Welcome to think13

think13 is a San Francisco musical collective co-founded by Dee Kennedy and Christoph, blending progressive indie rock with performance art and tribal textures. The project grew from a 2004 meeting on a local stage into a full band featuring Forrest, Joe, and Anthony.

“Hear think13 co-founder Dee Kennedy’s strong, haunting voice layered over Christoph’s rockin’ tribal music. think13’s live performance, ‘Balance’, is a gorgeous spectacle that continues to blur the boundaries between the music scene and the performance art scene.” — Molly Freedenburg, Journalist, San Francisco Bay Guardian

On October 27, 2007, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom proclaimed think13 Day for music innovation and community awareness. The collective also operates VAGABOOM!, a youth performance educational program.

think13 is a San Francisco based musical collective whose sound blends progressive indie rock with performance art and tribal textures. Born from a chance meeting on a local stage, the project grew from a duo into a full band that brings together guitars, percussion, layered vocals, and visual storytelling. The collective treats each song as a small piece of theatre, inviting listeners into a shared space where rhythm, image, and emotion meet on equal footing rather than competing for attention.

At the heart of the project are co-founders whose voices and instincts shape the direction of every track. The interplay between a haunting, expressive vocal presence and a driving, rock rooted instrumental palette gives the music its signature balance of vulnerability and force. Guests and collaborators drift in and out of the lineup over time, but the core idea stays steady: songs that move the body, the mind, and the room at the same time.

Live performance is treated as a core part of the identity, not a bonus feature. The show known as Balance has been described as a gorgeous spectacle that blurs the boundary between concert and stage piece, weaving together music, movement, and a quietly powerful visual language. Audiences are invited to watch, listen, and feel rather than simply consume, and the staging is built to reward close attention from anyone willing to lean in.

Outside the spotlight, the collective treats writing and recording as a continuous conversation. Studios, rehearsal spaces, and small lounges become laboratories for new songs, where ideas are tested, discarded, and rebuilt over many sessions. The process values patience, allowing arrangements to breathe and lyrics to find their natural shape before the work is shared, and it leans on the chemistry between long time friends who trust each other's instincts in the room.

Community sits at the center of how the project sees itself. Local stages, neighborhood venues, and creative gatherings in the Bay Area provide a steady backdrop for testing material, meeting fellow artists, and staying connected to the audiences that first responded to the music. This sense of place shapes the tone of the songs, which often carry hints of coastal weather, urban nights, and the wide horizons of the region they call home.

The aesthetic of the project extends beyond sound into the visual and written world that surrounds it. Posters, photography, and short written pieces share the same unornamented, honest feeling as the music, preferring strong color blocks, simple imagery, and a hand drawn touch over polished graphics. The result is a body of work that feels handmade and personal, reflecting the belief that art does not need to be loud or busy in order to be felt.

Creativity here is also a forward looking practice, shaped by changing tools and changing times. Digital releases, video premieres, and online conversations sit alongside analog instruments and traditional rehearsal habits, creating a working rhythm that adapts without losing its center. The collective is curious about where the boundary between listener, viewer, and collaborator might move next, and it treats each new release as a small step in that longer journey.

Ultimately, think13 is less a fixed lineup and more an ongoing exploration. New songs, new shows, and new collaborations keep the story open, while the central idea remains the same: music and performance as a shared act of attention, energy, and care. For anyone curious to follow along, the project offers a steady stream of updates, releases, and glimpses into the process that keeps the work moving forward.