RAPID CITY, S.D. — For brothers Derrick and Gage Flick, making music together has never really stopped. The sound, lineup and name may have changed over the years, but the connection behind the music has remained.

This Saturday, Oct. 10, that latest chapter will take the stage when Paradise White performs at the second annual Stitch Fest: Feed the Need in Rapid City. The night brings together local music and a chili feed to raise money for Tom Whillock and the Friday Meals program, which provides hot meals to people in the community experiencing homelessness and hardship.

Paradise White represents a new beginning for the Flick brothers, but its roots stretch back years.

Derrick and Gage previously played together in New Age Affair, a Rapid City band formed by the brothers in 2017. The group blended pop-punk with alternative and classic rock, eventually signing with New York-based Manic Kat Records. New Age Affair released Too Messed Up in 2020 before releasing Paradise White in 2022.

When New Age Affair came to an end, however, Derrick and Gage weren’t ready to quit making music.

“When New Age Affair disbanded, Gage and I didn’t want to quit making music,” Derrick said. At the same time, the brothers knew they didn’t want to simply recreate what they had already done.

That eventually led to Paradise White.

The band’s name itself is a direct connection to their past. Paradise White was the title of New Age Affair’s final album, released through Manic Kat Records in September 2022. Derrick said the brothers spent about a week searching for a new band name before realizing the answer was already sitting in front of them.

The familiarity between the brothers also plays an important role in the music they’re creating today.

After years of playing together — and even living together — Derrick said they often don’t need much communication when working on new material. Gage said his drumming developed alongside his brother’s songwriting, creating a musical connection that has become almost instinctive.

A Different Sound and a New Song

Paradise White isn’t simply New Age Affair under a different name.

The brothers say their songwriting has become more adventurous. Songs aren’t necessarily built around traditional structures anymore, and guitar doesn’t always have to be the centerpiece.

Instead, Paradise White is willing to let bass, synthesizers and other sounds take the spotlight when they serve the song.

“If it sounds good and if it fits the song, we’ll do it,” Derrick said.

That evolution can also be heard in the band’s new song, “Money Lies.”

Derrick said the song originated during a difficult financial period in his life. Its message grew from the idea that people can convince themselves money will solve their problems or make everything better.

“Money is going to make the world better and everything’s going to be better. And it’s just not,” he said.

The track also helped push Paradise White toward expanding its lineup. The brothers realized the new material would require another guitar to bring the songs to life onstage, another example of how the project has continued to grow beyond its beginnings.

Paradise White Pictured Above

Paradise White Joins Stitch Fest

Paradise White will bring that evolving sound to Stitch Fest: Feed the Need on Saturday.

The second annual event takes place at 445 Lounge & Grill in Rapid City. Doors open at 6 p.m., with music beginning at 6:30 p.m. Paradise White is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., joining a lineup that also includes Flannel Unplugged with Josh & Pat, Goodfire and The Outside Kids. DJ Wr4th will provide music between sets.

This year’s Stitch Fest adds a larger purpose to the music.

A $10 donation gets attendees a bowl of chili, and donations will also be accepted at the door. Money raised will support Whillock and the volunteers behind Friday Meals.

For Derrick and Gage, using music to support others fits naturally with why they make it in the first place.

“I’d rather go out and play music with a whole bunch of cool people for a good reason,” Derrick said.

Gage said music has had such an enormous impact on their own lives that part of being an artist is trying to give that feeling to someone else.

“You want to create something that impacts other people the way art has impacted you,” he said.

That makes a benefit such as Stitch Fest an especially fitting place for Paradise White.

The event began as a way to celebrate Stitch’s birthday with friends and live music, but organizers have turned that celebration into an opportunity to support people in the Rapid City community. This year, the attention is on the volunteers who continue showing up week after week to provide Friday Meals.

And for anyone experiencing Paradise White for the first time Saturday night, the Flick brothers offered a much simpler preview.

Expect it to be loud.

Expect energy.

Most importantly, expect the brothers to have fun.

“It’s not about being the best,” they joked during the interview. “It’s about not being the absolute worst.”

Behind the humor, though, is a band that has spent years growing together — from New Age Affair to Paradise White, from straightforward pop-punk structures to a broader musical palette, and now into another chapter built around making the kind of music they want to make.

On Saturday, they’ll get to use that music for something bigger than themselves.

Stitch Fest: Feed the Need takes place Saturday, Oct. 10, at 445 Lounge & Grill in Rapid City. Doors open at 6 p.m. Paradise White is scheduled to perform at 7:30 p.m. A bowl of chili is available for a $10 donation, with proceeds supporting Tom Whillock and the Friday Meals program.