(Photo/Christina R . Each of the queens conceals their identities for a variety of reasons, citing fear of bodily harm or damaging familial relationships. The building shook as the crowded room stomped along to Holt's pulsing bass, sending their love through every floorboard of the venue. You talked about it being pretty disheartening or defeatist in a way. 2023 LIVE NATION WORLDWIDE, INC. Their songs are often filled with clever wordplay and heartfelt lyrics. 4:00AM. The song's beautiful melody line and the effervescent vibe is a stark juxtaposition to its poignant lyrics about the difficult relationships - of all sorts - that people struggle with. The Riv // Chicago, IL // February 8, 2019. "It changed my life forever.". Documentarian Kyle Thrash was enlisted by the band to create the video for Hide, which depicts sexuality in a subtle way. "It was like, we did RKS. Rainbow Kitten Surprise-a band name you don't easily forget. They were voted into the final 24 on the . Fans of the band appreciate their unique sound and the way they bring a sense of joy and fun to their music. 33 cities. 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. 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 . Rainbow Kitten Surprise | Howler Whats the balancing act like between the person we hear on the record and thinks about insecurities and this other person who is committed to making RKS something you can do for the rest of your life? [7] The single "Fever Pitch" from the album climbed to number 34th on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart in spring 2018. [2] Their first EP, Mary, was recorded in a dorm room at the university. Many great bands have emerged from Rainbow Kitten Surprises home state of North Carolina (Ben Folds Five, Avett Brothers and Superchunk are a few that come to mind), but the Boone-based outfits rise to becoming a festival favorite thats selling out clubs across the country had to run through the Dominican Republic first. pic.twitter.com/kejuO2yLIn. Hi everyone! High-energy, queer-friendly, happy-go-lucky. I don't know if that's the way this next record is going to come together but given our history, I feel like maybe that right now it's still that gestation period I'm curious to know what's going to come out on the other side of the rabbit hole. Review: Rainbow Kitten Surprise releases poetic third album Rainbow Kitten Surprise Is a Religious Experience - Dallas Observer Rainbow Kitten Surprise is Ela Melo (lead vocals), Darrick "Bozzy" Keller (guitar, vocals), Ethan Goodpaster (lead guitar, vocals), Charlie Holt (bass, vocals), Jess Haney (drums). I'm always under the assumption that the band life is never is as glamorous as you think it is. In May 2019, RKS released Mary (B-Sides), consisting of a studio recording of "Heart" (a song originally released via YouTube and SoundCloud in 2014) and the track "No Vacancy". 9827 fans Top Tracks. And since then I've just been digging into the harmonic series and trying to figure out what makes a sound a sound. It's always a new set of gains. These North Carolina-based festival favorites mix exuberant indie pop and earnest folk-rock. On this weekend, the quintet from North Carolina will perform at Boston Calling. I can hop out and do press stuff in the middle of that. The two wrote and composed music together as they attended Appalachian State University.The band name was created by a friend who was on a morphine drip at the time, recently out of surgery. By Rainbow Kitten Surprise, the best name ever we know, sat down with us at Outside Lands to talk about their new record and their song Hide. // Privacy Policy . It was limbo for me. Buy Rainbow Kitten Surprise's album titled How to: Friend, Love, Freefall. Rainbow Kitten Surprise (@rksbandofficial) posted on - Instagram Ela Melo, the lead singer for the popular alternative/indie rock band Rainbow Kitten Surprise, revealed she has found her "authentic self" in coming out as transgender. Rainbow Kitten Surprise and all five of its members hail from the mountains of Boone, North Carolina. That was the understanding that I had. Rainbow Kitten Surprise - LiveOne - Premium Live Music But not every day feels like that, so how do you keep positive things flowing out your mouth without expressing, "Wow, yes, sometimes this is hard," or how do you play shows back to back-to-back every night and how do you still get into it? While the bands music has earned them widespread acclaim, one member in particular has stirred up a bit of controversy: the lead singer, Sam Melo. In June 2019, they performed at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheater, which