The KillTones

This Friday, superb Cincinnati rockers The KillTones host an album release party in honor of their new nine-track effort, Raw. Animals. Dance. The band will be joined by locals Lemon Sky and Philly-based Soraia for the free, 9 p.m. event at Over-the-Rhine club The Drinkery (drinkeryotr.com). The KillTones will be filming the show and are asking fans to get creative and come dressed in crazy animal costumes. The three best-costumed attendees will be rewarded with a DVD copy of Friday night’s performance and a KillTones T-shirt.

Raw. Animals. Dance is a great representation of The KillTones’ swaggering bluster, proving the band to be one of the finer contemporary descendants of Led Zeppelin’s dynamic Power Blues, alongside artists like Jack White, Wolfmother and The Screaming Trees. But you won’t find any “Stairway to Heaven”-like meandering on Raw. Animals. Dance; the band takes the vintage Blues-meets-Rock formula and injects it with a hypodermic needle full of adrenaline. And don’t be fooled by Blues base — The KillTones’ arrangements and songwriting aren’t restricted by any strict adherence to the classic Blues blueprint. The band shows a versatility that reflects a much wider range of influence.

Singer Clinton Vearil has an incredible voice, singing with the passion of White at his finest and also showing an almost theatrical flair that brings to mind Eric Nally of Cincinnati’s nationally renowned rockers Foxy Shazam. Josh Pilot’s astonishing guitar work is equally compelling, as he knocks out dazzling solos and thunderous riffs effortlessly (he could probably hold his own in a guitar duel with White). Meanwhile, the rhythm section of Randy Proctor (bass) and Ray Redmon (drums) anchors The KillTones’ heavy strut with eclectic powerhouse grooves that often give the music a danceable, Glam Rock-esque boogie.

If there was ever any doubt that The KillTones are one of the best Rock & Roll bands in Cincinnati, one listen to Raw. Animals. Dance is all that’s needed to shatter them instantly.


For more on The KillTones, visit facebook.com/thekilltones. - City Beat

"See It Go" is an eclectic Blues Rock single by The KillTones.

A sparse and sinister electric guitar line is the first thing we hear... suddenly the vocals spark in with "Get me a dollar for my worried mind... pulling jealous heart strings all the time". The vocals are full of spirit and desperation all-together in quick fleeting moments, making for a conflictual effect that suits the theme perfectly.

Suddenly full production kicks in with added guitars and drums, the pace doesn't change, but the mood shifts. Now the idea is bigger... and as it progresses it starts to kick up a ruckus. Singer Clinton Vearil chirps up screams with growing enthusiasm and a sickly spirit that mesmerizes, verses are lastly revisited with a classic, almost do-woop style backing vocal that adds to the dynamic once more.

Altogether "See It Go" is a very strong single with an almost Vaudevillian quality to it... quite unique and addictive. - Examiner.com

"See It Go" is an eclectic Blues Rock single by The KillTones.

A sparse and sinister electric guitar line is the first thing we hear... suddenly the vocals spark in with "Get me a dollar for my worried mind... pulling jealous heart strings all the time". The vocals are full of spirit and desperation all-together in quick fleeting moments, making for a conflictual effect that suits the theme perfectly.

Suddenly full production kicks in with added guitars and drums, the pace doesn't change, but the mood shifts. Now the idea is bigger... and as it progresses it starts to kick up a ruckus. Singer Clinton Vearil chirps up screams with growing enthusiasm and a sickly spirit that mesmerizes, verses are lastly revisited with a classic, almost do-woop style backing vocal that adds to the dynamic once more.

Altogether "See It Go" is a very strong single with an almost Vaudevillian quality to it... quite unique and addictive. - Examiner.com

"Credit where credit is due – props to Seltz for submitting this week’s Music Monday suggestion: The Killtones, a dirty rock duo who released their self-titled debut album last year.

The band consists of two homies, Josh Pilot and Clinton Vearil, who started jamming together when the two were in separate bands. Jam sessions turned into songs and songs turned into a CD. Soon, The Killtones were a four-piece live act playing shows together, but soon found themselves back to the original two who started it all (or so’s the word on the street. I can’t find much info on these guys beyond their Facebook and Twitter accounts – maybe they added a bassist since?). Instead of calling it quits, Pilot and Vearil decided to trudge on, with Pilot on guitar and Vearil on drums.

