streaming as a bonus. As far as making a living in music, we’ve been doing just fine with licensing our songs,” White said. “But for where we’re at now with our career, I just haven’t focused on anything but making the best recordings possible. You’ve got to make recordings that people want to hear – want to stream – before you can worry about being compensated.”

— Dan Calderon is Kansas City native, an attorney, and contributor to Flatland. You can contact him by emailing pdancalderon@gmail.com, or on Twitter @dansascity. - Flatland KC

On the cusp of their second birthday, dance/pop quintet Yes You Are is a relative newcomer to the local music scene. Propelled by energetic singer Kianna Alarid, the band had no problem getting fans to dance all around the Native Flavor stage. When a fan knocked a beach ball onstage, Alarid kicked it back into the crowd midverse without missing a beat. Feel-good anthem “World Without End” sounds ready for Top 40 radio. Set-closer “Miracle” is the natural follow-up single.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/ent-columns-blogs/back-to-rockville/article84697387.html#storylink=cpy - Kansas City Star

Yes You Are makes unapologetic pop songs. That said, it’s the kind of pop that has multiple dimensions. Taking equally from The Faint and The Weeknd, Yes You Are’s music is as smart as it is sexy. The band’s ability to craft earworm after earworm is something amazing. Everything the band puts out wants to stay stuck in your head for days–the hallmark of a band that will change the music landscape.
Coupling their catchy hooks with a performance that can only be described as otherworldly, Yes You Are are proof that Kansas City’s music scene is as vibrant as any. That’s a lie. Yes You Are proves Kansas City’s music scene is more vibrant than anywhere else. - Mills Record Company

Our Best of KC Poll for Emerging Artists has been—as usual—a lengthy and painstaking journey which took us through prairies of numbers, horizons filled with band names, and a dense (mostly), joyous rain of music. We have finally reached our destination and we can announce the final results!

1. Yes You Are

Yes You Are’s brand of ethereal rock is a magnetic, encapsulating experience from start to finish. Kianna Alarid and Jared White craft purposeful pop songs surrounded by transcendental swaths of sound. After quickly pronouncing themselves onto the Kansas City scene and becoming a fan favorite, they gained national traction by supporting Neon Trees on their summer 2015 tour. The band recently made its debut appearance at The Midland opening for Lucius, winning over an even stronger KC contingent. - Deli Magazine

Kansas City band Yes You Are opened the show. Its set was the earliest and shortest of the night, but it was as dynamic and impressive as any that followed.

The five-piece band is led by singer Kianna Alarid, who courted big-time success several years ago with the Omaha band Tilly and the Wall. Thus, she and her band, who toured with Neon Trees in 2015, appeared right at home playing to a big crowd in a venue as large and vaunted as the Midland.

Yes You Are’s music is pop with an edge: hefty and dynamic and typically rife with keen melodies and decisive grooves, all embellished by a presentation that is energetic but not excessively so. The highlights: “Secret Song,” a radio-ready duet between Alarid and bassist Willie Jordan, and the closer, “A Miracle,” an anthem with a dance beat that gave Alarid and the band one more chance to exhibit a voice that filled the big theater and propelled a band that appears to be headed for some big time of its own.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/ent-columns-blogs/back-to-rockville/article60228181.html#storylink=cpy - Kansas City Star

The US alt-rock quintet Yes You Are first featured in December and have become firm favourites with the readers securing the Readers’ Choice for Band Of The Month in January.

A live version of a performance of A Miracle on the 12th – needs no additional commentary – the audience give their verdict. - Emerging Indie Bands

"I said so many things I shouldn’t say.
But now I love you more than yesterday.”

Right before I sat down to look for a song to write about just now, I was thinking about how having a great partner who helps balance your daily routine makes life so much easier. In all of our lonesome madness we sometimes fail to realize that the best parts of being in a relationship are the balance that relationships can bring to our very own equilibriums. There’s that zone that we hit whenever things are good; that space that our heads shoot up in when things are smooth. Within that space we find life to be bare and in its bareness it becomes obvious that it is really all so fucking simple. Two plus two equals four, and the sky is blue again. Balance becomes restored and we wonder about what we were thinking before that current relationship because we can’t believe how naturally seamless everything else feels.