they sold out in seven days. Rainbow Kitten Surprise lead vocalist, Ela, comes out as trans In 2010, the band was accused of plagiarism after their song Fantasy resembled another artists work. It's like two years old but just brush the dust off and it will be good." Up to the point Haney joined the band, Rainbow Kitten Surprise had been the duo of singer Sam Melo and guitarist Darrick "Bozzy" Keller. In between those two locales were several stops, including one week-long stay in Tampa Bay, and if you believe the lyrics to Goodnight Chicago from RKS 2015 self-titled LP, then our hometown is where Melo metaphorically killed a man out of spite (When he died, I took his place, is how the lyric goes). Rainbow Kitten Surprise Tickets - Ticketmaster Hailing from the Blue Ridge Mountain college town of Boone, North Carolina, Rainbow Kitten Surprise play a mix of bright indie pop and earnest, harmony-driven folk-rock. However, there is one feature that is present throughout each of the group's songs - a captivating story. Songs like Six and Fever Pitch are often cited as being particularly LGBT-friendly, with themes of unrequited love, acceptance and identity. She made the announcement on Instagram just a few days before the bands tour began. Their music has a calmer demeanor. Rainbow Kitten Surprise at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas Participation in this event is entirely at your own risk. Spiritual warfare informs Sam Melo's music - sfexaminer.com Once you get over that search and you get heartbroken by it, you realize all of the tools that are now at your disposal. That success drew the attention of Elektra Records, and the major label signed Rainbow Kitten Surprise, setting the table for an even bigger breakout. Rainbow Kitten Surprise With chilling harmonies, dynamic instrumentation, and introspective lyrics, their distinct sound takes influence from artists like Modest Mouse and Kings of Leon. In the bands words, we have grown as humans and as a band. Other bands as well as their fans rallied around them in support of them. By the time we left, we were pretty broke and it was sort of defeatist, at least from my eyes. 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. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Sam Melo Lyrics, Songs, and Albums | Genius But if you have two weeks, you'll make it in two weeks. They announced earlier this week that their tour had sold out in less than a week. The group held its earlier rehearsals in Boone, North Carolina . independent local journalism in Dallas. Rainbow Kitten Surprise Announces Concert at KettleHouse Amphitheater This year has seen the deaths of stars and icons, but we honor their memory by highlighting them. Tbf earlier all I knew was that the lead singer had this gorgeous beard and that's how I knew who is the singer, not by the name. Sold out, 8 p.m., Saturday, July 9, Whitewater Amphitheater, 11860 FM306, New Braunfels, (830) 964-3800, whitewaterrocks.com. Everyone uses it down here in Florida. Can you expand on that? 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. Spiritual warfare informs Sam Melo's music. Right on. So once I was a teenager, everything else was a faint glimmer, I didn't really understand The States, so coming back was a rough transition for sure. I will say as a trans girl that some of the older lyrics make more sense now. In early 2013, before becoming the full ensemble that is the current Rainbow Kitten Surprise, lead singer Sam Melo and guitarist and backup vocalist Darick "Bozzy" Keller released the band's . They are based in Boone. 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. I still had dial-up till a year after we moved back, so MySpace hit me pretty hard. If I hear of a Bustelo connection, I will definitely help get that sponsorship for you guys. Although the group of Carolinians frontman Sam Melo, Darrick "Bozzy" Keller, Ethan Goodpaster, Jess Haney and . The Split Rail label was founded in 2005. I'm extremely confused as I almost never get any closer to learn more about the band and just now I've learned how she was named and that now her name is Ela. Rainbow Kitten Surprise on Apple Music On August 13, 2021, Rainbow Kitten Surprise released the live album RKS! You write a lot about your insecurities that you have on your record, but you also have this you also have a steely side thats resolved itself to pushing the band forward does that come from that time? I'm Ela, lead singer of Rainbow Kitten Surprise. The move to Elektra put the band on a different level. A New Dallas Doc Fills in the Blanks on the