The Dead Americans

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The Dead Americans' sound is diverse—inspired by but not limited to punk rock, country, indie, progressive rock and ska. Drawing inspiration from punk-legends like X and the Plasmatics, the Eugene five-piece mixes social commentary and performance art with plain old in-your-face rock'n'roll. But whatever genre they dabble in (don't count out spoken word), the Dead Americans are known for shreddin' it live — aiming to smash the state while getting you to shake your ass.
Leading the group since 2005 is sultry and seductive chanteuse Kyra Kelly (a self-proclaimed art freak/feminist/punk-rock-poetess). She could easily stalk the arty New York stages of the '70s and '80s with Patti Smith, Lydia Lunch and Nina Hagen — or front a '90s northwest riot grrrl group like Bikini Kill. Backing her up on vocals and guitar is Zak Johnson — his flat monotone recalls indie-rock greats Calvin Johnson or Jonathan Richman, but his always-crunchy power chords are pure Northwest grunge.
On top of it all is a tight and aggressive rhythm section, never letting you forget that good punk rock should be for, of and about the people.