“Who threw away a perfectly good white boy?!” screams a rowdy passerby on Haight Street in San Francisco, addressing The Best Friends vocalist/guitarist, Aiden Ward. Ward yells back for a high-five. Having chopped off his shoulder-length blond locks, Ward does seem clean-cut now, but don’t let his ’do fool you. Fans fall for The Best Friends’ melodic dance funk with every shout: “booty scones,” “give me back my grandma!,” “I need another drink,” and “wahahaha,” are just a few of the lyrics chanted during their concerts. Bassist Derek Burte compares the spectacle to their banner: “We have a big sign. It’s been caught in the rain, run over a few times. It says The Best Friends, with two dinosaurs high-five-ing.” Sometimes on stage, when they play their song “Dinosaurs,” keyboardist Benjamin Einstein and Ward “have a dinosaur battle,” says Ward. “I imagine myself as a T-Rex,” Ward admits. “I’m more of a Velociraptor,” counters Einstein. Embodying the monsters on the cover of their new album, Playdate, each member brings a unique punch to the band’s sound. “It’s hard to write a catchy pop song and keep it interesting for us,” says Burte. “So we write songs that are interesting for us and the audience.” Einstein adds, “we’re trying to trick everybody into having a good time.” Apparently they’re pretty good at it, considering their last Crepe Place show sold out. Guitarist Christian Whiting reminisces about the band’s origins, when they lived in “the man-partment” as sophomores at UC Santa Cruz: “We really liked playing together from the start. Then we tried to get together without getting boo-ed of stage.” Now, with Playdate—an amalgamation of funky blues and dance metal—Ward says the guys “just want to have a good time—it’s the kind of music we get excited about.”
INFO: For upcoming shows, visit thebestfriendsband.com. For booking or CD inquiries, email
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