Lineup 2012
Kidstreet
Toronto, ON
Waterloo electro trio Kidstreet have barely started to make their mark in Toronto. The three siblings who make up the synth-pop outfit are drummer Karl Snyder, older brother Cliff on synths and guitar, and younger sister Edna on piano and vocals, Kidstreet began with a different sound. They only decided on their present upbeat and uptempo direction last summer.
“We were playing this really depressing-sounding music and no one was dancing. Then, one day we wrote a dance song by accident, and people loved it, so we were like, ‘Oh, this what we need to do!’” remembers Snyder.
Onstage, the band blends electronic elements with live drums, vocals, guitar and synths – while encouraging the crowd to dance.
“We reproduce our recorded sound as much as we can. We’re trying to make experimental dance music, and we sound like a DJ but with the energy of a live band.”
Snyder laughs that sometimes their audience gets nostalgic over their name, shamelessly lifted from classic kids’ TV game show Kidstreet.
“People started doing the clap at our shows! It’s nerdy but also pretty terrific to see a sweaty crowd doing it!”