July 12, 2018

Meet Brandon Kellum of American Standards in Central Phoenix

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Kellum.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My skill has never been being the most talented guy in the room, it’s always been being the most determined. I was the one who could bring people together for a common goal.

When I first started a band in high school, I had no experience in playing music. It was the year 2000 and my friend had just got a drum set. On a whim I said I’d pick up a guitar and sing. I’m sure at that point, I didn’t know more than 4 chords and it would have been complete luck if the guitar (or my voice) was in tune.

Soon after we were recruiting other musicians from school and started playing gigs around the valley. We were young, so a lot of the places that asked us to play would only let us in the venue long enough to do our set. We’d then have to leave after because of the bar. We were also getting put on these random battle of the bands and showcases where no artists were getting paid and it really seemed like no one was there to support anyone other than the one band they came to see.

Almost out of necessity I started to realize that we needed to be the ones booking our own shows. That’s when I and one of the guys dove head first into the DIY aspects of the music scene. We’d find these spots that would let us put on shows after hours and work door split deals where we could do payouts for all the bands.

Getting more into that allowed us to start expanding what we were learning to booking tours for our own band. We started by doing regional weekend warrior runs then moved on to weeks at a time across the US. This is all before smart phones and Facebook, so we literally had a folder full of tour contacts and map quest directions printed out.

After several years of music being “the dream”, the initial group of band members were getting burnt out. We were all in our mid 20s by this point and priories were changing. I decided to pick up a more stable job back home and take some time away from music but it didn’t last long.

In 2011, Cody Conrad reached out to me. We had both been in bands and knew of each other but neither one of us were looking to do anything too seriously with music again. We decided to start AMERICAN STANDARDS as a way to write some songs and thought we’d just do a local show here a there. Another big part of it was rather then struggling to make a few bucks for ourselves, to put a focus on playing charity shows and releasing music supporting causes that we believed in.

What was originally a fun side project quickly grew into something more. Fast forward to today and although some of the members have changed and we’ve had our fair share of adversity, AMERICAN STANDARDS used that initial determination to play over 500 shows with several of the bands that we looked up to as kids, release 4 albums and be featured on the magazines that we grew up reading.

Has it been a smooth road?
It’s always been a constant process of trial and error with several ups and downs along the way. Whether it be losing members or adapting to the always changing music industry, I’ve always tried to keep a step ahead of the game by thinking of what’s next. Keeping a big picture in mind while celebrating small successes allows me to stay optimistic.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
American Standards is a punk infused metal band from Phoenix, Arizona. The band is known for its socio-political lyrics and high energy live shows. It’s also known for its dedication to the local community, in which it host charity shows and releases compilation albums for.

American Standards has shared the state with bands such as Atreyu, Emery, Zao, Norma Jean and Every Time I Die. The band has also been featured on Alternative Press, Decibel Magazine, Revolver Magazine and Lambgoat.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Phoenix is a great place for musicians to start. We have an abundance of bands, promoters and venues so it’s never hard to find what you need. Sometimes that same surplus causes over saturation though. Any given night there is multiple concerts in almost every genre. To succeed, artists really need to focus on creating a unique experience and building a community around it.

Pricing:

Contact Info:

Website: https://fanlink.to/americanstandards
Email: motionmanagementaz@gmail.com
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/AmericanStandards
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AmericanStandards
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/americanstndrds

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.