With a sound like Keila Myles & The Moose Knuckles’, you’re never sure of exactly what you’ll get. Within minutes, the band transitions from a lo-fi, jazzy riff on the keys to deep, near-guttural cries from lead singer Myles that merges with a solo from an electric guitar.
“We are going to constantly oscillate between punk, edgy, hardcore, screaming-in-your-face thrashing, and then soft, soulful, melodic,” Myles said. “There's no middle ground. And that's just how I am.”
The chance to showcase their range in genre performance was a major factor when the group decided to submit “Suite 21” as their entry for the NPR Tiny Desk Contest. Their submission was among more than 6,000 songs sent from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. to NPR, inspired by the original Tiny Desk series that hosts distinguished artists for intimate, technically stripped performances.
The entry also allows each member of the band — there are five total — to shine, said Tristan Sayah, the group’s guitarist. The combination of everyone’s individual spirit is what makes Keila Myles & The Moose Knuckles special, with Myles on vocals, Sayah on the guitar, Richard Kirby on keys, Betcherly Calixte ‘Bet’ on bass, and Jevonne Lashley ‘J’ as the drummer.
“I think energy is what connects us all, because we all have different kinds of energy… and [Keila] can do all these different styles of music. We’ll be in shows sometimes just doing a song. And we'll do it like we've never done it before,” Sayah said.
“She'll be like, ‘Okay, now let's do jazz. Now, let's bring it to rock.’ And that really opens up so many avenues for us sonically. I think that's what's been the secret ingredient. The band is all our different influences and energies coming together in this great kind of fusion.”
“Suite 21” makes a statement in both form and content. The subject matter of the song discusses sexual assault, which Myles said she experienced nearly a decade ago.
“It was at a really chaotic point… I didn't really have support. I couldn't really talk about it. So I'm like, going through this crazy experience, and I just feel isolated. I feel unsupported,” she said.
Myles said she processed her feelings the only way she knew how: by writing them out and turning them into music.
“I think it was just like a matter of time. I just feel like God sent the words to me like, ‘Girl, you need to get this out. Do it the way in which you know how: put it in music. And bury it that way.’”
Myles said she didn’t know then how people would react to the piece, and she still doesn’t attempt to predict what others will get out of it. But every time she performs the song at a show, she receives support.
“Recently, we had a show at Arch St. [Tavern] and a woman came up to me. She was like, ‘Thank you for “Suite 21.’ She gave me a hug and we were both on the verge of tears,” she recounted. “And it's not that I can articulate it – Does it make you feel better? Does it make you feel seen? Does it make you feel hurt? I don't know. But I just need you to feel me. That's it. Just feel what I'm saying.”
“Suite 21” has also received a warm reception from NPR. Last week, the band announced they had been chosen for the Tiny Desk “Top Shelf” series, in which artists who submitted for the contest are chosen as the judges’ top picks from the contest to be highlighted on NPR Music.
If the band were to win the contest, they’d get to host their very own Tiny Desk Concert at NPR’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. Then, they’d go on tour with NPR music throughout the upcoming summer.
The chance to play a Tiny Desk Concert and tour outside of the state would be an incredible opportunity, according to the band. They’ve played shows in New York and on the West Coast already, but most of their gigs remain in Connecticut. The music scene in the state can be difficult for original artists who make music outside of the expected, Myles said.
“I think Connecticut likes conservative art. They like art that is contained and quiet. We're definitely nothing like that. We're very loud, in your face, sometimes political,” she said.
“Grant-wise, I think it's still one of those things where we're just not even in the conversation for the most part.”
Richard Kirby is the pianist of the band. Growing up in Maryland, he brings a perspective from outside the state to the group.
“When I first moved to Hartford, Connecticut, what I was looking for was church musicians. And a couple of years ago, I started getting hip to the larger Hartford music scene, with a rich history of jazz, for example. But I did not know that there was this whole other scene of independent artists, like Keila.”
For those independent artists, Kirby said he realized there wasn’t as much support.
“I noticed that there wasn't much of an infrastructure in place, and especially in a city like Hartford, that supported artists… There’s a ceiling for sure,” he said. “In Connecticut, there's a desperate need for more venues that are just dedicated to music, more quality venues dedicated to music.”
Despite these challenges, according to the band, there’s no place like home, whether they’re playing at the Russell Restaurant in Hartford, or Toad’s Place in New Haven.
“That's the thing about Connecticut. Home is home — people pull up for us, they show out for us,” Myles said.
“There's never been a place that we've gone and we're not well received, ever. This is bulletproof, and we're not well received. This is 100% guaranteed, get-your-money-back product right here. Period.”
The winner of NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest will be announced on or about May 9. Here at WSHU, we had the chance to record our own acoustic set with Keila Myles & The Moose Knuckles, available below.
Updates and news on the band can be found here, and WSHU's NPR Tiny Desk Contest top pick from Long Island is here.
Sunday Baroque host Suzanne Bona spoke with NPR Music producer Tom Huizenga about some of his favorite classical music performances on Tiny Desk. It's part of the podcast Sunday Baroque Conversations.
