Neon the Bishop
TOAD MUSIC MONTHLY: NEON THE BISHOP
the bands’ conceptual character: Neon the Bishop. Photo by Noe DeLeon- @noedeleon
We recently announced a new Toad music editor: Nathan Hurley, a musician himself and an advocate for the Joplin music scene.
We gave Nathan the happy task of collecting and interviewing talented musicians who either hail from, or reside in, the southwest Missouri area. Nathan began with a band that has Joplin roots and some crazy concepts…
Enjoy!
Neon the Bishop: the band. photo by Sarah West- @sarahwestie_
Have you ever gotten together with friends from your church to jam? Then enjoyed it so much that you booked a gig? Then actually played the gig? And then, finally after you played your first gig, decided to start a band? You probably haven’t. But that is exactly what Kendall, Carlos, Erik, Stephen, and Mario did in the spring of 2019.
Have you ever met a group who tastefully combined elements of 80’s rock bands, like Queen or Journey, with the modern theatricality of bands like Twenty One Pilots and Young The Giant? If the answer is no, then you haven’t met the Denver-based rockers in Neon the Bishop.
“But Nathan,” you interrupt, “why are you writing to us Joplin readers about this super cool new band if they’re from Denver?”
First, thank you for asking why I’m telling you to check out this kick-ass new band. The answer is simple: Kendall James Wingert, frontman and primary songwriter for Neon the Bishop, was once a staple of the local music scene right here in Joplin. He’s taken his passion for creative collaboration and music to Denver where he and the guys are making something special.
Neon the Bishop frontman, Kendall James Wingert. Photo by Noe DeLeon @noedeleon
They have released two songs so far- “A Death Full of Life” is the most recent of the two. Both tracks function as the first entries chronicling the life of a fictional character- Neon the Bishop. Neon is more or less a fictional alter ego of Kendall. That’s all I can say for now, but you can learn more about Neon through their social media narrative. These guys are developing and running with a very cool concept. I can’t wait to see what comes next!
Keep up with them on social media (@neonthebishop) for news about upcoming releases and show announcements, as well as a forthcoming music video for the new song.