Courtesy of readdork.com
The next band that is on my list of favorites are the cool, laid back guys known as The Killers. The group formed in 2001 by lead singer Brandon Flowers and guitar player Dave Keuning. Keuning had placed an advertisement in the Las Vegas magazines looking for any part of a band, a singer, a drummer, pretty much whatever he could get. Flowers read the ad and decided to give him a call. They met up and instantly had a musical connection through the bands that they both liked. Keuining gave him a cassette tape with a couple ideas for songs that he had mocked up on a guitar, the first track what would be their greatest hit, Mr. Brightside.
The band initially experienced some trouble finding a bassist and a drummer, as a few members decided to leave the band or were asked to go. However, Flowers and Keuning eventually were Mark Stroermer on bass and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. on the drums. The four of them bonded tightly and went on the run the rock scene in the United Kingdom, and then back to the United States. with songs like Mr. Brightside, Human, and All These Things That I’ve Done it wasn’t long before they were collecting many awards and accolades. They can now be seen headlining many major music festivals in the United States and periodically popping up to play their own shows on tour.
Probably my favorite aspect of The Killers is their adaptability. At almost all of their shows they seem to do a cover of of a song by another artist or group such as Bad Moon Rising by Credence Clearwater Revival, Don’t You Forget About Me by Simple Minds, and Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash. The amazing thing about it is that I would argue that their covers sound better than the originals! The way that Flowers adapts his voice to fit the emotion and feeling behind each song is truly incredible.
Courtesy of The Daily Mirror
Another interesting aspect of the band is their closeness to each other as well as the loved ones around them. The Killer’s album, ‘Rut’, is about Flower’s wife Tana and her battle with PTSD. He has talked about how from a rough childhood she has experienced many traumatic events and been exposed to trying times. She often is faced with these thoughts now in her 30’s and has a difficult time getting through them. He decided to cut his ‘The Desired Effect’ tour early in order to be back at home with her and work to get through this mental challenge. He has come back out and said that she now is doing better with advancing through this trouble and is doing much better.
In addition to Tana, the band as a whole has on multiple occasions talked to a counselor regarding any trouble in the band and problems that they were having as a group. This could be issues such as not getting along, differences in opinions, or unwanted behavior. They see this as the most efficient way to deal with their problems as adults and not trying to ignore them. Nobody wants to break the band up as they all love making music, so they decide to face any problems they have head on. By doing this everyone has a chance to express anything they want to get out and have the band hear it and understand.
Overall, The Killers have a special spot in my heart when it comes to music. Their laid back personalities and take on music really speak to me. I have high hope to see them live in concert very soon.
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