She came home from work, tired, but happy to see us. In her happiness she found understanding, and it was in that understanding that she told me to get out of the house and go write. It made me happier than anything has that intensely in some time. The thoughtfulness that exuded out of her body made her so beautiful to me. And just like that, the way I once fell in love with her lips, mouth and the way she pronounces certain words, I completely fell in love with her again.

I had to leave to meet a friend.
Feels like I’m back, but I don’t know where I’ve been.”

Sure, we’ve been through our rough patches as friends and as lovers. We’ve said countless atrocities to one another in the heat of the moment, in moments of madness fueled by passion and in passionless instances of pure drunkenness, but at the end of the day, or rather, at the start of the next morning, we have always made up and apologized. Right or wrong we have always made sure to find it in our hearts to forgive one another, and that right there is that real type of love that I’ve always craved for. If you watched us from afar you would think that we were out of our fucking minds, but then again, if we watched you from afar wouldn’t we think the same?

You are here and I cannot tell you why.
There’s no hello, there’s no goodbye.”

It was Kianna’s words in her email to us that made this song perfect for my thoughts today. I have her to thank.

Its hard to tell when you’ve begun to veer off the path, but at some point I suddenly became very lost and I couldn’t find my way home. It was so scary.. but just as I was reaching the brink, I met my current writing partner Jared White.” -Kianna of Yes You Are

To all my friends, I hope you all find that balance you’ve been searching for. I will pray that you do until that fine day arrives. - Et Musique Pour Tous

The first Readers’ Choice for Band Of The Month in 2016 is from the USA – Yes You Are - Emerging Indie Bands

I stumbled across this and my first thought was, “Oh this is gonna be a huge hit.” And then I saw that it came out 6 months ago, and that it still has less than 1,000 plays. And I thought, “Why the hell aren’t more people listening to this?” So I’m sharing it with you, because I hope this song goes viral. The entire EP deserves to. It’s amazing, the songs are upbeat, but playfully intense, and the lyrics are so spot on you’ll want them printed and framed on your wall. Yes! You! Are! - The Sundaze

Watch Kianna Alarid sing this wonderfully big pop song World Without End with her band Yes You Are. While Kianna has been making music for quite some time, Yes You Are is a new collaboration with Jared White and with this kind of music they are heading straight for the stadiums.

Yes You Are have an EP ready on Soundcloud and are working on a full length LP. - Glamglare

Best Band on the Rise
Yes You Are

Kianna Alarid has already done the band-on-the-rise thing: As the former lead singer for Omaha’s Tilly and the Wall, which saw a fair amount of success in the mid-aughts, she has cycled through the beginning and the fizzling-out of a creative project that carried her through her 20s. Which is why her new band, the year-old Yes You Are, is an effort that she takes seriously — one that she’s prepared to put every spare moment and bead of sweat into. Her fierce voice dominates the stormy power-pop chords and riffs that her bandmates supply, leaving Alarid to do what she does best: bring the attitude and set fire to the dance floor. The formula is working; Yes You Are’s profile is steadily climbing. Over the summer, the band completed a tour supporting Neon Trees. We have a feeling that it won’t be long before we’ll have to share Alarid and her team with the rest of the world. - The Pitch Kansas City

BRIAN CLIFTON | OCTOBER 26, 2015
Halloween Concerts Part I: Telekinesis, Say Hi, Yes You Are

Yes You Are was recently named Best Band On The Rise by The Pitch, and for good reason. The band marries a hyper-slick 80s pop sound with the classic disjunctiveness of early aughts Saddle Creek Records. The juxtaposition of these sounds creates something that is anthemic without any pretentious pageantry, sugary without sacrificing bite, and large without becoming languid. Yes You Are has a sound that is impossible not to be effected by. Perfect for bringing bodies together on a darkened dance floor, Yes You Are is the band that will save indie pop.