What the two have produced is straight up, rough and tumble American rock n’ roll that I can’t stop listening to. Some tracks are eccentric, messy rockers, while others infuse some groovy blues soul in between the snarls. Even their seven-minute power ballad, “Always Cryin’” boasts a killer guitar solo that breaks up the mood a bit on this short-but-sweet nine-track debut.

The Killtones didn’t have any studio stuff on YouTube, but their full-length album can be found on Spotify."

Note to the reader: We have been a full four piece for approximately two years - The Littlest Winslow

"Credit where credit is due – props to Seltz for submitting this week’s Music Monday suggestion: The Killtones, a dirty rock duo who released their self-titled debut album last year.

The band consists of two homies, Josh Pilot and Clinton Vearil, who started jamming together when the two were in separate bands. Jam sessions turned into songs and songs turned into a CD. Soon, The Killtones were a four-piece live act playing shows together, but soon found themselves back to the original two who started it all (or so’s the word on the street. I can’t find much info on these guys beyond their Facebook and Twitter accounts – maybe they added a bassist since?). Instead of calling it quits, Pilot and Vearil decided to trudge on, with Pilot on guitar and Vearil on drums.

What the two have produced is straight up, rough and tumble American rock n’ roll that I can’t stop listening to. Some tracks are eccentric, messy rockers, while others infuse some groovy blues soul in between the snarls. Even their seven-minute power ballad, “Always Cryin’” boasts a killer guitar solo that breaks up the mood a bit on this short-but-sweet nine-track debut.

The Killtones didn’t have any studio stuff on YouTube, but their full-length album can be found on Spotify."

Note to the reader: We have been a full four piece for approximately two years - The Littlest Winslow

The Killtones have that visceral, 60's garage rock thing down cold, but they have something else even MORE important:perseverance. Vocalist Clinton Vearil and guitarist Josh Pilot joined forces for a side project two years ago. Recording and realization that tour was their only chance at the next level. The Killtones' debut full-length is just about ready to be unleashed...and so are The Killtones!!

"A Killtones live show is like if The Standells and Blue Cheer do the Maury Povich's DNA dance ti see which one is Jack Whites Father"
- CityBeat

The final band I saw Friday, were the high-octane, high-energy, in-your-face Rock & Roll band The KillTones back at The Drinkery. It was the thing I had been waiting for all night; finally, a band with some fucking attitude. This was not only the four-piece Blues-infused band’s first time at MidPoint, but also their album release party. They knocked their really tight set out of the park. No no-hitter here.

The guitarist, Josh Pilot, was like a combination between Tony Iommi and Chuck Berry if they hung around Jack White a lot. The lead singer, Clinton Vearil, was about one of the most enigmatic frontmen you'll find, contorting and gyrating all over the tiny stage at The Drinkery. My favorite part of their set was a slow, bluesy song that really let Vearil’s vocal abilities shine, as he went from a mesmerizing high-pitched scream to a really soulful and sultry sound in the verses.

Although, this was definitely the best festival experience I have ever had, I only have two regrets. The first was that I was too tired to go see F. Stokes at the end of the night at the Blue Wisp. I know, I’m an idiot, but you can blame The KillTones for that; they wore me out. The second is that I didn’t have the money to buy The KillTones CD, which is consequently all I want to listen to at this moment. - CityBeat- Blake Hammond

The final band I saw Friday, were the high-octane, high-energy, in-your-face Rock & Roll band The KillTones back at The Drinkery. It was the thing I had been waiting for all night; finally, a band with some fucking attitude. This was not only the four-piece Blues-infused band’s first time at MidPoint, but also their album release party. They knocked their really tight set out of the park. No no-hitter here.

The guitarist, Josh Pilot, was like a combination between Tony Iommi and Chuck Berry if they hung around Jack White a lot. The lead singer, Clinton Vearil, was about one of the most enigmatic frontmen you'll find, contorting and gyrating all over the tiny stage at The Drinkery. My favorite part of their set was a slow, bluesy song that really let Vearil’s vocal abilities shine, as he went from a mesmerizing high-pitched scream to a really soulful and sultry sound in the verses.

Although, this was definitely the best festival experience I have ever had, I only have two regrets. The first was that I was too tired to go see F. Stokes at the end of the night at the Blue Wisp. I know, I’m an idiot, but you can blame The KillTones for that; they wore me out. The second is that I didn’t have the money to buy The KillTones CD, which is consequently all I want to listen to at this moment. - CityBeat- Blake Hammond