‘It’s huge now’: Drusky returns to Kilby Block Party in wake of debut album

Drusky will be playing at the Kilby Block Party Friday at the Lake Stage from 11:45 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. This article is a part of ABC4’s week-long series highlighting local bands set to play at the festival.

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Indie garage rock band Drusky is having quite an exciting year. Not only are they celebrating the release of their debut album, Cake & Absinthe, but they’ll also be taking the stage at the Kilby Block Party this Friday.

The group, formed in 2019, has had a few changing players over the years. Right now, they consist of Mia Hicken on vocals and guitar, Eli Pratt on bass, Scott Knutson on drums and Casey Ball on guitar.

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Early on, Hicken said she knew music spoke to her. She started writing songs and performing around the age of 16, frequently attending open mic nights at the Velour Live Music Gallery in Provo.

“I just realized, hey, nothing feels more right than doing music, and it’s so cool to be able to gather people in one space and everyone’s there just to feel things, just to feel emotions and experience music and experience art,” she said.

Ball said he was inspired by musical heroes, such as Green Day and other punk artists.

“The idea of playing guitar or just playing in a band sounded really fun and something that I really wanted to do at some point,” he said, adding it urged him to practice a lot.

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Pratt said he picked up bass when he was younger to be able to jam with his friend who played guitar. Since then, he’s been drawn to creating art with others, which he found within Drusky.

Drusky played the festival once before in 2021, when it was on Kilby Court’s adjacent street at 700 South in Salt Lake City.

“I think the Kilby Block Party Festival is just really cool to watch to see that Utah has a legitimate and interesting and artistic music scene that is being more and more recognized on a national level,” Knutson said. “It’s just really cool, exciting to see this is blowing up. It’s huge now.”

Hicken said it’s been thrilling to see how much the festival has grown over the years, and that she’s looking forward to seeing what it’s like this time around at the Utah State Fairpark.

“It’s going to be kind of a more overwhelming experience and just very humbling and surreal,” Ball added.

Knutson said he’s worked at Kilby Court as a sound engineer and has been able to experience it both on the stage and behind the scenes, saying it’s significant for the local community, especially as an all-ages venue.

“There were zero all-ages venues in the city I group in, and I would’ve killed to have my own Kilby Court where grew up,” he said. “…I think it’s special. I think it’s a really cool, unique little pocket of art and culture and youthful fun-ness that is unique and not a lot of places have it….I think it’s a Utah unique thing, which is pretty sweet,” he said.

Many members of the group added to his sentiment, speaking to the energy and community built there.

“It just really harnesses a good energy and I can say some of my favorite shows were at Kilby Court, and it’s just crazy how fun and awesome of an atmosphere it can foster for everyone who goes there,” Ball said.

Hicken said at the Kilby Block Party, you can expect them to play songs off their new album, many of which have been long in the making, such as “Religisticious” which fans first heard in 2019. Much of the album she said, explores her personal faith crisis, spirituality, break ups, and of course, includes the “typical Drusky angst.”

When it comes to playing the Kilby Block Party this Friday, Hicken said she’s stoked and excited to see Drusky among the poster with many other cool names.

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