Kaleidophonix
The members of Kaleidophonix don’t want you to know if they’re handsome, ugly or plain-looking — at least not until you’ve heard their music. So, they wear masks during part of their show.
“The idea of the masks is that we’re impervious to our own egos,” said Matthew White, 25. “We’re impervious to the judgements. They (audience members) are forced — with us behind those masks — to listen to the music first and judge second.”
The masks are cartoon characters White made up when he was 10 years old.
“Koo,” White’s character, is a bird. “He has a very relaxed look on his face all the time. He’s just the goofiest thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve drawn him everywhere since I was a child.”
“Theo,” a sheep, is the mask worn by Jordan Rogers, 25. “He is this all-loving, almost teddy bear figure that everybody can look at and kind of reach down within and find that ‘Theo’ that is there,” Rogers said.
The third mask is of a pug nose pup-looking character named “Mike,” which is worn by their deejay, Jack Magee, 26.
They got the name for their group from a friend who said, “Your music is like looking through a kaleidoscope and I can’t ever place what I’m looking at.”
Each song is different and they never repeat the same vocal styles, White said.
One of their songs, “The Farx Hotel,” is “the epitome of the idea of Kaleidophonix — absolute controlled madness,” White said. “(It’s) an electro rock song. Jordan does these intense screams in the middle of the song. It breaks all the barriers of music down to the ground and builds it up again and gives you harsh, jumping, pumping stuff — beautiful, long ballad sections, intense orchestral crashes and screams and then harmonizing vocals and pianos. Everything.”
White grew up in a house with three pianos — a grand, an upright and an electric grand. “I just played the piano all day.
“My dad said, ‘What do you need to write songs?’ I said, ‘I don’t know. What do they make?’ So, he went out and bought me this huge Yamaha Motif 8 synthesizer/sequencer. ... I stayed in my room 24 hours a day writing these sequenced out songs on the Motif, just getting an idea for productions and things like that. And became obsessed with this idea of becoming a producer for a female pop artist.”
When he was 17, White switched from the rap songs he was writing for his friends to “more instrumental-based stuff, more melody driven, chord structure-type songs.”
A few years ago, White met Rogers, a veteran of several bands, at the Fox and Hound bar. Rogers realized White was the guy performing on a home-produced CD someone gave him. “It was one man producing everything — drums, piano, guitar,” Rogers said. “I was just highly impressed. I was like, ‘Wow. This kid really has a passion.’”
They formed Kaleidophonix. White plays plays piano, percussion, bells, synthesizer and keytar and Rogers plays drums, piano, guitar, bells and percussion. They both sing.
The group, signed to Mike Burris’ Fairchild Records, is working on a full-length album.
White still is amazed how everything culminated into Kaleidophonix: “Before, it felt like I’m a kid with a dream. Now it feels like I’m an adult who knows how to actually interpret his dream.”
Listen Up spotlights area performers. Michael Donahue can be reached at 529-2797.
Kaleidophonix
The band ( k-phonix.com) will open for Lord T and Eloise and Eric Gales at an all-ages show at 9 p.m. Friday at Minglewood Hall, 1555 Madison. Also opening are Glitch Doctor, Tanks and Memphis-Feel Harmonic. Tickets: $18 in advance, $16 at the door. Call (901) 312-6058.
- |
Comments » 0
Be the first to post a comment!
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.