Introducing: Kutthroat
By Darian Kiener, Editorial Assistant
Dane Cannady (18), Elijah Cascio (15), Seth Via (18), Tobias Cascio (16)
When I heard of the band Kutthroat, I knew that they would be an interesting group to talk to, given both their age and their success. They seemed like an anomaly; because of that, I was excited to immerse myself into the culture of their band.What I did not expect was to walk into a band practice that is just as coordinated as you would expect professionals to be. They had fun, joked around and created an environment that was inviting for all the band members to participate in the sharing of ideas related to songs and how they should progress beyond the local scene. They were both excited for the interview and more than willing to share their thoughts and inspirations, but they were also focused on what they needed to do to improve both their sound and stage presence. That focus on improvement set the tone of the interview and the direction of their band as a whole. They are active and committed to their music. Seth Via, the band’s drummer, said, “we can only go up from here.” However, based on my time with them, they already present themselves as rock stars. Should they stay on their current trajectory, I’m sure the public and the music industry will agree.
The members of Kutthroat are inspired by the music of the 1990’s and early 2000’s with a focus on grunge, thrash, and groove metal incorporated into all their songs to create a distinct yet familiar sound. Seth has a plethora of drummers he is inspired by, such as Lars Ulrich of Metallica, the Rev from Avenged Sevenfold, Dave Lombardo of Slayer, and Brooks Wackerman of Avenged Sevenfold. Dane’s sound and playstyle is heavily inspired by Zakk Wild, founder of the band Black Label society and lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne. Tobias, like Dane, is inspired by Zakk Wild, but also Dimebag Darrel of Pantera and Damageplan, and Mark Morton of Lamb of God. Elijah finds inspiration in the music he listens to, saying “It comes in phases,” with the likes of Les Claypool of Primus and Rex Brown of Pantera, being the first he mentioned. This variety of different inspirations collides to create a distinct sound that honors their musical inspirations and combines them into something truly beautiful.
Dane Cannady (18), the lead vocalist and guitarist, has been working on perfecting his craft for a few years now. When asked about how their original songs come to be, he said: “I come to the band with a song idea, they go through it together, they look at how Seth [Via (18)] can add drums to it, clean it up, then add bass [through Elijah], and then we figure out how the structure of the song comes together; and once we are there, I will start writing a melody and putting vocals to it. After that we can start jamming to it as a full song.” This inclusive process can take between a single day to create, such as their songs “Gray” and “Too Close,” while others that can take upwards of a month, such as their song “Unmarked.” But when considering the timescales that go into the creative process as a whole, one can be easily impressed when realizing this collaborative effort appears to happen seamlessly and effectively, even when under pressure.
When asked about their first headlining show at Local 506 in Chapel Hill, they revealed that when they had booked it, they only had two songs completed and ready for their set list. They then had 6 weeks to produce enough music to last a whole hour and a half set. They conquered this seemingly insurmountable deadline, resulting in what they deemed to be a very successful first showing. They have had quite a few shows since then and continue to plan more.
When I asked what their aspirations were, they said that their dream is to take their band “As far as it can go.” And they have plans to make that happen. In the next six months, they plan on focusing on their performance, becoming better showmen and tighter on their timings during live performances. They also want to incorporate light and fog effects to their performances. Their goal is to be on tour within two years, and they are well on their way– they are already booking headlining shows with other local bands around the Triangle area. This navigation of the local music scene, and opening for bigger bands like Lines of Loyalty, puts them not only on the local map, but also on the map of those in the industry.
When I asked about how it was opening with bigger bands, Seth said “It was awesome. [Lines of Loyalty] were very nice, they all had good things to say.” The members of Lines of Loyalty are excited to tour with Kutthroat in the future.
I am excited to continue to follow these guys as they progress as a band, and I can’t wait to see where they end up. Be sure to catch them performing live in the Triangle!
You can follow Kutthroat and the band members on Instagram:
@Kutthroatband
@seth_via
@elijah.cascio
You can also follow their photographer, Teresa Tomas, on Instagram:
@teresatomasphotography
Darian Kiener is an author and poet from Wake Forest, NC who joined The Wake Forest Review team in January 2024 as an Editorial Assistant. He graduated in December of 2023 with a B.A in English from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. His writing has been featured in The Coraddi Fine Arts Magazine, Atlantis Creative Magazine, and The Wake Forest Review, along with a few others. In his free time, he enjoys watching and playing hockey, reading, cooking and learning. Some of his interests include astronomy, history, and philosophy. He has high hopes to get accepted into graduate school to study post-modern literature and poetry.