That's My Kid

Earlier this week we sat down with local garage/blues punk rockers That’s My Kid to talk about music, life and the grind of trying to make it as a band in Music City. Although they are still shopping for a label, the group are generating a lot of buzz around town after the release of their debut EP and people, No Country included, are taking notice. Read on for a full interview with the fellas, and be sure to catch them tonight, June 20 at The Basement.


“We’ve known each other for a while now,” lead singer/guitarist Forrest Arnold explained in my living room over some coconut La Croix soda water. “Abe [Fongnaly, drums] and me grew up together, through middle school and high school in Murfreesboro, so we’ve been good pals for a real long time. Abe met [bassist] Jashaun Smith at MTSU, through mutual friends. Me and Abe had just been goofin’ around, playing music, and he’s like ‘hey man I know this dude who plays bass, he’s really cool.’ So Jashaun came over to play one day, and was pretty much in the band immediately.”

“That was around 2012,” Smith added. “And by the time I got there, they’d already had some songs written. They’d been playing shows around town. I’d moved from thirty minutes down the road [to Franklin, TN] to go to MTSU, and started meeting people from around town. I met Abe, year later he asked to come play with him and Forrest, and then I was in the band.”

The DIY, unsigned power trio released their self-titled debut EP earlier this year (read this post), so I asked them if there where any plans to expand the record to a full-length if a label came calling.

“If we find the right people to back it, than sure, we’ll make a record with some of those songs,” Forrest acknowledged. “But our plan right now, because we feel we might be on the cusp of it, of getting somebody, we’re just going to keep releasing singles and EPs.”

“And the new stuff we’ve been working is fairly similar to (the EP),” Smith emphasized. “We’re not going off in a whole new direction. Being together for three years now, we’re actually really coming together with the sound that we want, and really like. The EP was probably the most cohesive we’ve been.”

“It’s a good way to stay present too,” Forrest adds. “We’re not like gone for two years, working on a record. We can release an EP, or some singles every half a year, or less. Just so we have something new to show people.”

They’ve been on our radar for well over a year now, so what they’re doing seems to be working. As for how they create their music, the guys say it’s completely collaborative, but their frontman usually spearheads the sessions.

“Forrest brings us a song, or says ‘I have this much of a song, what do you guys want to add to it?’” Fongnaly explains. “And we’ll start to bring our own things to it. [Now] we’ve got some pretty sweet shit comin’ that we were just jamming on at practice.”

We’ll be sure to keep our ears peeled for that. Also good news for the TMK camp; it appears they are finding a broader audience.

“The shows are definitely getting bigger,” Smith adds later. “It’s the people who are showing up [too]. They’re less people that we know, more people who are just hearing about us. People will say things like ‘we heard you on Lightning 100, and we wanted to come out,’ where as it used to be just like a buddy of a buddy.” - No Country For New Nashville

We’ve been on the That’s My Kid bandwagon since we first heard their unique garage blues rock sounds several months ago (see this post), but did you know they just released a cassette EP, TMK, and they did their release show as an in-store at Grimey’s New and Preloved Music last weekend? If you’re an avid No country reader, and we hope you are, then the answer to that question is probably yes, but, for those that didn’t know, or for those that couldn’t make it to the show, we have a recap for you after the jump. Also, check out a few photos from contributing photographer Briana Mailley, and be sure to catch the fellas TONIGHT at Soulshine Pizza for free, where they’re performing as Lightning 100’s Local Artist of the Week.


If you’ve ever been to an in-store at Grimey’s, then you know it starts early (usually 5 p.m.), it gets crowded fast, and the sets are typically pretty short. If you didn’t know these things, consider yourself schooled, but thankfully I did, so I got there early, helped myself to free PBR tallboys (after showing ID) and hunkered down by the psychedelic rock section of the record store to make sure I had a primo spot.

I could see Forrest, Abraham and Jashaun (a.k.a. That’s My Kid) at the front mingling and shaking hands. I opted out of losing my spot, and decided to wait till after their set to say hi. It was ten minutes to show time, but the back room of Grimeys was already filling up fast with mostly 20 somethings. The smell of good weed was faint, but ever present, and I cursed myself for forgetting my dug-out at home.

After a quick sound check, and a heartfelt introduction from Grimey himself, the power trio got down to business. Although I’d already been a fan of their music for awhile, it was my first time seeing them in person, and I was immediately struck by how well they translated from recording to live performance. They didn’t miss a beat, playing tight, all smiles and appreciation. The tiny space added to the over-all loudness of their set, which is far from a complaint; these guys fucking rocked it!

They played their new, five-track EP, TMK, from top to bottom and there wasn’t a single throw-away song. My only gripe would be they didn’t play longer, but, of course, Grimey’s in-stores are always short and sweet, and for the price of free, who can complain. The EP was released on cassette only, but each copy came with a download code for digital consumption. When I talked to Forrest via e-mail, I was kind of surprised that they went with that format, but apparently I’m getting old, and I’m out of the loop, because kids these days can’t get enough cassettes! I’m cursing myself for not holding onto my adolescent collection. In fact, their first run of tapes has since sold out, but don’t worry. You can still get the EP online right here for just $7 … and if you’re into the throw-back craze, never fear, more cassettes are coming.

So do yourself a favor, and get hip to one of my personal favorite new(ish) bands on the Music City rock ’n’ roll scene. These guys are fairly young and just finding their stride, so the sky appears to be the limit. Check out some photos below and see what I’m gushing about for yourself tonight, for free, at Soulshine Pizza. Hope on the bandwagon now, while there’s still room, because I have feeling that That’s My Kid only be getting bigger, and bigger. - No Country for New Nashville

THIS TOWN IS FULL OF MUSIC KNOW-IT-ALLS, RIGHT? Okay, lets se how good you are. What do The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Nirvana have in common? Did you Say Seattle? Well, that’s true, but it’s not what I’m searching for. What link do Sublime and Crosby, Stills, and Nash share? Are you going with Southern California? Also true, but again, not what I’m fishing for. How about the Police and Muse? I know both English bands, but stop thinking locale. Still stumped? Three words: Power. Freakin’. Trio! Nothing against bigger bands, but I love a three-piece. The fact is, there just ain’t nothing to hid behind in a trio-it’s just you and two other musicians trying to make the difficult look effortless. In this day and age of auto Tune and lip-syncing, it’s nice to see some musicianship, which I must say is paramount in this new Nashville three-piece: enter That’s My Kid.
Forrest Arnold, Jashaun Smith, and Abraham Fongnaly formed the trio several years ago while still in high school in Murfreesboro. This moth will mark the beginning of the trio’s third year together. In the spring of 2013, TMK released an eight-song debut called This One. “This One” record is fantastically genre non-specific. “This One’s For You” starts the album off with a certain Buddy Holly rockabilly sound, the “Heartbreaker” follows with a dirt, guitar-driven Chicago blues tune that would make Buddy Guy tip his cap. Late in 2013, TMK put out an EP called “The Dark Horse Sessions”, which is available as a free download now at Thatsmykidmusic.com. The ep starts where This One left off by meandering through genres while keeping the bands tight drums, flawless bass lines, dirty guitar licks, and cutting vocals. Basically, it’s everything you need in a power trio. I don’t know what kind of music does it for you – it may be a Delta blues, punk rock, laurel Canyon Harmonies, tailgate twang, skinny jean indie, or purple-haired pop. Whatever your poison, You Oughta Know That’s My KId can probably play it better than most – and with only three dudes. - Native Magazine