Spectacular Story of Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Hoosier States Patron Saint, John Mellencamp, Blessed Grand Prairie on Wednesday Night, 10 Best Concerts of the Week: Muse, Carrie Underwood, Buddy Guy and More. Rainbow Kitten Surprise has also been involved in various Pride events, such as playing at the Los Angeles Pride Parade in 2016. . Fender Presents: Rainbow Kitten Surprise | Fender - YouTube It's all good. Rainbow Kitten Surprise prepares to unleash a burst of musical influences at The Jones Assembly. It features 13 tracks, including the single "Hide", the music video of which depicts four drag queens coming out to their families. Relishing in the opportunity before them, RKS have truly taken ownership of who they are to the point where they're . Become a member to support the independent voice of Dallas Are your fans starting to come to you with some pretty heavy coming out stories of their own? At that time I was pretty self-absorbed, self-conscious, I mean, I was 14. SDGLN provides in-depth coverage on issues of importance to the LGBT community and our allies. And hopefully, that comes out of the next record. Their sound has been influenced by artists such as Modest Mouse, Kings of Leon, Frank Ocean and Schoolboy Q. Rainbow Kitten Surprise performed a sold-out show at the Bomb Factory on Feb. 15, 2019. . There's nothing better than being front row for a Rainbow Kitten Surprise show. Hi everyone! Your favorite tequila battle is back on 4/7/23! The alternative band will perform at the famous music venue on Monday, July 11 and Tuesday, July 12, concert promoter AEG Presents announced Monday. Their mix of tight instrumental chops and jam band finesse helped earn them a strong grassroots following and, after a couple of indie releases, they . No own drinks allowed. [5][6], On April 6, 2018, RKS released its How To: Friend, Love, Freefall album, under the Elektra Records label. Formed in an Appalachian State dorm room in 2013 by singer Sam Melo and guitarist Darrick "Bozzy" Keller, the duo recorded and self-released their acoustic EP, Mary . REVIEW: Rainbow Kitten Surprise make an impression in Chicago Sam Melo and Ethan Goodpaster of Rainbow Kitten Surprise perform on Rainbow Kitten Surprise Band Music Tour Poster. How to: Friend, Love, Freefall. $28.27. Although the bands members identities have not been publicly discussed, their music has often been interpreted as being LGBT-friendly. Watch on. North Carolina indie folk-rock outfit Rainbow Kitten Surprise rose from college dorm-room jammers to main-stage festival performers during the mid-2010s. If you have three days to make it, you'll make it in three days. Sam Melo, second from left, brings Rainbow Kitten Surprise to the Fillmore. We always love Austin City Limits debuts, and it's even better with a young band as fresh and exciting as Rainbow Kitten Surprise. 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). Ultimately, Rainbow Kitten Surprises music is open to interpretation, and it is up to the listener to decide whether or not they find spiritual meaning in their songs. Sign up for the latest music, videos, tour dates, and more Rainbow Kitten Surprise Fashion Casual Navel,Funny Women_s Personality Sticker. Mike Stunson covers real-time news for McClatchy. Video shows Florida alligator easily blasting through a metal fence, The four-day Grand Prix of St. Petersburg starts today. That's super interesting. 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. 'Bout twenty more I'll be forty-four, head back to Tampa Bay. Like can you say him in a song? Many electric vehicle batteries lose power when its very cold. According to couples, men typically want more sexual activity. Ela Melo, the lead singer of Rainbow Kitten Surprise, came out as transgender in a social media post on Wednesday, March 30. Rainbow Kitten Surprise Vinyl Gifts & Merchandise for Sale Happy Pride Month. By RKS are the indie rock heroes we deserve. It's like two years old but just brush the dust off and it will be good." If you're looking for the living embodiment of multi-dimensionality, turn to Sam Melo, lead singer from the band Rainbow Kitten Surprise. They had started playing shows around the Boone area and wrote and recorded the earliest Rainbow Kitten Surprise songs as a duo. What's more, it was the first time all five band members were involved in the creative process from the ground up. There wasn't a seat remaining as the lights dimmed in the Tennessee Theatre. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images Rainbow Kitten Surprise is an indie-rock band from Boone, North Carolina whose genre-bending sound has taken the music world by storm. It's incredible that this is what life is. Over the past couple of years, I've been doing some major soul searching in the pursuit of my authentic self. Once you get over that search and you get heartbroken by it, you realize all of the tools that are now at your disposal. How to: Friend, Love, Freefall by Rainbow Kitten Surprise | CD | Barnes I was just talking about this with my bassist last night, you encounter different sets of problems the further you go. How to: Friend, Love, Freefall. From $1.46. HEART UKULELE by Rainbow Kitten Surprise - Ultimate Guitar "Me and Ethan went to high school together, and we kind of played in my basement and did covers of random things. Sam Melo on why Rainbow Kitten Surprise's road to rock infamy ran . I wouldn't say it gets easier, it certainly gets more routine. 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. The video, which in part contains a micro-documentary directed by Kyle Thrash, follows four drag queens in New Orleans throughout their day to day life. 02:32 . Or these are 2 different people? Rainbow Kitten Surprise. RKS independently released its first album, Seven, which was later re-released together with the band's first EP as a joint album called Seven + Mary. May 6, 2018. 8. 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. [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 . While the band has not explicitly stated that they are LGBT, their music and involvement in Pride events have been seen as a sign of support for the LGBT community. Ela Rainbow Kitten Surprise is an American indie rock band from Boone, North Carolina. Rainbow Kitten Surprise has expertly used the spotlight to promote the welfare of LGBTQ+ people. Rainbow Kitten Surprise hometown, biography | Last.fm No large umbrellas or gazebos are allowed. With an ever-growing following, Ela Rainbow Kitten Surprise is sure to keep producing captivating music for years to come. Mon, Jul 4, 2022 at 4:00 am. By the time we left, we were pretty broke and it was sort of defeatist, at least from my eyes. (Courtesy Matthew Salacuse) By Tom Lanham . Now boasting over 1 billion global streams across platforms, the band first began building their devoted fanbase with independent albums "Seven + Mary" (2013) and "RKS" (2015). The band consists of Sam Melo, Darrick Keller, Charlie Holt, Jess Haney, and Caleb Elder. // Manage Preferences, The Dares latest single Good Time, is the definition of were here for a good time, not a long time. The track. Live from Athens Georgia. Sam Melo. A post shared by Rainbow Kitten Surprise (@rksbandofficial). The two wrote and composed music together as they attended Appalachian State University. The Caribbean island is where frontman Sam Melo, whose parents were missionaries, spent seven years of his childhood before circumstances forced a permanent move back to the U.S. NINE LIVES: Rainbow Kitten Surprise frontman Sam Melo, who brings the band to The Ritz in Ybor City, Florida on September 17, 2018. Am I going to fit in? When my family was moving to and from the Dominican growing up, we would always land in Miami and go stay with him in Tampa. Rainbow Kitten Surprise will perform at soldout album release parties for their new album . Apple store abruptly closes at Northlake Mall, in latest blow to struggling NC site, Something new is heading to the former Lulus restaurant space in Plaza Midwood, How to Watch Donald Trumps CPAC 2023 Speech-Time, Schedule and Livestream, In Chicago, adapting electric buses to winters challenges, Chris Rock to finally have his say in new stand-up special, Reports: 3 children dead, 2 wounded in attack at Texas home, Paid express lanes grow more popular in once-reluctant South. You're always blindsided by it. Rainbow Kitten Surprise: Sold out tour for "How To: Friend, Love The crowd immediately stood to their feet when they heard the . And there are just so many details there are into making a good sounding record. In January 2020, the long-running PBS show Austin City Limits aired Rainbow Kitten Surprise in a half-hour set recorded the previous fall. Recorded at Nashville's Neon Cross Studio, where the group took advantage of a collection of vintage instruments, How To: Friend, Love, Freefall was produced by Jay Joyce (Cage the Elephant, the Head and the Heart) and released in 2018. She made the announcement on Wednesday, March 30 about a week before the band hits the road for a highly-anticipated tour. Even at this early stage, there were signs that Rainbow Kitten Surprise might grow into something more than a just-for-fun