- See more at: http://millsrecordcompany.com/halloween-concerts-part-telekinesis-say-hi-yes#sthash.QWGqyN8F.dpuf - Mills Record Company

Success arrived swiftly for Kianna Alarid in her first music endeavor.

Her second has been a more arduous task.

Alarid was 23, living in her hometown of Omaha, Neb., when she became the lead singer and bassist for Tilly and the Wall, a band that was in the right place at the right time.

Thanks to Saddle Creek Records, Omaha had become an influential music hub, and Alarid and her friends were keeping company with some of its stars, people such as Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, Tim Kasher of Cursive and Todd Fink of The Faint.

Tilly’s first album was released in 2004 on Oberst’s label, and its first major tour was opening for Bright Eyes.

“It was kind of ridiculous,” Alarid said. “We didn’t really have a chance to realize that we didn’t really know how to do it. We immediately had it all: a manager, a booking agent and a huge tour.”

Success peaked in 2006, when Tilly and the Wall played the Airwaves Music Festival in Iceland and “Late Show With David Letterman.”

“We landed in New York from Iceland, did the ‘Letterman’ show and then did a gig later that night,” Alarid said. “It was a big moment for us.”

Tilly would release its fourth album in 2012, but by then two of its members had married each other and started a family, and the band’s activity had slowed to a halt. Alarid was in Kansas City, where she moved in 2010, trying to figure out where her music career would go next. It would take nearly four years, but she has figured it out.

A year ago this month, her new band, Yes You Are, performed live for the first time. Alarid started the band with Jared White, who’d been holed up in his Shawnee home, writing songs but not doing much with them.

“I’d been toiling by myself in private for a long time, learning about songwriting and studying Bob Dylan,” White said. “I was so on my own, no one knew about it.”

Alarid, too, had been toiling in solitude, searching for a new music identity. She flirted with success, releasing a single that got some traction overseas and collaborating with other musicians, including J Ashley Miller, but nothing worked out.

“It was me,” Alarid said. “I didn’t understand who I was. Tilly was its own thing with five people. That was magic. We were innocent and young. After that, it was, ‘What am I?’ I went into this inward spiral, a real downward odyssey. I was searching. I hadn’t given up, but I was very confused.”

In March of 2013, White, looking to bring his music into the light, reached out to Alarid about collaborating. For about two months, they exchanged ideas, music and lyrics, solely by emails. One exchange led to the writing of “Sister Sun,” now a Yes You Are song (and the source of the band’s name). And a light went on.

“I had collaborated with people, but this was different from anything I’d heard,” Alarid said. “I have an indie rock background. There’s something that makes a sound indie rock. I didn’t want to do that. In the most humble way, I say I wanted to break away from that.”

Alarid went into what she called “a mystical phase.”

“I was experimenting with weird, interesting loops and writing this stuff that was almost Native American or raga,” she said. “It mirrored where I was, spiritually.”

Alarid and White would start collaborating in person, and their chemistry worked. The search was over.

“I knew I wanted to work with a guy,” she said. “Something happens when you have those two viewpoints. And something did happen. It’s hard to explain, but when you find that right thing, something you didn’t know you were looking for, and you realize if you commit yourself to it, it could be huge.”

They quickly wrote 20 songs. Alarid, who calls herself a pop singer and songwriter, said her influences go back to the music she grew up with, including Madonna and Michael Jackson from her mother, plus two of her favorite bands, the Swedish electronic duo The Knife and its spinoff, Fever Ray. The music of Yes You Are reflects those influences.

“It’s pop,” she said, “but in an odd way. It’s dark, but it’s still pop. And it’s clean but cold, in a way.”

