In a dimly lit, eccentrically decorated and cramped studio in Chula Vista, Kickback practices for the biggest moment of any of their careers thus far: opening for YG at Greenfest SDSU.
The band consists of members Cameron Thomas, Marcello Ametrano, Wyatt Dolan, Orion Ellis and Zane Franz. The five met through varying circuits of open mics throughout San Diego and decided to formally unite almost a year ago in the pursuit of a Battle of the Bands competition.
A similar contest at SDSU in December led them to book the first spot of the night at this year’s Greenfest concert on March 7.
Greenfest has become a ritual for SDSU students. The week-long series of events is aimed at “celebrating sustainability, diversity and SDSU pride,” according to the Associated Students website. The concert, in particular, is the most anticipated, talked-about event of the entire week.
Greenfest puts its mission into action by having local San Diego bands open for the concert. These openers were determined by the Greenfest Battle of the Bands on Dec. 3, 2025, where Kickback placed second to Silverbullet, the second act in this year’s lineup.
“We were ready,” said Ametrano, the band’s lead guitarist.
Rather than their typical focus on playing new music, Kickback’s members expressed that their Greenfest setlist will feature songs already released on streaming. Additionally, in the weeks leading up to the concert, they have continued to release music that they will perform at the festival.
“Since all the songs are very collaborative, each person comes with their artists on their sleeve. Then what kind of ends up happening to the songs is everybody puts in their influences,” said Thomas, lead singer and guitarist.
The members of the band all went on to list different inspirations they have for the style and tone of Kickback. These musical inspirations ranged from well-known artists like John Mayer, to genre classics like the Backseat Lovers, and even a lesser-known example with Ax and the Hatchetmen, an up-and-coming indie rock band from Chicago.
“[Ax and the Hatchetmen’s] story kind of feels similar to ours in a way,” said Ametrano, as both bands have similarities in their music characteristics and in the age range of their members.
The indie rock genre is actively getting its footing in mainstream media. Kickback’s sound fits right in with this current surge of popularity. Although they’ve never played at a venue as large as Cal Coast Credit Union, the members of Kickback are extremely prepared and excited to perform.
They described their sound as dynamic and not always following a traditional song structure, which helps them stand out as a group within San Diego’s saturated music scene.
“There’s never going to be another [lineup] like that. That’s what I really love about shows,” Thomas said.
“Pretty much every single one is unique, whether it’s the kind of bands you’re playing with or the songs you’re playing,” he continued. “This is a set that we’ve been working on now for three months and really ironing it out, so we’re just really excited to be given a stage to share what we’ve been working on.”