college-years band. Rainbow Kitten Surprise's Fort Mill-raised bassist talks how Charlotte What's the Truth Behind the Beyonc Country Album Rumors. Facebook screengrab 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? Im so curious about Elas sound. We had few friends back here. ", 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.". The album is built around this narrative about how hard it is to pay bills as a musician, it started out as a different idea and you've mentioned this pressure that comes with being a band, basically gone from becoming locally famous after Bozz asked you to play the Galileo show and now you have PR, festival dates, this following, how are you coping this last year, after writing this album, releasing it and going on this tour? Rainbow Kitten Surprise was formed in 2013 by Ela Melo and Darrick Keller. As they tried to come up with a name for their music, Rainbow Kitten Surprise was born. Naturally, cheers climaxed when Melo confessed, "He's a better kisser than you'd think, Mom.". They enjoy it. This story was originally published March 31, 2022, 9:40 AM. turns out shes still there and i love it for her:)). But after a while it becomes, you're playing shows every night, you're having to do these press things on the days in between, you gotta always portray because everybody that is coming at you is coming from the perspective of success, like "Wow, congratulations, you're making it." 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 . San Diego Gay & Lesbian News (SDGLN) is the top-read news source for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community of San Diego. Ray Roa But back to the Bustelo question. Weve grown a lot as humans and as a band, the group said. We had few friends back here. 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. Dallas' independent source of 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.. . His spot was kind of a transitory period for us. 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. Learning how to navigate the technology and capabilities that come with a true professional studio wasn't the only challenge for Rainbow Kitten Surprise. There's so much of it down here but I keep forgetting it's actually from New York. Three years ago, when Rainbow Kitten Surprise sold out Visulite Theatre, . All you gotta do is just pour some cream on top and chug it. With catchy, yet deep lyrical meaning, beautifully designed bass lines, and melodic guitar riffs, their unique sound will keep you humming their tunes all day long. On the track, Melo sings, "Called to the devil and the devil said, 'Hey, why you been calling this late? They are known for their captivating live performances, which often involve elaborate costumes and choreographed dance moves. No mentally. Once you make it better you gotta figure out how to play it. Play. So, to make that jump was definitely a little bit of a shock for all of us. My pronouns are she/her. Dude, thanks for making music that makes me want to ask questions like that. Sometimes life is a grind of the best possible espresso you can put into a percolator. Though he wrote the song in 2015, it wasn't released until three years later. It's all fun. 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. She is, indeed, a trans woman, she stated as she revealed her gender to her fellow human beings. I was thinking about this performance today when I saw the bands post on Insta, that was an unforgettable show and it makes me so happy ela feels comfortable being her true self . . Saw her in Newport and I was on the barrier. "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 . basically using musical vocal techniques to raise the pitch of your voice to sound more feminine in everyday social scenarios. The band formed in Boone, North Carolina. But power to Ela! And I feel like you've always said it in your music, your answer is to just be yourself. Rainbow Kitten Surprise on their fast road to fame and unforgettable Prior to its release, Rainbow Kitten Surprise also issued the 2019 stand-alone single "Our Song.". This single marked their first release as a band since May 2019. The crooning voice we all love so much (: Ansley Elizabeth Photography) 288. Subscribe now to get the latest news delivered right to your inbox. Rainbow Kitten Surprise - The Vogue And the circumstance that we left my family had lived on predominately support from missionary organizations so as time progressed, as happens quite often with people going down to do medical work the excitement and support wains because people don't know what's going on down there.