Not Your Average Kids from the Streets
It all started four years ago on a cold winter day. As Matt Messina sat on a wooden chair, he rested a loose-leaf paper on the floor next to his feet. While he stared at the ragged sheet of lyrics written with three different kinds of ink, he began to play his guitar. Those three minutes would determine the rest of his life.
When asked how it all started Matt replies, “fate.” Something he calls “The Universal energy, everything just came together.” Matt is the singer-slash-magician of the four-member rock-n-roll band, Streetkind, a name that originated from Enrique Margulis Graffiti tag in 1983. The group includes bass player Roberto Castillo, drummer Daniel Wills and guitarist Jacin Nagau.
The Miami based quartet have an uncanny chemistry when it comes to creating music. Wherever the vibe is in terms of new ideas, the group has an amazing ability to think outside the box and do something original and different allowing their style of music to grow an edge. Drummer Daniel says, “Everything has been done before over and over again, but bottom line our music sounds new and fresh and it’s exciting. It’s always a new project.”
Apart from having great chemistry the group seem to have a refreshing sense of humor. After I handed Matt a water bottle I saw him struggle as he tried to open the bottle. “You twist,” I said. “I am twisting, its just not shouting.” he replied. He continued his slapstick humor after I asked, “Where are you from?” He cleverly replied, “I came from a women’s vagina, just like you did. I wasn’t spontaneously formed but sometimes I think that,” his band member Daniel strikes back saying, “My mother is still a virgin so, I’m still confused.” Matt responds, “So am I. Well at least one part of me is.”
It’s obvious after speaking with them for a couple of minutes these guys are quite sharp, laid back and open-minded. The lifestyles they live are very apparent when you listen to their music. It’s based around the urban culture, legalization of marijuana and the urban style of life that seems very relevant right now. Drummer Daniel says, “We have a new sense of thinking and a new way of doing things.” To get a glimpse of what he is referring to you can check out their new album, Medicine Man, coming out sometime in the next couple of months. They tell us the album is very reflective of the lifestyles they live and the vibes they put out to the Universe.
When it comes to their music, take them as they are or leave them. They are definitely no cookie-cutter band who is willing to conform to your standards. Matt says, “It’s very important for us that every show we play has a sense of “coolness” because we are not trying to sell anything to anyone that doesn’t want to be sold.”
If you missed their performance at this weekends Miami Board Up, you can see them on May 23 at the Playboy Mansion in LA, The American Airlines Arena in Miami opening for Jay-Z on June 26, once a month at the Florida Room at the Delano on Collins Ave. in Miami Beach, or visit their website www.streetkind.com.
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