Keepin' 6 keep coming back to Windsor
By Cristina Naccarato
Lance Writer
September 10, 2008
 Keepin’ 6 are no strangers to the Windsor punk/ska scene. These Mississauga natives have been playing in our city since 2004. Their high energy, dance party shows make it clear as to why their Windsor fan base keeps growing and growing.
In 2007, Keepin’ 6 released their debut album, Uncensored, which received great reviews and got their name out internationally.
They also recently released a music video for “LT (Stop Tellin’ Me Lies)” that has been playing on MuchMusic and The Punk Show, getting them even more attention in the punk/ska community.
Lead singer Bryan Hotchkiss tells The Lance, “We’ve definitely been gaining more and more fans and in a wider range. We just released the Uncensored album in Japan this past May and we were able to pre-sell over a hundred copies before it was even released. We have fans in Europe on our MySpace ... it’s starting to grow … slow but steady.”
In the future, they hope to get out of Canada and tour Europe and Asia and continue to increase their fan base worldwide.
The boys in Keepin’ 6 met in 1991 where they were in a split class in grade school together. They all listened to a wide range of music that influenced them in different ways.
“It just came together. We always wanted to push for the punk/ska sounds, but we all have a wide range of genres that we incorporate into our music as well. The most dominant would be punk ska … that would be the most recognizable. It’s always been the same feel, we were a bit different when we started off but we have evolved into what we are now,” said Hotchkiss.
Their sound’s influence is all over the map from Operation Ivy to Bad Religion to Rage Against the Machine, yet they manage to pull it all together and create fun, fast-paced, catchy punk/ska.
Keepin’ 6 shows are an experience of their own. If you’re looking for a night of dancing and sing-alongs, a Keepin’ 6 show is worth checking out. Hotchkiss, when asked what his favorite part about reforming, said that it’s “the energy, if people are digging it, more power to them. We feed off the energy of the crowd, if they’re getting into it, we’ll definitely be getting more into it. Just interacting with the fans and meeting new people from new cities is always nice. People can expect a nice raw high energy set, good punk/ska.”
In the upcoming months, Keepin’ 6 are going to be touring with Montreal based, ska/reggae band, One Night Band. They also have plans for more videos and another album that is currently in the works. They are still writing, but have new songs that are on the go right now.
Keepin’ 6 will be playing at the Loop on Sunday, Sept. 13 as a part of the Harvesting the FAM festival, which mostly features Windsor talent, but since Keepin’ 6 has played such a vital role within our music scene, it’s only natural that we would have these punk/ska veterans show us some fun once again.
For more information about Keepin’ 6, visit them online at: http://www.myspace.com/keepin6/.
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