It just sounds great. thanks to their energetic performances, and frontman Sam Melo's impressive dance moves. The internet. Somewhere in our minds, we're still just the kids playing music in bars in Boone. It feels like this big, intricate record that was always kind of hiding in the band's music even when it was a two acoustic guitar band. Melo, who was raised half in Appalachian North Carolina and half in a Dominican Republic mission, belted out the lyrics with every fiber of his being, driving home the importance of embracing your truth while the crowd sang along. He is a 2011 Western Kentucky University graduate who has previously worked at the Paducah Sun and Madisonville Messenger as a sports reporter and the Lexington Herald-Leader as a breaking news reporter. [4] From 2014 through 2017, Rainbow Kitten Surprise has performed at multiple music festivals and other events, including Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival and Austin City Limits Festival. Before long, Melo and Keller had grown RKS into a full band with Haney, Goodpaster and bassist Charlie Holt. The rest of the Rainbow Kitten Surprise bandmates also introduced themselves and revealed what they identify as in their social media post Wednesday. No food. What is genre in the streaming age? I'm Ela, lead singer of Rainbow Kitten Surprise. COLD LOVE hitting different today!!! Formed in an Appalachian State dorm room in 2013 by singer Ela Melo and guitarist Darrick "Bozzy" Keller, the duo recorded and self-released their first acoustic EP, Mary, before recruiting additional members Ethan Goodpaster (guitar), Charlie Holt (bass), and Jess Haney (drums) to complete the lineup. "Yeah, we were pumping out a song a day and it felt good. . 04. music festival marks formal launch of San Antonio venue The Espee, Live Music in San Antonio This Week: Silversun Pickups, Epik High, Marisela and more, Comedian George Lopez is returning to San Antonio's Majestic Theatre this summer, San Antonio punk band Fea composed original music for new play debuting at Public Theater, Live Music in San Antonio This Week: August Burns Red, Inner Wave, Thy Art Is Murder and more, Celebrate Bowie tour with Peter Murphy and Adrian Belew coming to San Antonio's Tobin Center. It's not a daily thing, you're never like, ok well here's that sad story for the day. My pronouns are she/her. Congrats on coming out, Ela, one person wrote on Instagram. But if you have two weeks, you'll make it in two weeks. So you didn't feel constrained, it worked out for you then? This year has seen the deaths of stars and icons, but we honor their memory by highlighting them. Rainbow Kitten Surprise, also known as RKS (Return to Rainbow Kitten), is a musical phenomenon that many people consider to be a musical phenomenon. Life is a grind. Formed in 2013 by college students Sam Melo and Darrick Keller, Rainbow Kitten Surprise developed a sound that was every bit as colorful as the group's name, eventually becoming one of America's m.. . The charismatic frontman who loves Bustelo coffee spent 20 minutes talking to CL in advance of his bands upcoming Ybor City show. Over the past couple of years, Ive been doing some major soul searching in the pursuit of my authentic self, Melo said on Instagram. We wish them the best and hope to see them back in SLC again soon. Previously unseen footage of Layne Staley performing with Alice In Chains has been made public. Relishing in the opportunity before them, RKS have truly taken ownership of who they are to the point where they're . You never think that when you put words on to a paper that anybody else is going to pick it up and say word for word, that's me, and identify with it. High-energy, queer-friendly, happy-go-lucky. However, there is one feature that is present throughout each of the group's songs - a captivating story. For their first evening in Chicago, they pulled out all the stops and gave their fans a flawless performance. ElA you are beautiful! You heard words like Atlantic and all this stuff, but it's just so hard to make it as a band, even at your level. I was like 'OK, I'll do one show with you guys and then we'll figure it out from there. The rest of Rainbow Kitten Surprises bandmates also revealed what they identify as. My pronouns are she/her. . Sometimes life is a grind of the best possible espresso you can put into a percolator. