Keep Your Distance (KYD) was a Davis-based hardcore band that played a healthy mix of more traditional style hardcore with breakdowns the size of steamrollers.
KYD was a band from October 2002 to May of 2005, briefly reuniting in January of 2006 for one show. The original lineup featured Eric Beane on drums, Don Kelley on guitar/vocals, Gregory Smith on bass, and some stoner named Matt pretending to learn power chords while secretly yearning to play Clapton solos. Matt was quickly ousted and Alex (the haggro one) joined the band to play guitar. Realizing that Alex could actually play, Don would often put away his guitar and ruin his vocal cords full-time.
The first real lineup:
Don - Vocals/Guitar Alex - Guitar Greg - Bass Eric - Drums
KYD played a number of shows in this configuration. Highlights include:
- their very first show, where a drunken KYD played a renegade set at some drama department party with instruments borrowed from a silly indie band - their first planned show in Kleiber Hall (courtesy of DMS), a week after the drama party, where Greg and Don totalled more bad jokes told than songs played - a couple shows at West Coast Worldwide (WCWW), where Greg was heckled by the crowd for use of the word "mosh" - a renegade set without Don (and therefore vocals) at Cafe Roma on Picnic Day (2003, if memory serves) - other assorted shows at the Loyola House and the CoHo
One or two demos were recorded with the original lineup and the concensus is that they sound like poop, but discoveries were made. While recording the "Time To Strike" EP, the band took a liking to Greg's backup vocals (which, according to the other members, were very British-sounding). No changes were made immediately, but the seeds of metamorphosis (thanks, thesaurus.com) had been sown. Don eventually got tired of doing vocals, wanting to re-focus he efforts on playing guitar, so Greg traded in his bass for a microphone and Jeff MacDonald joined the band.
The official lineup:
Don - Guitar Alex - Guitar Jeff - Bass Greg - Vocals Eric - Drums
KYD would take this lineup to it's grave in 2005, but not before playing a multitude of ridiculous breakdowns and stupid cover songs across Davis. Show highlights include:
- a Very Flintstones Hardcore Halloween at the Loyola House - one of the first hardcore shows at the Grad - two of the biggest DMS shows ever at the CoffeeHouse - one of the few shows put on at 2500 Loyola - the only show ever played in KYD's practice space at the L-efant House, their last show before breaking up.
Keep Your Distance discography:
4-track demo (2002) 1. Breaking Point 2. The Real Deal 3. Drowning 4. Skulls
Another Place Demo (2003, Unreleased) 1. Snake in the Grass 2. Ex-Sunday 3. Drowning 4. Untitled 5. Slit and Spill 6. You, Yourself, and You
Time To Strike EP (2003) 1. Snake in the Grass 2. Ex-Sunday
The Official Demo (2004) 1. Drowning 2. Congregation 3. In Other Words 4. With Disgust 5. Snake in the Grass 6. Untitled
Notable covers by KYD:
"Skulls" by The Misfits "Bottle Violence" by Minor Threat "Gimme Gimme Gimme" by Black Flag "Louie Louie" by Richard Berry "Loyalty" by Phase III "Will To Die" by Strife "Banner-Sized Politics" by What Happens Next? "Bullet" by The Misfits
KYD Members in other bands:
Alex: Prison Shank, Outgunned, Actions Aside, Late-night Decaf, among others... Don: Tortulator, Planetary Ruin, Some Assholes, BxUxIx, Los Backups, There's No Crying In Baseball, among others... Jeff: Outgunned, UCD Trumpet Ensemble, Late-night Decaf, among others... Greg: Hermaphrochrist
Other folks playing with KYD:
- Aaron O'Neil on drums for a DMS hardcore show - Pat Quest on drums for the KYD Reunion - Taylor Street on vocals for the renegade Picnic Day show at Roma - #1 KYD Super Fan, Spencer Harris, on guest vocals at various shows
