In the SCP world lore, an XK class is referred to as such: ‘End of the World Scenario is an event where something causes the end of the world, galaxy, universe, or even reality itself.‘ In the musical world, and perhaps the Everything Is Noise world as of today, XK Scenario is referring to this week’s Weekly Featured Artist. Even with some obvious and not-so-obvious distinctions to be made there, one thing does seem fitting about the metaphor of their name – the music this band creates has an apocalypse-inducing level of energy and passion found within it. Them being a band I’ve had the pleasure of seeing perform live a couple times in the past few months, it only felt right to highlight their creative prowess, and try to give some level of comprehension to their explosive, high-voltage, unpredictable twists and turns both recorded and live. So here we go!
With show flyers and social media posts dating back as far as 2015, XK Scenario hold a decade-long tenure as a project, having all met as high school friends whose passions and interests aligned with just enough correlation to make it all work. Even where their reasons for beginning the project may have altered or matured in their own ways, the passion has always remained palpable within the band’s sound and style. Although I couldn’t speak personally for how the band compares now to what they were in their earliest endeavors, based on the two times I had the pleasure of witnessing them live, it is clear these guys are in it for real – no part of what they do with the band is without some level of meaning, even if only for themselves. Speaking with vocalist, lyricist, and general visionary Kaleab Elias, as well as versatile, well-seasoned guitarist Alex Menick, it became more and more clear that the group operates with a genuine goal to push whatever boundaries necessary to get their point across, while challenging whatever ears are willing to listen.
Kaleab: ‘XK Scenario is a progressive rock, hip-hop, punk, funk, and jazz influenced group making music to break people out of their personas so that the true authentic versions of themselves can come out. We do this by playing wild-ass music that other people wouldn’t have the ability to play, and we do it while going in harder and looking better than anyone else. We all went to the same high school. The other guys wanted to express themselves through music, while I wanted to find a way to get some hoes. Sadly, the hoes weren’t/still aren’t fans of the music we were/are making. So eventually the only thing that kept/keeps us going at the beginning/present was/is our desire to make great music with each other, and find a way to cope with the trauma of not getting girls while being in a band.‘
Describing themselves as ‘prog-hop‘, their sound blends an encompassed spectrum of funk, jazz, rock, noise, punk, hip-hop, prog, and perhaps even what one might consider mathcore. As much as I could probably compare different elements of their songs to other bands in one way or another, at least on sound, I have to hand it to them – I absolutely have never heard anything quite like them before. Comparisons just wouldn’t even do it justice, truly, but what I can say is that even on the less-distorted, cleaner tracks, the aggressive, heart-felt tone of the lyricism remains brick solid. Take for instance their latest, “As it Flies (The Time We’ve Lost)”, which hits like an esoteric diss-track to perhaps an ex-love interest, partner, friend, family member, or who-knows-whom; the track delivers a groovy, catchy, well-composed synergy between piano, acoustic guitar, drums, and bass, building a subtle tension from start to finish, all while Kaleab goes to town telling an unnamed person just how royally they’ve wronged him. One might hear this brief, yet impactful track and think they have XK Scenario all summed up, but you’d be oh so wrong.
Once you switch over to their 2019 collection of demos, The Art of Attrition, you’re hit with songs such as “Salt in the Womb”, which presents a much wider stretch of styles and energies that feel like a sonic whirlwind. From alternative, rock, punk, hip-hop, funk sounds, to noisy, mathy, abrasive passages, this is only one of eleven powerful tracks that will ensure your attention is never once lost. The track that follows, “Drained and Deranged”, carries this sort of hype on, even if a little more straight-forward. The track’s tempo slowly ramping up from start to finish provides resemblance to a slow-building adrenaline rush, that results in a mosh-worthy punk anthem not without its groove factor as well. The entire record showcases some of the finest talents of the band, and will likely keep anyone interested with experimental music that rides off the rails wanting more.
With so much packaged in one place, one has to wonder what would inspire this level of sonic venturing. Typically speaking, you’d likely guess a myriad of sources would be behind the conception of each track, and while that doesn’t appear to be untrue for XK Scenario, their age has more or less caused them to focus more on writing from the perspective given after certain life experiences or traumatic events that they feel are best dealt with by way of songwriting. More evidence to their music being of a focused, visceral nature and origin, guitarist Alex Menick describes both their inspirations and typically what their songwriting process looks like.
Alex: ‘When we were younger it was mainly just being influenced by our favorite bands or wanting to impress people. Now that we’re older, it’s grown to whatever traumatic events we’ve experienced in our lives. Right now, it [songwriting] starts with us sitting in my basement ‘studio’ and talking shit about music that we don’t like. From there, we start with a fragment of something that we create that we do like, whether it’s a drum beat, a guitar riff or a keyboard progression. We’ll quickly figure out a concept of where the song should go and what it should represent, and then it’s just hours/days/months of trying to figure it out.‘
Making the process sound a bit more simplistic than the result turns out (as far as complexity in versatility, anyhow), or perhaps more simplistic than the actual realization of each of those steps may consistently be, Alex reveals that thinking through the ‘what do we want vs. what do we not want’ factor at the very beginning works as a good building block for crafting the final product. Like different pieces building on one another, each element of the band’s chemistry clearly works perfectly. But while it seems natural for them, especially at this current stature, Alex goes on to tell how particularly meticulous the group can be with their formula for songwriting as well.
