Gray Joy, The Photoshoplifters, The Love Darts
11:11 Presents
Gray Joy, The Photoshoplifters, The Love Darts
Friday, January 3, 2019
Pub Station Taproom (2502 First Avenue North, Billings, MT 59101)
General Admission/All Ages
7PM Doors/8PM Show
$10 Advance/Day of Show
Tickets on sale now
Ticket price does not include Etix service fee(s). Service fees(s) vary by purchase method and are applied at checkout.
In 2014, Trevin Baker, Ty Sutton, and Conner Haman met in the Jazz Swing group at Castle Rock Middle School. With the end of the school year talent show approaching, the trio hastily prepared a few covers of popular rock songs to perform for their classmates. This was the first time that Billings’ pop-punk/emo staple Gray Joy took the stage, though at the time they went by the name “Silverbow Society.”
Over the course of the summer, the three piece added a fourth member in the form of Trevin’s older brother Kaydin, and the group would meet up regularly to jam and cover their favorite songs. As they began to write original material, the band scored their first legitimate gig in an unexpected place: The First Annual Montana Fashion Week. This would be the first in a series of odd gigs that took place throughout the following year, including a fundraiser, a school dance, and a few days at the Montana State Fair. The more the boys performed, the more they began to craft their own brand of alternative rock and pop-punk, with their first real entry into the music scene occurring in the fall of 2015 with an opening slot at the Pub Station for Billings’ locals Engage the Unseen. With that, the four piece dived headfirst into the music scene, sharing the stage with local band and touring group alike, all while writing the songs that would form their first EP, “The Giant Benevolent Lizard.” Produced by Matt Ryan and released in the fall of 2016, this five-song EP showcased the band’s knack for incorporating slick guitar licks and sharp lyrics with melodic, sing-a-long choruses. The band would go on to perform this EP in full at the annual Magic City Music Awards, where they would take 2nd place in the “Best Punk Act” category.
During this time, bassist Kaydin Baker graduated high school and left the band graciously to pursue other life goals. Longtime friend of the band Caleb Haynes would take the reigns as the new bassist, wherein the band would start to come into its own instrumentally.
Throughout the following two years, the band would go on to perform with national touring acts like Righteous Vendetta, Nonpoint, and Jeff Angell’s Staticland. Additionally, they proceeded to win the Battle of the Bands of December 2016 as well as “Best Punk Act” two years in a row. In the spring of 2018, the group released their single “Halves of a Map.” For those who had followed the band thus far, the progression was clear. The catchier, melodic side of the band was still present, but the songwriting had grown more ambitious with more complex instrumentation, conscious lyrics, and aggressive production.
As the summer of 2019 began, the group changed their name from the cumbersome “Silverbow Society” to “Gray Joy,” a more succinct and fitting title to put their music under. Before embarking on their first tour in August, they released the EP “The People We Grew Up With.” This four-track project reflects on the familiar pains of growing up and growing apart from friends and family, blending in elements of emo and post-hardcore previously unheard in the band’s sound.
Now, with exciting plans underway, Gray Joy is kicking off 2020 with their first headlining show at Billings’ favorite venue. They will be joined by their good friends in The Love Darts (Bozeman) and the Photoshoplifters.
Tickets available at thepubstation.com, Pub Station Box Office (2502 First Avenue North), or by calling (919) 653 - 0443
Dates and Times
- Friday, January 3, 2020 – 7:00 PM