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Privacy & Cookie Policy as well as our Terms of Use. Has being able to record How To in the circumstances that you did made you want to go bigger on a new record? This story was originally published March 31, 2022, 9:40 AM. Rainbow Kitten Surprise - Photo by Chris Taylor. . On August 13, 2021, Rainbow Kitten Surprise released the live album RKS! And since then I've just been digging into the harmonic series and trying to figure out what makes a sound a sound. I don't understand the culture. The Ritz, 1503 E. 7th Ave., Ybor City. thanks in part to Melo's intense vocal style, but also because only two of the 13 tracks cross the four-minute . And hopefully, that comes out of the next record. That was the understanding that I had. When Jess Haney was asked to join Rainbow Kitten Surprise while its band members were in college at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., he certainly wasn't thinking it would be a long-term commitment. It's all fun. The band consists of Sam Melo, Darrick Keller, Charlie Holt, Jess Haney, and Caleb Elder. I think where it comes from is the place that I'm at when I'm writing. . ", Produced by Grammy Award-winner Jay Joyce (Cage The Elephant, Sleeper Agent), the album featured RIAA-certified Gold single "It's Called: Freefall", and earned widespread praise from Billboard, TIME, Vice, and NPR who described their sound as "a mix of jam and indie and whatever else you can throw into the soupvery earnest, beautiful, political, loving rock n' roll," and saw the band make several national television appearances, including performances on "CBS This Morning Saturday," "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," and PBS's "Austin City Limits.". "I mean, I think we just move fast," said Sam Melo, one of the band's . "Me and Ethan went to high school together, and we kind of played in my basement and did covers of random things. It was weird. By Liking Bridget Jones: Does It Mean Im Gay? Jay Joyce (at Neon Cross Studios and Jason Hall) did a great job with your vision. "It was life changing," says Sam Melo, RKS's firecracker of a lead singer whose emotive and powerful croon, fire-spitting raps, and unpredictable dervish dance moves make . They're as big a surprise as their name and, when they took the stage at First Avenue, the surprises kept on coming. The band had arrived in Nashville with only a couple of songs partially written and all two and a half weeks to write and record the rest of the songs for what became the 2018 album How to: Friend, Love, Freefall. Choose music service. The expansion resulted in the bigger, more energetic sound heard on their debut album, Seven, which was later repackaged with their EP in a release called Seven + Mary. Hi everyone! Rainbow Kitten Surprise, a five-piece band currently based in Boone, was formed in early 2013 when Sam Melo and Darrick "Bozzy" Keller decided to begin writing and composing . Get our top picks for the best events in San Antonio every Thursday morning. The band sold out the Georgia Theatre. pic.twitter.com/kejuO2yLIn. In fact, as commitments go, he thought it was as minimal as it gets. Before Rainbow Kitten Surprise's sold-out show at the Palace Theatre in St. Paul last month, I met up with Sam Melo (lead vocals and keys) and Charlie Holt (bass). Rainbow Kitten Surprise is an indie-rock band from Boone, North Carolina whose genre-bending sound has taken the music world by storm. . Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. Rainbow Kitten Surprise is an alternative rock indie band, featuring lead vocalist Ela Melo, Darrick "Bozzy" Keller (guitar, backup vocals), Ethan Goodpaster (electric guitar), Jess Haney (drums), and Charlie Holt (bass). Join the Observer community and help support Still, deliver the caliber performance that you are hoping to. Three years ago, when Rainbow Kitten Surprise sold out Visulite Theatre, . My dad's cousinlives down there. BY CONTINUING PAST THIS PAGE YOU AGREE TO OUR CANCELLED: Rainbow Kitten Surprise. . Buy Rainbow Kitten Surprise's album titled How to: Friend, Love, Freefall. We had few friends back here. They always say, "The devil's in the details." Due to the accusations, the band was forced to cancel several tour dates, raising questions about whether or not it sincerely apologizes for what happened. On June 11, Rainbow Kitten Surprise will perform at Red Rocks alongside their ride-or-die, . By the time we left, we were pretty broke and it was sort of defeatist, at least from my eyes. Over the past couple of years, I've been doing some major soul searching in the pursuit of my authentic self. Rainbow Kitten Surprise. (Photo/Christina R . Twenty dates on their tour were sold out earlier this week. Mon, Jul 4, 2022 at 4:00 am. Rainbow Kitten Surprise, "RKS" for short, is known for its harmonies, instrumentation, and lyrics. 116 posts. ", RKS' performance of "Hide" at the Troubadour felt particularly profound. But back to the Bustelo question. