Peoria indie rock band First Date Kiss plays a blend of both acoustic and hard rock stylings, with lyrics that tackle themes of femininity and romantic relationships.
The group formed in 2021, after lead vocalist and guitarist Andy Martinez met drummer Asher Feeman at an open mic night at the Neon Bison bar in Peoria.
“This is more of a romantic story,” Martinez said, recounting her first meeting with Feeman, “after we both played, we both just started talking and really hitting it off.. And afterwards we just kept making music.”
The group’s first single, ‘Aren’t I Yours,’ reflects Martinez’s perspective from the early days of their relationship on a more personal level.
“That song, it was probably written in first few weeks of me talking to and dating Asher, it was just kind of about the beginning of our relationship,” Martinez said. “There’s a lot of attitude added to that song, but its some things that I never wanted to show, at least at first, the feelings of wanting more but not being overbearing.”
First Date Kiss performed as a duo until the summer of 2022, when the group met guitarist Nate Kieser at a show at Peoria Pizza Works.
“I went to see some friends play, and I was actually done with the night, and hadn’t even seen them play, I didn’t know who they were, and no joke, my hand was on the door to leave, and I heard this awesome voice, and this drummer,” Kieser said. “I stayed the entire time, I was just in awe…after the show I went up to them and introduced myself.”
Kieser’s guitar playing is showcased in the group’s latest single, titled ‘Dark Femergy,’ which came from Kieser experimenting with an alternate guitar tuning, matched with an energetic hard rock pace and Martinez’s powerful vocals.
“This was the first song that all of us really created together,” Martinez said. “A lot of it has to do with the pressures of what femininity really is… in a way that isn’t passive in any way, which is nontraditional femininity, but I categorize it as ‘Dark Femergy.’”
The group’s live setup varies from a full rock band lineup to a smaller, more acoustic feel, but in the studio, the band feels they have more freedom to add layers to their sound not possible in a typical live setting.
“I like to add a lot of stuff, and of course, we’re only a three piece as the music,” Kieser said. “There’s only so much you can do live to create all those extra parts live.”
“It also doesn’t hurt to try new things,” Feeman said. “And if it doesn’t sound good, just scratch it.”
The band’s music and information about future live shows can be found at the group’s web site.
