Kaleido Experience review 2017
By Cathy Moore for Rock All Photography and Music Moore Rock Shots and Reviews
I will admit I am a sucker for kick ass female fronted rock bands. I’ll take the strong and sassy sounds of Lzzy Hale or Amy Lee or Maria Brink or Alexa Kabazie any day over almost any male vocalist out there. And now I’ll add Christina Chriss to that list.
Chriss is the powerhouse vocalist for the Detroit band Kaleido which also features Joey Fava (drums), Ronnie Rosolino (rhythm guitar), Cody Morales (bass) and Zach Bolling (lead guitar). On May 19, Kaleido’s debut full-length album, Experience, hits the world with its crazy cool, unadulterated, feel it in your soul rock infused with flourishes of pop, R&B, punk & funk undertones – and hooks for days. I’m telling you – it’s unique, it’s fun, it’s fantastic.
After a brief “Intro”, Experience kicks off with “Blue Collar Delight” which really sets the pace for the whole album. It’s groovy and feels like pure, honest, hard-working rock and roll. You want to grab a beer and jam with friends to this song. The next song “No More Little Miss Nice Bitch” is Chriss’s favorite on this CD according to an interview I did with her back in March. It’s feisty. Just like Chriss. The next several songs are similar – upbeat tunes that blend genres and make you want to move your body and have a good time.
It’s hard for me to pick a favorite song on this CD because I honestly like them all. There isn’t a single song that I skip when I listen to it. I really dig the groove of “On One” which is surprising because it almost has a country dance rock feel (and I hate country music), but I just love it. I think it’s spunky and it makes me want to get up and dance and sing along every time I hear it.
Another stand out for me is “Trouble In Paradise” which was actually the second single released from the album. This song reminds me of an early No Doubt sound and has pounding live drums, a bouncy rhythm, beautifully eerie vocals, soaring melodies and harmonizing guitars with a funky reggae inspired bass line. “Trouble In Paradise” blends and bends genres, creating a fresh, new sound. This song also holds a very special place in the band’s hearts as it was the first song that they all wrote together.
But then I am also very impressed by the way they chose to end the album. For song #12 they slowed things down and gave us a ballad about the challenge of trying to move on after love lost in “All Together”. Then the final song, aptly named “The End”, is a soft and melodic tune with quite possibly the most powerful lyrics on the whole CD. She is angry…she is strong…she is not taking any more shit but she breathes it in an almost angelic voice that draws you and makes you think she is singing you a love song. Listen closely boys. She isn’t.
According to Chriss, the collection of songs on Experience captures the highs and lows of life – the duality that many will easily relate to – symbolizing what the band defines at its very core. “I really opened up and let it all out on this record,” Christina admits. “It was just time for me to show the good and the bad, the sides of myself that I haven’t talked about until now. Through all of the ups and the downs, it’s these experiences that have made me who I am and have gotten me to where I am in my life.”
At the core, Kaleido is reminiscent of the piss-and-vinegar, stadium rock of a young Guns N’ Roses crossed and fused with the lovable, fun and energetic sensibilities of an early No Doubt. Their authentic and memorable songs are highlighted by an explosive live show, both of which quickly gained them notoriety in the Detroit music scene. They are now out on the road with Seether on their “Poison the Parish” tour – along with another favorite female fronted band of mine Letters From The Fire. Chriss told me that one thing she really wants the world to know about Kaleido is that they are passionate and they love what they do. “And rock isn’t dead!” she said. “And girls can be badasses too!” She ain’t lying. Now get out there see for yourself!
OFFICIAL WEBSTIE:
SOCIAL MEDIA:
https://www.facebook.com/Kaleidoband
https://twitter.com/kaleidoband
https://www.instagram.com/kaleidoband
https://www.reverbnation.com/kaleidomi
SEETHER – POISON THE PARISH WORLD TOUR
05/10 @ Stone Pony – Asbury Park, NJ *
05/11 @ The Dome at Toyota Presents Oakdale – Wallingford, CT *
05/12 @ Funk & Waffles – Syracuse, NY ^
05/13 @ Higher Ground – Burlington, VT ^
05/14 @ House of Blues – Boston, MA *
05/16 @ Upstate Concert Hall – Clifton Park, NY *
05/17 @ Rapids Theatre – Niagara Falls, NY *
05/19 @ Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA *
05/21 @ The Forge – Joliet, IL ^
05/22 @ 20 Monroe Live – Grand Rapids, MI *
05/24 @ St. Andrew’s Hall – Detroit, MI *
05/25 @ St. Andrew’s Hall – Detroit, MI *
05/26 @ Route 20 – Racine, WI ^
05/27 @ Sokol Auditorium – Omaha, NE *
05/31 @ Liquid Joe’s – Salt Lake City, UT
06/01 @ Knitting Factory Concert House – Boise, ID * ^
06/05 @ The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA * ^
06/06 @ House of Blues – Anaheim, CA * ^
06/07 @ Marquee Theatre – Tempe, AZ * ^
06/10 @ The Pageant – Saint Louis, MO * ^
* With Seether & Letters From The Fire
^ With Letters From The Fire ONLY
* ^ With Seether & Through Fire
