That's super interesting. Over the past couple of years, I've been doing some major soul searching in the pursuit of my authentic self.I'm happy to share with you that I am trans. The two wrote and composed music together as they attended Appalachian State University. 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.. . Rainbow Kitten Surprise and all five of it's members hail from the mountains of Boone, North Carolina. Participation in this event is entirely at your own risk. 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. The group held its earlier rehearsals in Boone, North Carolina . The point being, I'll start all of these ideas and show them to the guys and they'll gestate with them for a while and I'll just completely have forgotten about them. Well, it just so happens that two of the members of the five-piece band are also members of the LGBTQ+ community - singer Sam Melo is gay and bassist Charlie Holt is trans. RKS was formed in early 2013 when the first two members, Sam Melo and Darrick "Bozzy" Keller, decided to begin writing and composing music together. More than three million streams of the bands music are recorded each month on Spotify. [7] The single "Fever Pitch" from the album climbed to number 34th on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart in spring 2018. Saturday's All Aboard! Thanks for sharing that story. Their music has a calmer demeanor. Live from Athens Georgia. This was the first time I had been back state-side in years and it all felt really foreign to me and it was kind of like this resolution almost, that this is life now and we're making the best of it. I just couldn't be more thankful to be able to do what we do.". Sometimes life is a grind of the best possible espresso you can put into a percolator. . Rainbow Kitten Surprise consists of Sam Melo, Darrick 'Bozzy' Keller, Ethan Goodpaster, Jess Haney and Charlie Holt. Im Ela, lead singer of Rainbow Kitten Surprise. 17. Their live performances are renowned for their high-energy, raw emotion, and often times, humor. When you consider some of its subject matter songs like "Cocaine Jesus" come to mind the name really is a bit of a "Surprise.". "Seven + Mary" was their first and most folky album, which combined haunting melodies with the unique and striking voice of lead vocalist Sam Melo. There's nothing better than being front row for a Rainbow Kitten Surprise show. And it was just kind of a transitory period. Can you expand on that? But I still can't wait to hear what they've got coming next. While the band does not have an explicitly religious ideology, it has been noted that some of their music does touch on spiritual and religious themes. They were voted into the final 24 on the . Are you still going into these "rabbit hole states are you able to work when you are in them? Rainbow Kitten Surprise-a band name you don't easily forget. The Split Rail label was founded in 2005. Like if somebody loses a friend and somehow our music is cathartic to them, go for it, man. "Yeah, it was zero to 100 for us, really," Haney said. It's Called: Freefall . People who are b. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. Where we would go and huddle up and maybe my dad and one of my brothers, and myself would go get a U-Haul and get our stuff from the airport, or however it was shipped. Rainbow Kitten Surprise live in South Africa! Before long, Melo and Keller had grown RKS into a full band with Haney, Goodpaster and bassist Charlie Holt. Founded In. 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. Read our full chat and get information on the show below. We had few friends back here. [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. So happy for her! And now about her coming out, damn that's brave of her to do that! No coolerboxes. Now two NC men face prison. The band opened with one of the marquee tracks off of their most recent release, "It's Called: Freefall," a haunting folk-rock-tinged song that addresses internal conflict. The Boy Scouts Of America Under Pressure To Allow Gay Men To Serve, Is Jack Skellington Gay? Inspired by a close friend's morphine-ridden ramblings from a hospital bed, RKS was. 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. Biography. RKS 'Work Out' available now! Im happy to share with you that I am trans. 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 . Though each Rainbow Kitten Surprise show has a compelling narrative, we were lucky enough to catch a performance that had a particularly relevant message. [9], In April 2019, RKS performed at several venues across North Carolina to raise funds for Equality NC, the country's oldest statewide LGBT equality organization.[10]. Rainbow Kitten Surprise Fashion Casual Navel,Funny Women_s Personality Sticker. So you didn't feel constrained, it worked out for you then? Excited for the new music from the band. At first, it's "How do you pay bills? $28.27. 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. She made the announcement on Instagram just a few days before the bands tour began. High-energy, queer-friendly, happy-go-lucky. (Courtesy Matthew Salacuse) By Tom Lanham . And hopefully, that comes out of the next record. Like can you say him in a song? SDGLN provides in-depth coverage on issues of importance to the LGBT community and our allies. Twenty dates on their tour were sold out earlier this week. The lead vocalist (Sam Melo) seems like someone that is very suited for passionate Americana music and has a similar voice to the frontman of . Does that feel like a burden for you as your fan base grows and is very devoted to the band? That's just how they like it. . 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. But if you have two weeks, you'll make it in two weeks. You know, the one sound that is all sounds, like combined into one awesome thing, which does not exist, but you're always looking for it. 