Bands Through Town
Exploring the Nostalgic ’90s DIY Aesthetic with Lawrence's LYXE
BY: Lauren Textor
photo: Cory Weaver
LYXE is a three-piece alt/indie rock band formed in Lawrence, Kan., in 2019 by Ryan Wise (lead vocalist/guitarist), AJ Knudson (bassist) and Jimmy Girod (drummer/backing vocals). The trio’s latest single, “Hard to Talk,” embodies the soundscape of the movie Clueless with a mix of reflective lyrics and a righteous beat.
Their chill vibe extends to their tour style as well. They show-swap with other bands, crash on friends’ floors, and haul their gear in a trailer attached to Girod’s Jeep—a recent upgrade from a van that couldn’t fit his drum kit. Girod was relegated to borrowing the drum sets from other acts.
“It was nice of the bands to allow me to backline it and use their drum set, but I was playing a different instrument every single night,” Girod said.
Despite the added challenge, he’s grateful for the opportunity that switching up kits provided. “That actually made me better as a drummer in a lot of ways, because I learned how to just make do with what I had available.”
The band organizes weekend trips to play venues across the Midwest since the members work full-time jobs. Often, these gigs are in small or mid-sized cities, which don’t usually have big, flashy
concert halls.
“The DIY places—you walk in, and you’re like, ‘Oh, crap, it smells like mold,’ or ‘I don’t know about this P.A. system,” Knudson said.
“But then it turns out to be the best time because it’s usually a smaller town, like Hayes or Joplin, or one of those places where people don’t have much to do. When you show up, you’re the town event.”
After a memorable summer show at Rock On Prairie Fest, LYXE is prioritizing live performances and more festival appearances.
They collaborated with local producer, director and editor Adriana Colina to film their festival submissions as well as their music video for the single “Ice Cream.”
The “Ice Cream” video opens with an instantly recognizable shot of a Kansas City institution: Winstead’s Steakburgers. From the blue vinyl booths to the classic glass dishes, it evokes a longing for lactose and simpler days. Plus, it’s a genuinely fun watch as the boys smash vanilla cones with a baseball bat over the chorus.
Their Midwest connections have served them well, but the boys hope their U.K. partnerships will help them grow even more. One of Knudson’s acquaintances recommended that the band
reach out to Aaron Casserly Stewart, a jazz vocalist who was part of three-time Grammy winners the Sounds of Blackness and formerly lived in Lawrence.
“We did a Zoom call at, like, six o’clock in the morning so Aaron could be on his lunch break. After the first call, he’s like, ‘Well, you guys are nice, and you’re not bullshitting me, and you’re from my town and so I’d love to work with you,’” Knudson recalled. “He basically told us how to become like an actual business. He showed us how to do writer splits…all the stuff on the business side that as a hobbyist playing music you wouldn’t even think of—or, at least, I didn’t.”
Then Stewart introduced them to British producer Jake Vertigo, who remastered their most popular song, “Wave.” It all fits in with LYXE’s dream of taking their music across the pond.
“Besides festivals, I think our ultimate goal is to get into the U.K. because we love U.K. music,” Knudson said.