The world of music is not an easy place to navigate, but the Baton Rouge-born band Karma and the Killjoys has thrived as an independent, self-made band. Karma and the Killjoys has gone from playing in the theaters and practice rooms of LSU to playing crowds of hundreds all across the state.
Karma and the Killjoys has four members: Rain Scott-Catoire, Sydni Myers, Thomas Vercher and Tim Marchand — all talented in their own rights and all lending their talents to the machine that is their band.
They have two albums: “Hellscape,” the debut album, and “Synthetic.” Both are in a genre Scott-Catoire and Myers like to call piano rock. The music of Karma and the Killjoys goes further than fun moments and love ballads. A lot of their work contends with ideas around capitalism and organized religion.
In 2019, LSU Theatre brought the play “Our Town” to the Shaver Theatre, and behind the curtains, something that would last much longer than the show was developing. Freshmen Scott-Catoire and Myers were both in the cast and bonded over their work and their love of music.
Scott-Catoire and Myers both went to LSU for theater. Through their years in the halls of the Music and Dramatic Arts building, they grew not only in the classroom, but together.
“When we first started writing, I had never considered myself to be someone who had a lot to say until I started, with Rain’s encouragement, saying it,” Myers said. “And then I realized I had a lot of stuff inside me.”
The band has become a way for Myers to be creative, creating control in a positive and productive way by using branding and design to build the aesthetic of Karma and the Killjoys. The independent aspect of the band pertains to every part, and one of Myers’ greatest passions is creating the visual concepts for not only the marketing, but the music videos.
“It keeps me sane. It gives me something to put all of myself into all the parts of myself that I don’t have the money to get a therapist,” said Myers.
Independent artistry in the music industry is a hard road to forage, but as Karma and the Killjoys have grown as artists, they have also made a name for themselves.
“We’ve tried to do it the ways that we had read about, and then we tried to forge our own path,” said Scott-Catoire. “Right now, we’re kind of somewhere in between that.”
Karma and the Killjoys’ independence also extends to the studio. The band mixes and masters all its own music; that part of the process is spearheaded by Vercher, the drummer, and Marchand, the guitarist.
“We’re really fortunate to be able to produce all of our own music pretty much ourselves,” Scott-Catoire said. “We have a DIY home studio situation in my house, and we meet there twice a week, if not more, to record everything ourselves.”
The band has a new song dropping on Friday called “This Song Was Stolen by Pirates.” Myers described the group’s creative strategy as a dynamic duo way of releasing new music.
Karma and The Killjoys “This Song Was Stolen by Pirates” Promo image
“Especially when it’s Rain’s songs, she writes songs and then I get prophetic visions of what the video needs to be,” Myers said.
“This Song Was Stolen by Pirates” is not just a rock song, but a metaphor for the evils of generative AI, sung to a sea shanty tune. Scott-Catoire talked about the plight of the modern day artist, having to not only create in an oversaturated market, but also protect themselves from machines that use their original content for profit.
Once Myers heard the new song and understood the idea behind it, she started working on ideas for the music video. This time around, the band worked with the production company Blue Cassette and producer Chris Johnson to make Myers’ vision come to life.
Through the music video, Myers wanted to raise questions about the “legality of the fact Adobe and all these big, major companies are creating their own AI programs by stealing artwork,” she said.
This year is already looking exciting for the band. They are performing at Jazz Fest in May once again after being invited last year, and they are going on tour across the Southeast U.S. Scott-Catoire said the band’s excited, but also knows a lot of work goes into making a tour happen, especially as independent artists.
“The hard part is how do we fit all this gear into one van? Then fit all of ourselves in it as well and get across the state lines,” Scott-Catoire said. “The music part is the reward. Sending emails is the annoying hard part.”
Myers talked about her excitement for Jazz Fest and why she loves performing there so much.
“[Jazz Fest is] one of the only festivals I think in the country that really champions diversity and inclusivity and really shows the culture of the city,” Myers said. “It isn’t just taking out from all over the world and putting a cute little headline on it. They’re actually giving you a reflection of New Orleans and Louisiana culture there, which is just—it’s awesome.”
Art doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and like all artists, the members of Karma and the Killjoys are inspired by those who came before them. Myers happens to be a big Courtney Love fan.
“I’m pretty sure I would probably slaughter things at an altar for her,” said Myers.
Love is not only a writer whom Myers looks up to, but the air and style Courtney Love is known for fuels the way Myers creates her art. The mix of edge and femininity is something that Myers gravitates to.
Scott-Catoire talked about her favorite parts of being in the band.
“We found this flow of working,” Scott-Catoire said. “Bouncing ideas off of each other and really coming to a place we’re all happy with, but the live show is where it’s at for me. I think it’s the kid in my heart that just kind of loves the magic of being on a stage in a room with people that are all there to celebrate art.”
Myers is a little bit more introverted. She has grown to love performing, but her favorite part about the job is the recording aspect, the moments when the band is working through the music, coming up with ideas and trying new things.
“I love the collaboration aspect, but I also do really love performing. It is really sick when you have a really good show with a reciprocal audience who are just like in it with you. Like there isn’t much that can top that feeling,” said Myers.
Karma and the Killjoys’ newest song, “This Song Was Stolen by Pirates,” drops Friday, Feb. 20. Their next show is at Chelsea’s Live on March 14 as part of their tour.