Aiming Arrows merge genres for an alt-rock tone all their own
The math-metal injected group takes the stage at Westport Bowery tonight.
Courtesy Aiming Arrows
Kansas City alternative rock band Aiming Arrows formed two-and-a-half years ago after Jared Johnson, Alec Stockman, Emilio Estrada, and Jacob Newland’s respective bands split during COVID.
They loosely define themselves as “alternative rock” because they don’t want to be boxed in.
“We really wanted something that was really authentic and not trying to be the cool guys or anything, and just kind of be ourselves and make songs that were indicative of that,” says Johnson, the band’s vocalist, who also plays guitar.
They list inspirations as Jimmy Eat World, Incubus, and Thrice—three wildly different bands that rose to popularity in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. Johnson says that he and his bandmates are inspired by their varying backgrounds, with bassist Newland having a background in math rock and other members of the band having played in metal bands previously.
They released their first song, “Promises,” in August of 2022, with an accompanying music video. Since then, they’ve released seven singles—the most recent being “Tides.” While the music video for “Tides” is lighthearted, entailing the band members shooting water guns at each other, the subject of the song is anything but. It’s a song about the effects anxiety.
Initially, “Tides” was a slower track, and they ended up deciding to rewrite it. Their most streamed single so far, “No Better Time,” a song about existential dread and regret, followed a similar writing process.
“I think the process that we went through to make it is indicative of how it was received,” Johnson says.
Johnson plays a large role in the songwriting process and is the band’s frontman. But he says it took a lot of work to get to that point.
“I didn’t grow up as a frontman or anything like that,” he says. “I was always a guitar player first.”
Courtesy Aiming Arrows
He and his bandmates like to keep things lighthearted onstage, with a great deal of self-deprecating humor. Johnson says it’s true to who they are and he doesn’t think they’d come across as authentic if they tried any other stage personality.
Aiming Arrows has played at several venues around KC, including the Rino and recordBar. Their next show is on Dec. 7 at the Westport Bowery [817 Westport Road, inside Westport Flea Market].
In fact, one of their most memorable performances was their previous show at the Bowery in Nov. 2023, which they headlined with their friends The Stacys and The Long Drive. Not only was the show itself a blast for the band, but they created a Boy Meets World-esque theme song with the other bands to promote the show ahead of time.
While the band hasn’t ventured outside of KC yet for shows, they hope to possible play shows in cities within a few hours’ drive over weekends. As for new music, they’re working on a new single, and plan to keep releasing singles rather than releasing a full-length EP or album.
“It’s our opinion that the best way for a band to grow nowadays is putting out consistent singles,” Johnson says.
With so many people solely consuming music via streaming, this philosophy can’t be too far from the truth.
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