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. Do you feel any kind of responsibility in hearing their stories? Sept. 17, 7:30 p.m. $25 & up. Rainbow Kitten Surprise. Fri, Sep 14, 2018 at 12:09 pm. I was just talking about this with my bassist last night, you encounter different sets of problems the further you go. Live from Athens Georgia. The band name was created by a friend who was on a morphine drip at the time, recently out of surgery. Because of I definitely still kind of in that mode of wanting to try too many things and given more time it would have ended up being an incomplete 21 songs record. Liking Bridget Jones: Does It Mean Im Gay? The length of the concert will depend on the number of songs the band performs and the amount of time they spend between songs. Subscribe now to get the latest news delivered right to your inbox. By I've come to understand it differently. I'm sorry if I'm gonna sound dumb, but we're talking about Sam Melo, that came out right now as trans, right? A post shared by Rainbow Kitten Surprise (@rksbandofficial). Rainbow Kitten Surprise is a band that defies all definition. We wish them the best and hope to see them back in SLC again soon. That was the understanding that I had. 70 following. Ela Melo is the lead vocalist for alt-rock band Rainbow Kitten Surprise; she wrote their biggest hit, "It's Called: Freefall.". And I feel like you've always said it in your music, your answer is to just be yourself. on Sam Melo and Darrick "Bozzy" Keller, decided to begin writing and . I will say as a trans girl that some of the older lyrics make more sense now. In particular, the song Killing for Love has been interpreted as an allegory about finding solace in faith and discovering inner peace. Genre-defying, live sensations Rainbow Kitten Surprise announce South African Tour Dates for March 2023 including a show at the beautiful Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens on Friday 10 March 2023. Rainbow Kitten Surprise has also been involved in various Pride events, such as playing at the Los Angeles Pride Parade in 2016. San Diego Gay & Lesbian News (SDGLN) is the top-read news source for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community of San Diego. This story was originally published March 31, 2022, 9:40 AM. How do you find time to practice between working jobs or school?". For their first evening in Chicago, they pulled out all the stops and gave their fans a flawless performance. It features 13 tracks, including the single "Hide", the music video of which depicts four drag queens coming out to their families. No large umbrellas or gazebos are allowed. The Riv // Chicago, IL // February 8, 2019. Rainbow Kitten Surprise is a popular indie-rock band that has made waves in the music scene with their unique sound and style. And then find our home, which usually was North Carolina. A year of heavy touring followed and yielded the 2021 concert album RKS! A beautiful experience indeed. No food. The band consists of Sam Melo, Darrick Keller, Charlie Holt, Jess Haney, and Caleb Elder. The band consists of Sam Melo, Darrick Keller, Charlie Holt, Jess Haney, and Caleb Elder. That was pretty rough going down there as a kid, going from first world comfort to the third world. Whatever you need. Rainbow Kitten Surprise has booked two nights at Colorado's iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre in 2022. Over the past couple of years, I've been doing some major soul searching in the pursuit of my authentic self. If media is missing, please DM me with a link to submission url and tweet. Sam Melo. 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. We did that on a studio-run label thing, and all of that was cool. Rainbow Kitten Surprise. I don't know, it was a lot of fun.". I'm sorry if I'm gonna sound dumb, but we're talking about Sam Melo, that came out right now as trans, right? In his childlike post-op haze, their friend proposed the band name themselves "Rainbow Kitten Surprise." Laughs were had, and so it was, and so it remains. It was the utmost honor for Ones to Watch to be in attendance, and we are proud to join Rainbow Kitten Surprise and countless other artists in the promotion of equality through the greatest unifier, music. "Yeah, we were pumping out a song a day and it felt good. Rainbow Kitten Surprise has expertly used the spotlight to promote the welfare of LGBTQ+ people. thanks to their energetic performances, and frontman Sam Melo's impressive dance moves. 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 . Im so curious about Elas sound. 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. After forming in 1972, John Fogerty the singer, guitarist, and songwriting mastermind behind Creedence Clearwater Revival broke up the band. and help keep the future of the Observer, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our, Dallas Observer's The Morning After Brunch. Maybe even more so going forward but also in the performance aspect, as well. No pets (excluding service animals). Alan Sculley 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 . 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. Is what I'm wearing OK? Many electric vehicle batteries lose power when its very cold. Especially in a place of uncertainty. They enjoy it. A rigorous support tour followed, including a sold-out stop at Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheatre and a series of shows in Athens, Georgia, which were later compiled into the 2021 concert album RKS! At the end of the video, one of the queens reveals her persona to her father - and in true pride month spirit, he declares, "I'll always be your biggest fan. Its like 2 AM and the bars all close at ten in hell, thats a rule I made'Anyway, you say youre too busy saving everybody else to save yourselfAnd you dont want no help, oh wellThats the story to tell". How to: Friend, Love, Freefall. 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. Their second LP, RKS, arrived in 2015 via hometown label Split Rail; combined with the increasing viral success of their single "Devil Like Me" (from Seven), the record brought Rainbow Kitten Surprise to a much wider national audience. 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. In fact, as commitments go, he thought it was as minimal as it gets. You looked great in your dress on New Years Eve in DC. Rainbow Kitten Surprise w/Sun Seeker. Right on. My pronouns are she/her. 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". Prior to its release, Rainbow Kitten Surprise also issued the 2019 stand-alone single "Our Song.". Buy Rainbow Kitten Surprise tickets from the official Ticketmaster.com site. 2 countries. Speech therapy usually only effects talking, not singing, though speech therapy for trans women is essentially vocal training, I underwent it for a little while a few years back. This came after she announced on March 30 that the band would embark on a highly anticipated tour right before the end of the month. She is, indeed, a trans woman, she stated as she revealed her gender to her fellow human beings. Im Ela, lead singer of Rainbow Kitten Surprise. BY CONTINUING PAST THIS PAGE YOU AGREE TO OUR Hi everyone! Although the group of Carolinians frontman Sam Melo, Darrick "Bozzy" Keller, Ethan Goodpaster, Jess Haney and . Relishing in the opportunity before them, RKS have truly taken ownership of who they are to the point where they're . Although the bands members identities have not been publicly discussed, their music has often been interpreted as being LGBT-friendly. Rainbow Kitten Surprise live in South Africa!Genre-defying, live sensations Rainbow Kitten Surprise announce South African Tour Dates for March 2023 including a show at the beautiful Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens on Friday 10 March 2023.Rainbow Kitten Surprise recently released the emotionally charged track "Work Out," marking the band's first new music in nearly two years.