Biography
Emerging from the remnants of Memphis band the Barbaras—which issued a lone single on Goner Records in 2008 before dissolving—the Magic Kids coalesced in 2009 when Bennett Foster (vocals, guitar) and Will McElroy (keyboard) linked with Ben Bauermeister (drums), Michael Peery (bass, vocals), and Alex Gates (guitar, vocals). Regularly augmented live by vocalist/violinist Alice Buchanan, the ensemble’s buoyant performances and material recalling the brightest, most buoyant cuts from the Beach Boys, Herman’s Hermits, and the Apples in Stereo quickly built a devoted audience. Their guileless sensibility and devotion to Phil Spector and girl-group textures further distanced them from conventional Memphis acts. This divergence may explain why, after issuing the late-2009 Goner single “Hey Boy”/“Good to Be” and a 2010 split single with Smith Westerns on Fat Possum, they secured a deal with New York’s True Panther and commenced album sessions. Memphis appeared in August 2010, its tracks performed by the core quintet plus contributions from an array of the band’s associates.
Albums
