Frowning Hippies

Black Titans

There is much more than meets the eye with the members of Black Titan. I had the opportunity to sit town with two of it’s members. As they walked up the stairs I saw two people dressed in all black with vests that have patches all over them. After the interview I realized that they are more than the black vests and beards that you see. With members who are honest and real, Black Titan is a band to keep an eye out for. I was lucky enough to hear first hand how Black Titan comes up with the sound and create a certain atmosphere.

A big part of what makes Black Titan special is the fact that they are more of a family than a band. A big portion of their music is written for each other or performed for each other. Band member Allin Kilpatrick explains, “we started writing the songs for each other, like out of our personal experiences and some of the hardships we have been through and then our friends would kind of you know help us out and figure that emotion out”. They have a brotherly love for each other that you cannot find in other bands. Kilpatrick continues, “without one of us there is none of us…we all play every instrument we all write songs”. It’s teamwork. Meeting with them, you feel that they are a family and you are more than welcome to join that family. The Black Titan family is a community that extends past the band members.

Being part of the Black Titan community is different than any other fan base. This is on purpose. They wanted to be a band they grew up wanting to be. Kilpatrick expressed, “I wanted to include the audience and get everyone involved I want[ed] you to feel as much a part of this as we do…I wouldn’t do this without you, you wouldn’t do this without me”. While we attended their show we saw this sense of community as Kilpatrick would physically reach out to the audience and be one with them.

It takes special kinds of artists to acknowledge their fans and an even better one to be with the fans. A big reason the fans are one with the band is because of the music. Clayton Bates believes that the music is what makes people connect with the band so much. Bates points out, “that gut reaction that people have to hearing our music and seeing our shows makes them connect”. This band has a passion for life, music and friendship. These passions are not things you would expect to find in a band that consistently wears black.

When it comes to their style, there is not much thought that they put into it. They tend to wear things they wear everyday that explain who they are. The key to their character is the black vests that have patches all over them. Not all of their members wear them, but Bates is a fan. Bates claims, “I like the vest…I like it because it is kind of a representation of me…I kind of wear my personality…it’s a conversation piece”. This upfront attitude seems to be a reoccurring theme with Black Titan. You get what you see and then some.