Band Bio
Formed in 2012, 'Found a Job - A Tribute to Talking Heads' is an 8-piece band that primarily performs music from albums released during Talking Heads' Expanded Heads era ("Remain in Light", "Speaking in Tongues", and "Stop Making Sense").
The ensemble also covers songs outside of that era including radio hits such as "Road to Nowhere", "And She Was", "Take me to The River", "Once in a Lifetime", and "Burning Down the House".
Currently the band play 2+ hours of music, complete with choreography a la the classic concert movie "Stop Making Sense".
Origin Story
They might be better off, I think, the way it seems to me…
Once upon a time in Kansas City, there was a series of Sunday night shows in which 4-6 KC bands would cover music from iconic bands like Rolling Stones, Devo, Heart, and…. you guessed it, Talking Heads. Long-time fans Matt Hayden and Mike Tipton were in an original act at the time, but jumped at the opportunity to pay tribute to their idols. In 2012, they formed a one-time band to pull off “Girlfriend Is Better,” and “Crosseyed and Painless” among a couple other songs to a packed house at Recordbar.Matt and Mike were joined by bandmate Aniko Adany on keys, as well as Nick Vawter on percussion and Steven Renteria on bass. After coming off stage, Mike was approached by an audience member who asked how much he’d charge to have the band come play a party.As all good decisions are made, Matt and Mike soon sat at Bobby Baker’s, of the Waldo neighborhood in KC, deciding what to name their new band. Mike was pretty set on “Psychokiller", but Matt pointed out that “Found A Job” is actually what this band would be, compared to original music-making. Someone would finally pays us to do a show.
Found A Job It Is.
Judy’s in the bedroom, inventing situations.
The vision of the band began to take shape in the summer of 2012, with another performance at RecordBar, but this time, as their own show instead of a multi-band lineup. Camry Ivory joined the band in September, adding backup vocals and choreography that transformed their shows into high-energy dancing events for both the band and the audience.
Their show gets real high ratings, they think they have a hit.
Over the next two years, several other musicians joined Found a Job, and most have been with the band for almost a decade. The roster expanded to include:
Michael Tipton: lead vocals, guitar
Matt Hayden: drums
Camry Ivory: vocals, choreography
Peter Lawless: multi-instrumentalist and band director
Justin Skinner: percussion, sound engineering & Jedi-like, show-saving skills
Brent Jamison: bass, keyboards
Katelyn Jamison; vocals, choreography
Ashleigh Guthrie; keyboards (2014-2024)
Lauren Williams: bass (2024-present)
As the new lineup took shape, the band began learning over 3 hours of Talking Heads music and choreography, playing bigger stages and venues as the word spread of their high-energy shows.
Leveraging the treasure trove of live videos and full concerts, Found A Job began re-imagining epic concerts and setlists, like 1980’s Live in Rome concert. They also paid tribute to iconic Talking Heads albums like ‘77, Remain In Light and Speaking In Tongues by playing them in their entirety on the anniversary of their release, providing audiences with once in a lifetime performances.
The band has played several regional festivals (such as Boulevardia and Briarfest) and has sold out venues all across Kansas City. Every November, they perform the classic concert film “Stop Making Sense”, complete with props, choreography and costumes (including the iconic Big Suit!).
They’ve also performed at private events, fundraisers, and numerous weddings (Mike is an ordained minister and can double as a band leader and wedding officiant; he’s married half the band). private events, and sold out shows across Kansas City. Sometimes, Katelyn and Camry, the band’s backup vocalists and dancers, host dance workshops to teach audience members choreography from the show!
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