Yes You Are played its first live show in July 2014, a band without a manager, booking agent or any representation, a band building from the ground up. But it has already received a big break. Alarid took the band back to her hometown for a show. Neal Duffy, the former soundman for Tilly and the Wall, caught the show. Duffy is now soundman for Neon Trees.

“Some people really get what we’re trying to do, and Neal is one of them,” Alarid said. “After the show, he said, ‘You’ll have to tour with us.’”

Alarid softly pushed Duffy for an opening gig with Neon Trees, especially after they announced a 2015 tour. Tyler Glenn, the band’s lead singer, expressed interest but wanted to hear some music. Yes You Are sent Duffy two songs this spring. Duffy was impressed and so was Glenn, who tweeted to the band: “Digging the new jams.”

A week later, about a month before the tour started, Yes You Are received a request from Neon Trees’ management to open the 13-show Neon Trees tour.

“We really had to step up and meet the standards that Neon Trees fans were going to expect,” Alarid said.

And they did just that.

“Everyone who reviewed the shows mentioned us,” White said. “We got great reviews.”

“We have a press kit now because we got so many incredibly positive and glowing reviews,” Alarid said.

In June, Yes You Are released its first music video. A full-length album is in the works. Monday, it will perform in Kansas City for the first time in a while, opening for Lany at the RecordBar, 1020 Westport Road. Plenty of work lies ahead, but both Alarid and White are aware and prepared and committed.

“This has been my purpose for, like, five years,” White said. “This is what I’ve been working toward.”

“Tilly had everything handed to us,” Alarid said. “(Yes You Are) had to sit and toil. I would lock myself in a room for eight hours and work and work and work and write and rewrite to get to that level. Something magic happens when you realize what you’re supposed to do. It’s inspiring. It gives you a purpose.”

To reach Timothy Finn, call 816-234-4781 or send email to tfinn@kcstar.com. Follow the Back to Rockville blog on Twitter @kcstarrockville.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/ent-columns-blogs/back-to-rockville/article28445374.html#storylink=cpy - Kansas City Star

"Yes You Are, led by Tilly and the Wall’s Kianna Alarid, gave a stellar performance to open the show. Alarid’s vocals stood out on the new song “Echo” and Yes You Are brought an energy that yielded a strong response from the audience at the end of their set. It’s definitely worth getting there early to catch this upstart band."

Read More: Neon Trees Light Up Los Angeles With Musical Celebration | http://diffuser.fm/neon-trees-los-angeles-fonda-theater-concert-review/?trackback=tsmclip - Diffuser

Late on a Sunday morning, the five members of Yes You Are have arranged themselves in the basement of guitarist Jared White's childhood home in Shawnee, cramming themselves and their instruments among the couches and the large indoor plants. It's an impromptu-looking scene, but the band averages four or five rehearsals like this every week. And here, White's mom always feeds them.

Jacob Temeyer busies himself behind an elaborate keyboard station. Joe Wilner is tucked into a corner with his drums. White stands in front of him, looking like he skipped his coffee. Next to him, bassist Willie Jordan (also of Drugs & Attics) looks like a young Jack White without trying especially hard.

The four of them start playing, and Kianna Alarid, the group's unmistakable frontwoman, sings her first note. The room melts away.

Alarid plays no instrument. Instead, the music plays her. There's little room here for her to dance, but that doesn't stop her from twisting her body in place and shaking her head in time with the heavy beats of "World Without End." Her dark hair falls around her face as she belts into a tightly grasped microphone. She looks fierce. She is in charge.

Alarid, 36, has worked on her craft a long time. She spent most of her 20s in the Omaha, Nebraska, band Tilly and the Wall, which rose to a comfortable level of success in the mid-aughts, touring with Bright Eyes and Rilo Kiley (and, later, Jenny Lewis), and then came to an abrupt halt.

"Two of the members in my Omaha band had gotten married and had kids, and so we just went on this break," Alarid says. "I had been doing that my whole adult life. Tilly and the Wall started in 2001, and I was 22, and we went on break when I was 31, maybe. I was a full-on adult who had done that my whole life, so when that stopped, I was like, 'What do I do now?'"

