Chat with drummer Logan Bush — What’s going on in Kansas?
I recently ran across an album named “AGITATOR” by a band named Kill Vargas. Never heard of them…Gave it a listen and was instantly impressed with the raw energetic sound and feel of the LP. First impression was a mix of Punk Rock, Grunge, and Southern Alt Rock REMish merged together to create a pretty cool sound.
Who are these guys? Who is Kill Vargas? After a quick google search, I became intrigued after discovering the sound I was hearing was coming from a trio of teenagers from Wichita, Kansas. The three members of Kill Vargas are Austin Engler (19) on bass and brothers Griffin Bush (17) on guitar and lead vocals & Logan Bush (19) on drums.
To top it off, the album “Agitator” was already 2 years old?? Wow..! — I had to know more.. What the hell is going on in Kansas?…..
“Wichita, Kansas??” Okay I hear you,….
When you think Alternative music, what comes to mind are bands from fashion trendy, political charged, metropolitan cities like New York, Chicago, LA, London etc…not Wichita, Kansas.
“Wichita, Kansas??”
Yeah I know, but hang on a second….Who could have predicted the Alternative/Punk explosion out of Athens, Georgia that brought us R.E.M., The B52’s and the other greats or the Seattle scene of the 90’s that brought the world Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and a long list of great music?
If music history has taught us anything, it’s keep to an eye — and ear on places off the beaten path. If Kill Vargas is even a small gauge of what’s going on in Wichita, Kansas then it’s a scene worth keeping on the radar.
Chat with Logan Bush drummer of Kill Vargas
Kill Vargas’ three members are Austin Engler (19) on bass and brothers Griffin Bush (17) on guitar and lead vocals & Logan Bush (19) on drums.
Thanks for taking the time to chat with us. My first question has to be, how long have you guys been playing music?
Logan Bush- We’ve all been playing music together since we were 9 and 10 years old. Austin’s dad is a church musician, so he always had lots of instruments in the basement. We’d go play with the instruments and sort of teach ourselves how to write songs.
How did Kill Vargas form as a band?
Logan Bush- Griffin and I are brothers, and we’ve been next door neighbors with Austin since we were toddlers. We all grew up together, and once we were all around 7 and 8 we used to play the video game ‘Guitar Hero’ and what we would do was use the ‘create a song’ mode of the game and we’d write our own little tunes with the video game instruments. Then we’d take one of our mp3 players, set it next to the TV speaker, and hit record and then Griffin would sing into it. That’s how we made our first songs before we knew how to play instruments.
What’s the meaning behind the name, Kill Vargas?
Logan Bush- There really isn’t meaning to the name. It sounds pretty different and it is very easy to google search.
When did you start playing live in front of audiences?
Logan Bush- We started playing high school talent shows and local final fridays and grad parties and stuff like that around 12–13 years old.
When did you begin recording?
Logan Bush-We released our first demo, ‘Noise’ back in 2013 when we were 14–15 years old and that’s when we started playing gigs in the local scene and opening up for touring bands coming through town.
Who are some of your current musical influences?
Logan Bush- Our influence musically is mainly the modern scene of garage rock/punk bands that have been blowing up. A lot of Wavves, Fidlar, Thee Oh Sees, Skaters, Twin Peaks.
What inspired you to be a musician, or inspires the band as musicians?
Logan Bush- We’re inspired by a really good live show. Our first live experiences growing up were going to see bands like Green Day and Foo Fighters at an extremely young age, and watching them put on not just a musical set, but more of a big spectacle.
Seeing those veteran bands live helped you grow as musicians?
Yeah, They really laid the ground work for our approach to playing live shows. We try to change up our songs live, extend them, slow them down or speed them up, so its a new show everytime. That can be traced directly back to seeing those rock bands while growing up.
Are social messages in your music important or further inspired from being from an ultra-conservative state like Kansas?
Logan Bush- Politics isn’t really a part of Kill Vargas. We just like to jam and have a good time. There’s nothing really too heavy or political in our lyrical content.
Check out Kill Vargas here — https://killvargas.bandcamp.com
Follow Kill Vargas on —
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— Kill Vargas Upcoming Shows —
6/2 — Hutchinson, KS @ The Dive
6/3 — Oklahoma City, OK @ Stash (outdoor)
6/4 — Denton, TX @ The Fannin House
6/5 — Shreveport, LA @ The Exxon House
6/6 — Fayetteville, AR @ The Backspace
6/7 — Wichita, KS @ Wichita Riverfest
6/16 — Wichita, KS @ Gallery Alley
6/17 Barnacle Banger Fest in Tulsa, OK at @TheYetiTulsa. at 6:30pm on the indoor stage.
6/22 — Kansas City, MO @ Records With Merritt
6/23 — St. Louis, MO @ El Lenador
6/24 — Union, IL @ Nacho Treehouse
6/25 — Wichita, KS @ Rock Island Live
7/13 — Ft. Collins, CO @ Surfside 7
7/14 — Denver CO @ 7th Circle
7/15 — Colorado Springs, CO @ The Triple Nickel
See ya on the road — — Safe Travels!
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