Kaleo
with special guest ZZ Ward
at Orpheum Theater
Saturday, October 7
Doors: 6:30PM | Show: 7:30PM
Every story has two sides, and that adage is certainly true for Kaleo, the four-piece band from Iceland who now call the US home. Call it a split upbringing: the isolated heritage that results from coming of age in Iceland has paired with the fresh inspiration of moving to America, and the band has built a sound to match the disparate landscapes. A gorgeous and raucous blend of rock, folk and blues, Kaleoâs debut LP embodies that very spirit of duality: titled A/B, the album showcases the bandâs multi-layered dynamics and ability to play different genres with equal skill.
Best friends since attending elementary school outside of Reykjavik, bandleader JJ Julius Son, drummer David Antonsson, and bassist Daniel Kristjansson began playing together at the age of 17 before adding guitarist Rubin Pollock to the mix in 2012. They named the band Kaleo, which means âthe soundâ in Hawaiian, and started their career in with a handful of well-received shows at the 2012 Iceland Airwaves music festival. The band signed to Elektra/Atlantic and moved to the States in early 2015, choosing Austin as their new base.
âIt has obviously been a big change coming from a small country of 300 thousand people in Iceland to the USA with over 300 million people,â says JJ Julius Son. âWeâve learned a lot, and we are more experienced now than when we first came. Overall itâs been a great adventure.â The past year has been a busy one for the band, as theyâve played nearly nonstopâincluding over 45 US statesâas well as notching a spot on the soundtrack to HBOâs hit show Vinyl and recording a full length album with the producer Jacquire King in Nashville.
The concept behind A/B comes from Julius Sonâs love of the split sides of vinyl records and their ability to showcase an artistâs different sides. âI write very different songs that many would like to label into different genres,â he says. âThe idea of A/B is to show the diversity and the two sides of the band.â The âAâ side is more rock and roll and blues (opener âNo Good,â âWay Down We Go,â âHot Bloodâ), while the âBâ side is a bit softer with more ballads (âAll the Pretty Girls,â âVor I Vaglaskogi,â and closer âI Canât Go On Without Youâ). But no matter which side youâre on and which song is playing, the sound can only be that of Kaleo.
A/B was primarily produced and recorded with King, the esteemed production icon whose past work with talented artists as varied as Tom Waits, Kings of Leon, Norah Jones, Buddy Guy, James Bay, and Of Monsters and Men helped Kaleo showcase both their louder and softer sides. In addition to the sessions in Nashville, Kaleo wrote and recorded in various other locales around their new home in the US as well as a few different sessions around the world, from their home of Iceland to Spain and London as well. Additional production contributions to the album in these various sessions came from Mike Crossey, Arnar GuĂ°jĂłnsson and the band.