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. local news and culture, Augusta Rizzardini But power to Ela! The two wrote and composed music together as they attended Appalachian State University. Excited for the new music from the band. And it was just kind of a transitory period. As a result, many of the songs on their albums contain spiritual imagery, such as references to God, angels and heaven. on Because especially if the song were to be a hit, then immediately were poster children, you know?, "Hide" was accompanied by one of the most impactful music videos of last year. t.co/kejuO2yLIn", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rainbow_Kitten_Surprise&oldid=1141755995, Indie rock musical groups from North Carolina, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, "It's Called: Freefall" (January 28, 2019), This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 16:57. Rainbow Kitten Surprise hail from the mountains of Boone, North Carolina, and have been regarded as one of the rising alternative rock bands in the United States. These North Carolina-based festival favorites mix exuberant indie pop and earnest folk-rock. Additionally, this performance coincided with the West Hollywood Pride Parade and associated celebrations during a year where the LGBTQ+ community has faced particular hardship, with the advancement of legislation like Donald Trump's recently upheld ban on transgender enrollment in the military. One day we were all sitting in Boone and the next thing we were touring the world. Their first EP, Mary, was recorded in a dorm room at the university. Rainbow Kitten Surprise is an indie rock band based out of Boone, North Carolina. In fact, Melo publicly came out through one of the tracks off of the project, "Hide." We regret to announce, that due to unforeseen circumstances, tonight's show with Rainbow Kitten Surprise has been canceled. There's so much of it down here but I keep forgetting it's actually from New York. The tour opens in South Carolina where you essentially wrote the album, but then the next stop is here in Tampa Bay and I wanted to ask you about (your song) "Goodnight Chicago", the lyric says, Twenty years to see New York reflected on subway trains. Or these are 2 different people? Surely the beginning of a new era for the band, Transgender women voices actually dont change with hormones so they might actually sound the same just with a hot ass chick as the lead , She didn't sound any different when I saw them in December? A rainbow kitten surprise concert can last anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours. Play. One trigger for the success came when the band submitted their song "Devil Like Me" to the VH-1 reality show Make a Band Famous and saw it voted into the top 24. More than three million streams of the bands music are recorded each month on Spotify. Spiritual warfare informs Sam Melo's music. [7] The single "Fever Pitch" from the album climbed to number 34th on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart in spring 2018. . She made the announcement on Wednesday, March 30 about a week before the band hits the road for a highly-anticipated tour. Although the bands members identities have not been publicly discussed, their music has often been interpreted as being LGBT-friendly. That was the understanding that I had. Rainbow Kitten Surprise Sticker. . While Holt has been openly trans for some time now, Melo only came out as gay alongside the release of Rainbow Kitten Surprise's 2018 album, How to: Friend, Love, Freefall. The move to Elektra put the band on a different level. Sept. 17, 7:30 p . Straight from the bluegrass hotbed of Boone, North Carolina . Rainbow Kitten Surprise recently released the emotionally charged track "Work Out," marking the band's first new music in nearly two years. My pronouns are she/her. Formed in 2013 by college students Sam Melo and Darrick Keller, Rainbow Kitten Surprise developed a sound that was every bit as colorful as the group's name, eventually becoming one of America's most beloved indie-rock acts of the late 2010s and early 2020s. Hailing from the Blue Ridge Mountain college town of Boone, North Carolina, Rainbow Kitten Surprise play a fervent mix of bright indie pop and earnest, harmony-driven folk-rock. and Yvonne Gougelet is a playwright, theater producer, actress, activist and political & music journalist. The Boone, North Carolina quintet hit the Moody Theater stage in support of its highly acclaimed third album How To: Friend, Love, Freefall, from which comes the hits "Hide" and "Fever Pitch . Rainbow Kitten Surprise is an American rock band from North Carolina. The North Carolina band have been on the fast track to success in recent years, their first two albums gaining enough support that they began playing It included a collection of 25 songs performed at a previous live concert. The Alternative/Indie-Pop band takes influence from great artists like Modest Mouse, Lana Del Rey, and Kings of Leon. Frontman Sam Melo has stated that his faith is a major part of his life and that he prays every day for strength and guidance. Verified. Click for more. The "Rainbow Kitten Surprise Presale Presale" will go on sale Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 10 a.m. Tickets will cost $39.50 for Lawn seating and $45.50 for the Rapids Section. No pets (excluding service animals). Watch on. . Everyone uses it down here in Florida. 