Kids In America: 80s Cover Band & Tribute Band
Six musicians.
Three costume changes.
Zero backing tracks.
Kids In America is an 80s cover band based in Charlotte, North Carolina, playing festivals, theaters, casinos, corporate events, weddings and private parties across the country. We’ve been doing it since 2015, and the pitch is simple: we don’t reinterpret the decade, we rebuild it. Every guitar tone, every synth patch, every vocal. We come as close to the record as six people can get it, played live in front of you. New Wave to hair metal, Cyndi Lauper to Guns N’ Roses, with
Male and female lead vocals, so nothing's off the table.
About Kids In America
Most tribute acts pick a lane. The 80s don’t really allow for that. It’s the only decade where “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine” belong on the same playlist, and a band that can only do one of them is only doing half the job.
So Kids In America was built for range. Six pieces: guitars, bass, keys and synths, drums and electronic percussion, and both male and female lead vocals up front. That last part is what actually unlocks the decade. Heart and Pat Benatar sit next to Bon Jovi and Journey without anything getting transposed, softened, or quietly skipped.
Together since 2015, out of Charlotte, NC.
A Completely Live 80s Show
No tracks.
Not "mostly live."
Nothing is coming out of a laptop. Every vocal, guitar part, synth line, bass note and drum hit happens on stage while you watch.
That’s a harder way to do this, and it’s the whole point. The goal isn’t a Kids In America version of these songs. It’s the song, the way you remember it, close enough that you stop analyzing it about eight bars in.
Then there’s everything around the music. Three costume changes per set. A band that visibly enjoys each other’s company. And an audience we fully expect to hear from. The crowd singing the second chorus louder than the PA is roughly the target outcome, and it happens most nights.
80s Music From Across the Decade
New Wave. Synth-pop. Arena rock. Hair metal. Early hip hop. Dance floor filler. If it charted between 1980 and 1989, it’s fair game.
"Livin' on a Prayer,"
"Jessie's Girl,"
"Material Girl,"
"Sweet Child O' Mine,"
"Don't Stop Believin',"
"What About Love,"
"Hit Me with Your Best Shot,"
"Footloose"
"Girls Just Want to Have Fun."
80s Music From Across the Decade
Charlotte is home base. The van goes a lot further than that.
Kids In America has played theaters, wineries, ski resorts, town squares and country clubs across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, Texas, from the Tift Theater in Tifton, GA and the Duke Mansion in Charlotte to Sugar Mountain Resort, Childress Vineyards, Birkdale Village and Federal Hill Commons in Noblesville, IN. We’ve opened for Foreigner at the Hard Rock Cafe in Bristol, TN, and we’ve flown to San Antonio to play a wedding.
Festival, performing arts center, casino, corporate party, wedding, 50th birthday, brewery patio – the show scales to the room, and it travels.
See Kids In America
Meet Kids In America
Six people who have spent a decade getting these songs right.
Shannon Remley
Lead Vocals
Ray Hartsfield
Lead Vocals & Guitar
Doug Grabowski
Bass Guitar & Vocals
G K Via
Lead Guitar & Vocals
Rob Bowser
Keyboards & Synths
Mike Graci
Drums & Electronic Percussion
Upcoming Kids In America Shows
Book our high-energy, 80s cover band for your next event.
Call us to create a setlist tailored to your audience's favorites.
Experience the best of New Wave, Pop, Dance, Rock, and Hair Metal.
Kids In America is the complete experience, so be prepared for an ultra-high-energy show and a really good time!
Book Kids In America
Tell us about your event! The date, the city, the room, the crowd, and we’ll tell you exactly what we’d bring. Festivals, theaters, casinos, corporate events, weddings and private parties, anywhere in the country.
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Book Kids In America "Totally 80's Tribute" for your venue, party or festival!
Here's how to get in touch:
Want a Different Decade?
We also do the 70s, the 90s and Y2K.
