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The band Backhand pose for a photo in Murray on Monday, Dec. 12, 2022. From left are Ben Owens, Mitch Owens, Jake Owens and Matt Timmons.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

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Jake Owens sings and plays the guitar as Backhand rehearses in Murray on Monday, Dec. 12, 2022.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

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Mitch Owens plays the bass while Backhand rehearses in Murray on Monday, Dec. 12, 2022.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

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Matt Timmons plays drums as Backhand rehearses in Murray on Monday, Dec. 12, 2022.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

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Ben Owens sings as Backhand rehearses in Murray on Monday, Dec. 12, 2022.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

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The band Backhand rehearses in Murray on Monday, Dec. 12, 2022.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

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Whether it’s playing a show in Europe or Asia, or getting action figures of themselves, members of Backhand have goals. In fact, they’ve written them out — thumbtacked onto a cork board in the Murray garage where they practice. One of those dreams, they realize, can now get checked off. The self-described “team of winners” will be playing in a major festival for the first time.

On Dec. 6, they were included on the lineup for the fourth annual Kilby Block Party in Salt Lake City, planned for May 12-14, 2023, at Utah State Fairpark. While the group is living in Salt Lake now, between out-of-state concerts, they got their start as a group playing garage shows in Provo and Lindon.

The group’s four members are proud to call themselves family. Mitch, Jake and Ben Owens are all related while drummer Matt Timmons is “very distantly” a cousin.

Timmons and guitarist Jake Owens have been friends since middle school and decided after high school that they would commit to making music. The plan, initially, was for the quartet to live together in Orem, which they did, and all go to Utah Valley University, which they did not. Only Timmons ended up as a Wolverine, but the group stayed together and worked to build a name and following in the music scene.

Making it onto the Kilby lineup was huge for the group; it was one of their goals. But getting there didn’t include a cinematic audition where they had to prove their mettle. Backhand earned a spot at the festival by being part of the music world in Utah, or as Timmons said, “being in the good graces and playing good shows.”

On Oct. 2, the group had a chance to open for Amyl and the Sniffers at The Depot in Salt Lake, which was organized by the same company, S&S Presents, that organizes the Block Party.

“That was a really good show,” Ben Owens said. “A lot of people who are into Amyl and the Sniffers, locally, are into us. So there’s just a lot of people there who are already into us.”

Just one week after that show, Backhand was offered a spot on the festival lineup. As excited as they are for the festival and playing in different venues across Utah and the west on their current tour, nothing beats the fun of a house show, they said.

For their favorite, Jake and Ben described a series of backyard concerts at a friend’s home in Salt Lake’s Sugarhouse neighborhood, which included a mini skate ramp and “a million people in the backyard and people on the roof, “Ben Owens said.

Backhand will not be the only band with Utah County roots performing at the festival. One of the highest listed supporting acts will be The Backseat Lovers, who got their start in Provo as well.

Having this early career success isn’t exactly a shock for Backhand. Music was something they were fully committed to, right away.

“It was never gonna be a casual thing,” Ben Owens said. “We were emailing people venues and stuff, like, ‘Hey, let us open for somebody’ or asking the other bands, like, ‘Hey, can we open for you guys?'”

While they didn’t get to open for everyone they asked to or play every venue night after night, everyone was positive.

“For the most part, all of us have a pretty incurable optimism about our trajectory. There’s been bummers and shows we haven’t been able to play, but for the most part, nothing’s really kicked us down yet,” Mitch Owens added.

One bummer, Timmons added, was that the group had high hopes for a spot on Kilby Block Party’s lineup in 2022.

With just under 1,500 monthly listeners on Spotify, the group has room to grow their fanbase and appreciates every opportunity to play for people. For the uninitiated, Ben Owens has a simple pitch.

“Our band’s mission is just to have a good time, have fun. That’s what I think we’re all about,” he said.

People who show up will have a “darn good time,” Timmons added.

Jake Owens described their music by listing a series of bands and singers from a wide range of genres who the group listens to, though they’re most easily classified as punk.

He included 70s post-punk, namely Gang of Four and Wire, along with hardcore and hardcore-adjacent artists like Black Flag and Minutemen. Among his current inspirations, Jake listed outlaw country music and 70s African psychedelic music.

Beyond just their band, Jake Owens mentioned a hope that more people experience the local music scene in Utah.

“The hardcore and the straightedge hardcore scene is growing a lot in the last few years,” he said. “I think that a lot of people are aware that music is becoming more important and prevalent locally in Utah County and Salt Lake and stuff, and more people want to get involved. … There’s more unique bands starting and more people willing to try and do their own thing.”

While Backhand has spent much of the last year touring around Utah, Idaho, Nevada and other nearby states, they have hopes to release a full album in early 2023. Available to stream now are a series of singles, demos and EPs including their six-song 2021 EP “Danger, Thy Calling.” Tickets for the three-day Kilby Block Party are available for purchase at http://24tix.com.

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