264k Followers, 70 Following, 116 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Rainbow Kitten Surprise (@rksbandofficial) rksbandofficial. I looked up their Wikipedia for the first time yesterday 3/31 and was very confused. I just couldn't be more thankful to be able to do what we do.". No glass or glass hubblies. . Formed in 2013 by college students Sam Melo and Darrick Keller, Rainbow Kitten Surprise developed a sound that was every bit as colorful as the group's name, eventually becoming one of America's m.. . That was pretty rough going down there as a kid, going from first world comfort to the third world. [Verse 1] Am F Hey pretty Momma don't you leave me like that C Bring it on back, bring it on back Am F Love me don't leave me, don't you leave me like that C Bring it on back, bring it on back [Chorus] Am 'Cause you're high, you're low F C You're fine but you don't say anything Am F Well you've got my heart in your hands C And your love in . That those are your problems. Figure out how to enjoy your own show. I can hop out and do press stuff in the middle of that. That was pretty rough going down there as a kid, going from first world comfort to the third world. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Be yourself. armed forces vacation club for veterans 082 825 4557; welsh keith brymer jones wife zapperstore.xyz@gmail.com Frontman Sam Melo's dexterous lyrics delivered over the band's uniquely narrative playstyle condenses a vast expanse of emotions and experiences into a cohesive, consumable performance. Right on. RKS 'Work Out' available now! Rainbow Kitten Surprise w/Sun Seeker. You talked about it being pretty disheartening or defeatist in a way. Biography. . More info: theritzybor.com. VOILA!Rainbow Kitten Surprise's Tampa concert moved from Orpheum to The Ritz Ybor City. But I still can't wait to hear what they've got coming next. Lyric Video. You adapt pretty quick as a kid and kind of roll into it. For Rainbow Kitten Surprise's lead singer and songwriter Sam Melo - a man who has lived all over the place; including in the Dominican Republic for seven years because he was raised by a . Prior to its release, Rainbow Kitten Surprise also issued the 2019 stand-alone single "Our Song.". Rainbow Kitten Surprise is an indie rock band from Boone, North Carolina, formed in 2013. Thank you for your taking the time and we look forward to seeing you guys at The Orpheum, (Now playing the Ritz due to popular demand), when you guys come down to Ybor City for pretty much the tour kickoff. Hi everyone! Funny story, they got their name back in college before an open-mic gig. Buy Rainbow Kitten Surprise tickets from the official Ticketmaster.com site. But before long, Melo who recently announced on Twitter that she is trans, her pronouns are she/her and that she wants to be referred to as Ela Melo and Keller decided they wanted to have a full band, and that's when fellow students Haney, Goodpaster and bassist Charlie Holt joined up. I was just talking about this with my bassist last night, you encounter different sets of problems the further you go. Ela Melo, the lead singer of Rainbow Kitten Surprise, came out as transgender in a social media post on Wednesday, March 30. After gracing the bills of Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Osheaga, to name a few, RKS moved 80,000 tickets of their own on their sold-out Friend, Love Freefall Tour earmarked by a packed night at Red Rocks Amphitheatre and three consecutive gigs in Athens, GA-as chronicled on their first official live album, "Live from Athens Georgia" released in 2021. Rainbow Kitten Surprise has also been involved in various Pride events, such as playing at the Los Angeles Pride Parade in 2016. I'm sorry if I'm gonna sound dumb, but we're talking about Sam Melo, that came out right now as trans, right? Happy for her! Rainbow Kitten Surprise. RKS initially recorded its music under the Split Rail Records label, a student run label at Appalachian State University's Hayes School of Music, where three of the band's members attended.