Kinch: Burning Up the Valley’s Music Scene

By Alana Stroud
Photography by Christine Valenzuela

Don’t confuse Kinch with hobbyist garage bands with no ambition—these guys are hoping for the real deal and are working very hard toward careers as musicians. Members Andrew Junker, vocals and piano, bass player Bryan Witt, drummer Jake Malone, and guitarist Brian Coughlin aren’t exactly hoping to make it big in the traditional sense, although Andrew has admitted, “We’d just like to be able to make enough money to do it full time, put out lots of records, and tour cool places. So yeah, maybe that is making it big.”

Considering the talent the band wields behind their respective instruments, making it big shouldn’t be a hard thing to accomplish. Kinch has been compared to the likes of Ben Folds Five and Oasis as well as The Strokes, a band they list as an influence, and Kinch has opened for bands like Local H. Having recently toured some of the southern states to promote their debut album Advances (which they gladly allow to be downloaded on their Web site at no cost), they have since made their way back to Arizona to continue performing locally in cities like Tucson, Phoenix, and Tempe.

With Andrew’s background in classical piano, Brian’s history playing in a jazz band, and Jake’s appreciation for harder rock, the songs brought to the table aren’t always what end up being recorded. Each member has his own style, and perhaps that’s why Kinch’s sound is so diverse and likeable. Check out the tracks “Girls Are Such a Problem” for a bubbly piano-riddled ditty and “All I Done” for some gripping guitar riffs and stirring lyrics. You’ll soon see what all the commotion is about!

Get a feel for these local rockers on MySpace or at their Web site kinchband.com.