In an effort to start over, Alarid moved to Kansas City in 2010, settled in and started looking for creative partners. Nothing went anywhere until she met White, in spring 2013.

"Jared is the one who found me," she says. "He got in touch through friends of friends, and he was also working on music, his own stuff. And I had gone all over, worked with all these people, and I was looking for a collaborator. And I think Jared was looking for a girl — I want to say a face, like the face of a band."

White, whom Alarid calls a brilliant, very intense musician, is Yes You Are's mastermind, the mysterious Oz behind the curtain. That they found each other was, she says, a "destiny moment." It's a phrase she repeats often in our conversation. For Alarid, Yes You Are was the vital next step in her career, and she communicates her gratitude for the band's formation in almost metaphysical terms.

"The question that sort of changed every­thing for me was when Jared asked me, 'You know that that band [Tilly and the Wall] wasn't the biggest thing you'll ever do in your life, right?'" she says. "And I just felt like, 'Oh.' It was this release. That was that. It was over. That was a year and a half ago. It feels like one minute ago and a hundred years ago."

Sunday's practice session over with, we are speaking over wine and food at Westport's Cucina della Ragazza. Alarid and Temeyer are both present, but Alarid does most of the talking. She speaks with a dramatic flair that fits her striking appearance: heavy eye makeup, bright-pink lipstick, tall platform shoes that look like an impulsive Etsy purchase.

Temeyer, 25, sips his wine and nods along. In addition to keyboard duty, Temeyer is also the band's engineer; he's the one who has cobbled together 12 demos for the band's untitled forthcoming album. It's a work in progress. The group hasn't settled on a recording studio yet but has posted three songs on Bandcamp.

In fact, Yes You Are's online presence is borderline secretive. There is no website and no names listed on Facebook. But anyone who has seen Yes You Are live can attest that the band has arrived as a fully formed authority.

"There is nothing else for us," Alarid says. "We are insane. We put all of our focus into this. What's that phrase, 'You work to live until you live to work.' That's true. We know what we want. We just don't know how we're going to get there. Not yet. But I think when you're OK with that, something releases. Like, if you're willing to let everything go, the things you want will end up coming to you."

For Alarid, being in Yes You Are means maintaining this odd balance between Zen and zeal. Part of that approach, she says, she owes to her 3-year-old daughter, Ori.

"My kid is everything to me," she says. "She's every waking minute. And we have the best relationship because she sees how focused I am on my dream. I think something happens when you start to believe in your dream, when you just train yourself to believe in something that everyone else will say is impossible. My daughter, she sees how happy Mommy is. And I want her to see me succeed." - The Pitch Kansas City

The groundwork laid by Alarid and White charted them on a musical and metaphysical course that eventually led them to the rest of the band, fully assembled in early 2014. To Alarid, this has been Yes You Are’s greatest accomplishment to date: finding the right people to carry out the band’s mission, and it shows. Since its first performance together in mid-2014, the group has kept audiences engaged with forceful, meaningful hooks and has left them awestruck with a transcendental energy. This is perhaps what Yes You Are does best: creates infectious, poignant pop songs that connect with the listener on a spiritual level.

Yes You Are will be headlining an electrifying bill this Friday at recordBar with Enemy Planes (Minneapolis) and The Latenight Callers. Doors open at 9:30 pm. Ages 18+. Tickets can be purchased at this link: https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/786557

Check out Yes You Are on The Bridge’s Eight One Sixty



Michelle Bacon is a musician and writer dedicated to the Kansas City music community. As editor of The Deli Magazine-Kansas City and social media coordinator for Midwest Music Foundation and Folk Alliance International, she advocates and helps spotlight music in the area. She is also a freelance writer for The Kansas City Star and plays in area bands The Philistines, Dolls on Fire, Drew Black & Dirty Electric, and Chris Meck & the Guilty Birds. - The Bridge - 90.9

