Kiss Kiss (band)

Infobox musical artist
Name = Kiss Kiss


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Origin = Milton, New York, US
Genre = Indie rock
Experimental
Progressive Rock
Avant-Garde
Years_active = 2003 - present
Label = Astro Magnetics, Eyeball
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Current_members = Josh Benash
Jared Karns
Mike Abiuso
Rebecca Schlappich
Patrick Southern
Past_members = Bob Pycior
Evan Crow
James Wolff
Lacy Rostyak
Jonathan Jetter
Pat Lamothe
Sam Oattes
Notable_instruments =

Kiss Kiss is an indie rock band formed by Joshua Benash (guitar, synth, vocals) and Jared Karns (drums). Although their music is primarily indie in style, it also includes an electric violin that adds an orchestral sound to many songs.

History

The band first formed at the State University of New York at Purchase, where Joshua Benash and Jared Karns had previously played in other bands. The band took their name from a series of short stories by Roald Dahl.

Their debut full-length album, "Reality vs. The Optimist", was released on February 6, 2007 under the New Jersey-based Eyeball Records. However, it was recorded and prepared for release many months earlier, and several tracks had leaked onto the internet by November 2006. A "tour edition" of the CD, limited to 1,000 copies, was sold at shows between the November leak of the album and the February release date.

The band has filmed videos for 3 of the songs from "Reality vs. The Optimist": "Machines" (directed by Robert Schober), "The Cats In Your House" (directed by Lindsey Michelle Houston), and "Satellite."

A blog post on the band's Myspace page on August 7, 2008 stated that the band's second full-length album was almost complete and expected to be released in early 2009. A special edition re-release of "Reality vs. The Optimist" was planned for late-2008, but information regarding its release has since been removed from the Eyeball Records website.

Musical influences

Kiss Kiss has a range of various musical influences, which include:
The Beach Boys, Eric Satie, Björk, Blonde Redhead, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Stravinsky, Mogwai, Neutral Milk Hotel, Tiny Tim, Tripping Daisy, The Kingston Trio, early Motown, The Olivia Tremor Control, Ramona Cordova, Hollywood Bukkake, Circulatory System, Radiohead, Mr. Bungle, Nirvana, Murder By Death, Cursive, and The Turtles.Fact|date=August 2008

Current lineup

*Josh Benash - guitar, vocals, synthesizer
*Mike Abiuso - guitar, synthesizer, vocals
*Jared Karns - drums
*Rebecca Schlappich - electric violin
*Patrick Southern - bass

Former members

*Bob Pycior - violin
*Evan Crow - guitar, synth
*James Wolff - electric violin, guitar
*Lacy Rostyak - electric violin, vocals
*Jonathan Jetter - guitar, ambiance
*Pat Lamothe - bass
*Sam Otis - bass

Discography

References

External links

* [http://www.eyeballrecords.com/artist/kisskiss Eyeball Records page]
* [http://www.myspace.com/kisskiss Official Myspace Page]
* [http://www.purevolume.com/kisskiss Purevolume Page]