From being booted out of local bars for being too rowdy to being stopped mid-set at second-floor venues for fear of a cave in, there is never a dull moment for Kissing the Klepto. Based just outside of Philadelphia, Kissing The Klepto is a pop-punk band that blends together an enchanting mix of hard-hitting pop-punk hooks and engaging live shows that are sure to entertain. Their debut EP ‘Why Bother?’ was released in the spring of 2018 and captures much of the broad spectrum of emotions associated with young adult life in a crazy neighborhood. Serving as the flagship track, “Northern Philadelphia” carries an anthemic feel for anyone with fond (or not so fond) memories of dirty, grimy house shows. Using everything from blacklights and piñatas to masked body painters and confetti bombs, the three boys put nothing short of their whole hearts into creating something truly unique and leaving jaws on the floor.

Since the band’s debut release, the boys have fought through lineup changes, love and loss, and a heavy dose of “real life”, paving the way for a particularly relatable raw new energy to be reflected incoming works. At the end of the day, it is all about having fun, and the Kissing the Klepto crew is looking forward to getting in even more faces and receiving more noise complaints in 2019.

Q: Kissing The Klepto is a band name that sounds like it has a story behind it. So, what is the story?

A: A lot of times we like to tell people it comes from a place intrinsic and deep meaning like we’re breaking down society’s romanticism and glorification of vices or something like that. Truth is we were sitting around starting a band that was a joke at the time and said: “Kissing the Klepto would be kinda funny” and it just stuck. It actually literally means nothing.

Q: What is new with your band? Can you tell me anything about new music in the works?

A: We actually just started recording a few tracks for a new release with our friend Derek from Send Request and Unity Entertainment. So far the experience has been 10% music and 90% Ramen and Taco Bell, but hey Rome wasn’t built in a day. The stuff we’re currently working on definitely hits closer to home with us emotionally, but we’re not about to let that get in the way of a Gordita.

Q: Just to get a better idea of who you guys are, which cartoon characters best fit the members of the band?

A: It’s funny you bring that up because we actually just figured this out about two weeks ago. Prof is a strange mixture or Shrek and Jason Momoa, Nate (while not a cartoon character) is Ryan Howard from the Office, and Brian is Anthony Bonfiglio from F is for Family. There’s a picture on our Facebook so you can really see this for what it is.

Q: Do you guys have any upcoming shows that you can tell me about?

A: We’re coming back to Philly for the first time this year on February 15th at The Root Cellar. It’s right after Valentine’s Day so don’t show up unless you have clearance chocolates. We’re also playing at Boontunes in none other than Boonton New Jersey on March 1st. You can bring chocolate to that too.

Q: Speaking of shows, what is the craziest thing you guys have ever done on stage?

A: Oh man, that’s a tough one. A ways back we broke a bunch of glow sticks in half during a song and dumped the insides all over ourselves. It was super cool, but our respective skins thought otherwise. A few months later we had people walk out mid-set wearing hoods and animal masks and smear body paint all over us while we played. We also got our sound cut mid-set because too many people were jumping and the floor was caving in. The venue was upstairs. Weird night.

Q: What is the local music scene in Philadelphia like? What do you love about your fans there?

A: The Philly scene can be very tricky. There are so many different venues and talented bands, not to mention big acts that are always coming through that it’s always a gamble as to who you could be competing with for draw. We love anybody who’s willing to get down with what we’re doing, no matter where you’re from. That said, we have had the privilege of being escorted out of some of the greater Philadelphia area’s finest venues for being too rowdy, so current that is unique to the PHL.

Q: Will you tell me a story about something fun, funny, or weird that has happened at a local show?

A: So we play Africa by Toto (for the record we covered that way before Weezer and we have challenged Rivers Cuomo to a fist fight, ask for screenshots). We had a show a few months back with a bunch of friends and said if you know the words come sing it. Every single person that came up and took our mics didn’t actually know the words and spent half the song googling them. There wasn’t much lyrical content that time around.

Q: There is a video on the band’s Facebook page of one of the members eating a bowl of ice cream. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Do you prefer any toppings? How do you feel about frozen yogurt?

A: Prof was eating a bowl of ice cream at a Chinese Buffet and his brain kinda just broke and started staring into space. That may have been the only time we’ve ever eaten ice cream together, so I feel like some more field research is required before we can provide an answer that rings true from our hearts. That said, froyo slaps super super hard.

Q: Recently on Twitter, the band Handguns said that the new official food of pop-punk is tacos instead of pizza. What is your take on that issue?

A: We really like handguns, they’re PA boys like us and are super cool, but with all due respect this isn’t new guys. We’ve been ringing up taco party packs and Baja blasts after shows since Obama was in office. We got more fuego sauce in our cars than you shake a stick at. Really glad we’re on the same page though. Also @Taco Bell we definitely would not hate a feed the beat sponsorship, I know you guys were worried about that.

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