Alex: ‘From a writing perspective, everything we do is scrupulously thought out. We’ll spend months trying to figure out one song because oftentimes it feels like an elusive code that we gotta crack. By the time the song is done, we have a certain confidence in it so we’re able to fuck around with it a lot live and just loose on it. I think that’s what gives us that chaotic-but-organized feeling.‘
When asking about plans for any upcoming albums or releases, the band mentioned that their current work hasn’t quite been exactly where they’d prefer it to be. Despite some heated disputes they mentioned having with management, however, they do intend to release a new EP in the coming months. While I’m not sure exactly if they were referring to their currently released music being fully to their satisfaction in terms of production, or just the currently unreleased material, we are always our own worst critics, for better or worse. Being a band that focuses so heavily on every piece of what goes into their creations, it makes plenty sense that they would always strive for the best possible result, if not better; but as Kaleab tells me, sometimes you wind up throwing your hands up and just ‘going with it’ in order to keep other parts of the project, or perhaps others involved, happy enough to stay along for the ride.
Kaleab: ‘We think the album sucks compared to what it could be. (hint) Our manager has been chewing us out for months to release new music and we’ve been arguing with him to the point where he’s threatened to leave us. So like any abusive relationship, we ended up caving in to his ultimatum and are in the process of finishing up an E.P. that will be coming out this year. It has some stuff that the very few fans we have will not be expecting from a band that sounds like us. So, we’re really excited about getting that out.‘
When asking about tour plans, favorite live shows they’ve done, or perhaps least favorite live experiences, the band had a few different responses to give. Sadly, no immediate tour plans were disclosed, but it appears they’re absolutely open to opportunities, be them local or more widespread. As Alex notes, ‘Until a bigger band finally builds up the cojones and wants us to open/tour with them, it’s just playing all kinds of local shows around the DMV and venturing out to neighboring states.‘ Moreover, the same level of energy the band projects does seem to be reciprocated wherever they play live, so to see them do longer tours in more territories would, I believe, serve to expand their crowd all the more. Alex notes that their best shows typically entail those times the crowd gives it right back.
Alex: ‘Best [show]: In early March of 2020, we played a house show packed with over 100 people only a few days before the world shut down. The energy of our crowd that night hasn’t been surpassed since – it felt like everyone already knew it’d be the last time they could go to a show for a long time, so everyone went coo coo for cocopuffs. Worst [show]: Any show that we’ve ever played in NYC.’
With a project that covers so much sonic exploration in a matter of (generally) five minutes or less, song to song, it’s hard to know how it’ll ever get received; XK Scenario taking to each stage with the strong sense of confidence they do is likely one of a few different points that help magnetize familiar fans and newcomers alike to what they do. While it can likely be easily picked up in listening to their recorded material, I think discovering them via live performance was a great way for me to become aware of the band. Each member has a real unique way of leaving no question to how important what they do is to them, whether it be the way Kaleab interacts with the crowd, Alex flails, flings, and even slams his guitar across the stage, or the full-on onslaught of fills, variety in playing styles, and breakneck-speed of change-ups drummer Ryan West brings to the fold; it cannot be overstated that they do it because they mean it.
Kaleab: ‘Music is how we can speak to everyone. People express themselves through their speech, their mannerisms, their visual presentation, etc. But sometimes it can feel as though those aren’t enough. Music is the megaphone of the soul. If you play it loud enough, and proud enough, it can’t be ignored. And for us the greatest part about playing our music is that we bear our hearts for everyone to see on stage. We don’t hide the things about ourselves that other people might be scared to show. We know that us expressing our truth doesn’t just feel good for us, it’s good for the people who see it too. When we see the hearts of the people in a crowd open up in response to us, we feel as if a divine mission is being accomplished. But I think the greatest thing above all, is when we get famous and get a lot of money.‘
Alex: ‘At this point, it’s really just what we’re best at in life. After you’ve put all this time and have sacrificed so much for it, it’s hard to discern a concrete meaning other than the fact that it’s what we’re meant to do. We’ve created something that no one else ever has, and nothing can take that away from us.‘
No matter what you may make of this band’s vision, it is one they are realizing each day all the same. Seeing the level of sincerity and expression in what they do, I felt compelled to share as much as I could about them here with you all today. I typically try to reserve doing WFA’s for acts that I either find myself incredibly impressed with in some way, or at the very least are doing something that I believe exceptionally reflects the human spirit and what it can be capable of. XK Scenario are one collective of seasoned musicians that go off the rails in some of the coolest ways possible, all while projecting from a genuine place of ‘this is what I have to say, and you’re gonna hear it‘, and above any other factor within anything done musically – that’s a concept I can always respect and get behind.
So as I close out this article, I hope that if nothing else, this band inspires and encourages you to do likewise; express yourself! Go out there and pursue your passion, and don’t worry too much of what that looks like or what ‘category’ it falls under. To create, to express, and to fulfill your passion is to be truly alive, and XK Scenario are making a bold statement to that. As such, you should absolutely find your way to their Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, and website to keep up with all news, releases, upcoming shows, and otherwise! For all newcomers, Kaleab has these likewise bold final words of welcome to say…
Kaleab: ‘It took y’all too long to catch up to us. But better late than never. We now have to apologize to y’all for the fact that y’all won’t be able to enjoy other bands as much anymore because we’ve set a new bar for y’all. We like people promoting for us so we don’t have to do the work ourselves, so y’all better evangelize about us as much as possible. If y’all wanna know more about us, then come talk to us…‘
XK Scenario is…
Kaleab Elias – vocals, lyrics, piano
Alex Menick – guitar, bass (studio)
Ryan West – drums