"Opening the show was Yes You Are, a five piece band hailing from Kansas City. Lead singer, Kianna Alarid, is an intense singer by those around her. She plays no instruments, but instead uses her voice and the movements of her body to evoke the passion of each song she sings. YYA‘s online presence is highly secretive. As a fairly new band, they may be taking a gamble with that strategy, but they say that once their first full length project gets released (no specific date yet), you’ll be ready to embrace them." - Seattle Music Insider

Tilly and the Wall’s Kianna Alarid Discovers Her New Path

By Kyle Eustice

Mention the band name “Tilly and the Wall” and most people know what Omaha band you’re talking about. Mention “Yes You Are” and you might get more a puzzled look… but not for long. The Kansas-City based five-piece, fronted by Tilly’s Kianna Alarid, is just beginning to breathe new life. It’s about time Alarid stepped into center-stage. Her captivating and effervescent personality was made for it.

Granted, Tilly and the Wall has hit some incredible milestones in its tenure. On the heels of 2007’s Bottom of Barrels, the group released 2008’s o, which produced the singles “Bad Education” and “Pot Kettle Black,” the latter being extremely well-received. It was featured in television spots for the Seth Rogan film Observe and Report and served as background music to TV shows like 90210. But then life happened. Alarid moved to Kansas City, got married and had a child. Derek and Jamie got married then had two children while Jenkins and White moved to Los Angeles. Needless to say, the band went on a much-needed, self-imposed hiatus in 2009. They had been touring for the past eight years and it consumed most of their adult life. The break seemed necessary to not only regroup, but to reinspire. In 2012, Tilly and the Wall released Heavy Mood then, once again, went down their separate paths. It gave Alarid time truly dig deep and figure out what she wanted. It turned out Yes You Are was just what she needed.

Comprised of Jared White, Jacob Temeyer, Joe Wilner, Willie Jordan, and Alarid, it’s a musical partnership made in heaven. Although Yes You Are’s first album is still being finished, in the meantime, you can listen to “World Without End,” “HGX” and “Echo” at www.weareyesyouare.com. As Yes You Are prepares to take off on a national tour with Neon Trees, Alarid enthusiastically discussed the new project, Yes You Are’s debut album and manifest destiny.

Check out the video for “World Without End” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwaeCxVNia0&feature=youtu.be

Now! (Kyle Eustice): How did the Yes You Are project begin?

Kianna Alarid: About four years ago, I started searching for the right collaborator to work with on my next project. My manager at the time arranged for me to go to Sweden and work with my “dream” producer and I went all the way there and made a great friend, but it didn’t work out musically. In the years following that, I collaborated with several people in Kansas City and made good music, but none of it was exactly right for me. Then, through mutual friends, I met Jared White, who had also been searching for a collaborator. He was sort of a mysterious figure to me as he wasn’t part of any scene here, but was making some of the best songs I had ever heard on his own, basically in private. I can best describe the feeling of our first collaborative work together as a supernatural experience. He was definitely switched on in a way I’d never encountered in anybody before. To say that we “clicked” would be an understatement. We started writing together and we just didn’t stop. We probably wrote about 20 songs in a row and then chose 12 for our debut album, which we’re finishing now with two producers in Omaha.

How did you decide on the name?

We had a long list of names and Yes You Are was just the name above all other names that we had going. One of our songs has the lyric “Yes you are!” and I had added that to the list of ideas. We had our first show booked and needed to finally decide, and at that point our bassist Willie Jordan just looked at our list and said “Yes You Are, our name is Yes You Are. It sounds cool.” We were all like, “Ok!”

Tilly and the Wall had a lot of really good things going on. Why did you decide to start another band?

I felt called to do a different kind of project. I follow those kinds of callings. They always lead somewhere interesting. Tilly is family to me and we all support each other’s endeavors, artistic and otherwise.

In all of our talks, we have always seen eye to eye on the power of manifestation and other things in that realm. Where and how did you form these ideals?

