Necktie Killer

It seems like any time would be a good time for a Necktie Killer revival. This is, after all, a band with lots of fans in Central Oregon. From 2007 to the end of 2014, NTK (as they were known) played somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 to 500 concerts, most of them locally, according to guitarist and vocalist Steve Miller.

The band played everywhere, from DIY punk shows and dive bars to festival stages. They even won the 2011 edition of Last Band Standing, a then-popular multiweek battle of the bands.

Indeed, any time should be a good time for a Necktie Killer revival. Except, of course, right now, when the highly transmissible delta variant of COVID-19 is driving record numbers of infections and hospitalizations in the region.

So NTK’s triumphant show, scheduled for Friday night, is being postponed. The venue, Volcanic Theatre Pub, is closing for a couple weeks because, said owner Derek Sitter, “any gathering is stupid” at this time.

The band is working to reschedule for a future date, said guitarist and vocalist Steve Miller.

But that rescheduling doesn’t change the fact that NTK is officially back. The band hasn’t yet filled in its horn positions, but they have time to do that. This isn’t a one-off, Miller said: “We’re looking forward to playing more shows!”

Shows are where NTK has always excelled. Formed in the mid-2000s out of the ashes of other bands, Miller and a handful of high school friends and friends of friends started out playing ska music laced with elements of punk, funk and dub. The original lineup included saxophone, trombone and trumpet, and the new band was heavily influenced by third-wave ska bands such as Reel Big Fish, Five Iron Frenzy, Supervillainz and the Mad Caddies.

“Bands with horns and heavy distortion really rocked us, and we were all band geeks so that was a big part of the sound we were going for,” Miller said. “As the band evolved, we started bringing in much heavier elements including thrash punk/metal and heavy rock, as well as reggae stylings to the mix.”

That mix fueled a lot of fun NTK shows over the years, but by the end of 2014, the band had cycled through 23 different members, Miller said, and some of those who had been committed to the cause started focusing more on their careers or their family life. Soon after, NTK fizzled out.

Fast forward to 2020, when Miller called up former NTK drummer Tanner Willhite and invited him to jam. Before they knew it, they were playing old NTK songs and calling their old buddy Buck Shearer to see if he’d come play guitar again. (New-to-the-area bassist Darcy Erickson rounds out the band’s current lineup.)

With their new fearsome foursome ready to rock, Necktie Killer intends to fill a raucous niche in the local scene — as soon as COVID-19’s status in Central Oregon allows them to do so.

“I’ve watched the music scene shift and change a lot since we broke up,” Miller said. “Some obviously phenomenal talent exists here but there has been, in my opinion, a serious lack of those high-energy shows we had been known for.”

Necktie Killer and No Cash Value: Friday night show postponed, to be rescheduled as soon as possible. Watch the Necktie Killer page on Facebook and volcanictheatre.com for the announcement of a new date.