There’s power in the ability to control and direct the thoughts in your mind. We all have countless thoughts passing through our minds all day everyday, some positive, some negative. At some point I realized that I could control which thoughts I focused on; the creative or the destructive. I experienced drastic positive changes and outcomes in my life when I made the decision to focus on what I wanted to happen instead of what I didn’t want to have happen. That’s just the tip of whole iceberg when you realize thoughts have power and you can control them. This is the basic principle of being an empowered person.

You’re clearly a very beautiful girl. Does that help or hurt in the music “business?” Have you ever felt mistreated in any way?

First of all, thank you for your kind words. I’ve never personally been mistreated by anyone in this industry for any reason, but I think that has something to do with who I am on the inside. I love makeup and I love fashion, but I think it’s apparent that’s not where I begin or end. Maybe I subconsciously project that and that’s why nobody messes with me.

In the video for “World Without End” they only show your face. Was this a conscious choice?

Yes, it was a conscious choice. We made it as a lyric video, but instead of text on the screen, you see someone clearly singing the lyrics in slow motion. It was a way to also to have listeners introduced to the singer of this new band. Being one continuous shot, with me as the only person needed, it was also extremely simple to make. We didn’t have to hire anybody or schedule around a big shoot and we found it a more interesting alternative to the basic lyric video.

What’s your stance on the word “feminist?”

I love all women, especially empowered women, but calling yourself a feminist does not automatically make you an empowered woman. If I had to pick any “ist” to identify with it would be artist. That being said, there’s no doubt in my mind that we’re living in a time where the voice of the woman will shape the new world.

How did becoming a mother change your musical path? You in general?

When I became a parent it lit a new fire under my dreams. If my kid sees me never giving up on what I’m called to do than she’ll learn to never give up on what she’s called to do. In general, motherhood has clarified my purpose and made me more committed to my work.

How did the Neon Trees tour happen? What are you looking forward to about being on the road?

It’s pretty incredible actually. Tyler Glenn and I have a mutual friend who is a big supporter of Yes You Are . He talked about us a lot then finally played Tyler a few of our songs and his response was crazy good! We were so stoked that he loved the songs, but we were pretty shocked when we got an official tour invite from Neon Trees’ management about a week later. We are so grateful that our music left the kind of impact we had intended it to. I think what we are looking forward to most for this tour is leaving that kind of impact on everyone who sees us. We can’t wait!

Do you have a full-length out already?

We have tracked all 12 songs for our debut album and are now in the process of mixing and doing post production on them. We have about five finished so almost halfway there! We are so new though that we have no label, management or agents as of yet, but it’s a goal of ours to find all the right people within the next few months and get the album out as soon as possible.

Yes You Are with Neon Trees, June 26, at Stir’s Concert Cove, Council Bluffs, 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35. www.ceasars.com - NOW Omaha

First, Yes You Are, a band from Kansas City, MO, opened the show with an intense, high energy that got the crowd hyped! Lead singer Kianna gave a stunning performance with a stellar fashion sense as well. The crowd was definitely engulfed in their presence, leaving us wanting more - See more at: http://minneapolis.happeningmag.com/neon-trees-varsity-review/#sthash.aKkhTfa7.dpuf - Minneapolis Happening

Photo review. - Impose Magazine

Photo Review - Digital Diversion

Photo review.

"Last night, I caught Neon Trees at the Gothic Theatre in Denver and they brought along with them two amazing supporting bands Alex Winston and Yes You Are. Check out photos from the show below." - Half and Half

Photo Review. - Rooster Magazine

Photo review. - Pop Punk Please

"Kianna Alarid conquered the stage. Yes You Are's brief set established a throwback radio vibe, like an alternate universe Jack FM."
-Brian Peterson - Dallas Observer

First up that night was a band called Yes You Are from Kanses City. Lead singer Kianna Alarid lit up the stage with her personality and creative clothing. The band has a very energetic music style and got the crowd warmed up for Winston and Neon Trees. - AXS