A Chance of Fireballs
Orlando, Florida, United States
Music
Press
A Chance Of Fireballs EP Review
There's something about A Chance of Fireballs. Perhaps it's their college-aged vibe and the Hellogoodbye-esque cutesy graphics splashed on their album cover and website, or maybe it's their endearing YouTube videos obviously taped by a friend that still somehow manage to capture their charm. This is a band of young guys who enjoy what they're doing, and you'll enjoy listening to it.
What A Chance of Fireballs has done on their eponymous debut EP is rather striking – they've found a delicate balance between too cute and too angry. Their synths and keyboards (whether on purpose or on happy accident) are almost adorable, almost at the level of HORSE The Band (think about your Nintendo 64 here), but the lyrics balance everything out to keep the band from sounding like they're trying too hard.
“Under the door our shadows slide/hurry up now and don't fall behind/pretend that sex and coffee were our only crime,” singer Jason Killingsworth belts out on “Sex and Coffee”, amid cute keyboards and rock-heavy guitar and drums. And on “Dorky Girl”, a surprisingly heavy homage to a nerdy friend filled with extreme guitar solos, Killingsworth sings, “They saw you there/they laughed and stared/Why do you care?/It's okay to be a dorky girl!”
Along with Killingsworth, the band consists of Eric Diamond on keyboards, John Savage on guitar, and Kelly Pare on drums. The band has no bassist – they don't need one. It's easy to compare their sound to Hellogoodbye or even The Killers, but A Chance of Fireballs has a unique sound that can't be attributed to one instrument – it's the obvious chemistry the band mates share that makes them so enjoyable.
If you're in college or you know someone who is, ask them if they know a band that they hope will “make it”. Chances are, they do, and the heartfelt way they yearn for their hometown band to get that elusive record deal is the way you'll feel about A Chance of Fireballs – like they're your friends, and you love their music and watching them play live, and want them to succeed.
Key Tracks: Dorky Girl, May, Sex and Coffee
Abbey K. Davis – Sr. MuzikReviews.com Staff
February 28, 2011
©MuzikReviews.com
- Muzik Reviews
In tune with Jason Killingsworth by Kat Coffin
Anyone attending a live show by Jason Killingsworth may witness a near tragic accident while enjoying the music. Killingsworth is the lead singer for the Orlando/Tampa based band A Chance of Fireballs. “I am an absolute geek for music, even my own, so I tend to spaz in practice and onstage. During one particular practice session that was going well, I remember leaping into the air and knocking down a chunk of popcorn ceiling. At another I came down on the keyboard and broke a C key in half. In shows, I have spun myself nearly dizzy and have come down awkwardly after jumping and barely caught myself from playing [a] guitar with my face. A friend of mine had a spaz intervention with me after one performance. I am trying to find that happy medium between cool/intense and dork/spaz. I hope I find it soon.”
Killingsworth’s early musical influences were in alternative rock, but even then Indie rock’s atypical diversity drew him in. “When I was young, The Smashing Pumpkins were my absolute favorite. I remember I had a twenty-five disk CD case and it was entirely filled with Smashing Pumpkins - every album, imports, bootlegs, everything. I used love the sonic, electric guitar sounds and, especially with Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, the incorporation of really interesting keyboard sounds. But I was also always fascinated with discovering music that was just under the radar. I can remember loving Buffalo Tom, Juliana Hatfield, Catherine Wheel, Belly, Pavement, and other bands that a lot of my friends just weren't into. In front of my friends, I loved Smashing Pumpkins, Bush, Green Day and Weezer - and I really did. But I had a true, deeper connection with the songs I discovered on my own and listened to in my room or car. You don't get many cool points with the guys when you tell them you like The Innocence Mission.”
His love of Indie music stayed with him over the years. “I moved to Tokyo after college. I was staying up nights downloading music. I always got a huge thrill out of finding an amazing unknown song and in Tokyo it really helped me feel connected to something in a place that was strange and made me feel very disconnected at times.”
The music of A Chance of Fireballs has enabled him to be a part of the music that has always appealed to him. “We have always wanted our songs to be accessible like traditional rock while also having a unique, eclectic quality. I think that's why there is the heavy use of keyboard with an array of sounds, ranging from a deep cello to electric notes straight out of Nintendo's heyday.”
A Chance of Fireballs’ self-titled debut EP, released in December 2010, is available on iTunes and Amazon. The band has a show coming up in downtown Orlando on March 4th at Urban ReThink. The show is a fundraiser for the Emotions Dance Company’s 2011 performance year.
Continue reading on Examiner.com: In tune with Jason Killingsworth - Orlando Local Music | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/local-music-in-orlando/in-tune-with-jason-killingsworth#ixzz1EicubY2Z - Examiner.com
"An eclectric sound that's bending the rules and boundaries of traditional rock." - Orlandobands.com
Discography
Debut EP (Dec 11, 2010)
1. White Page
2. Tokyo
3. Robot Dream
4. Sex and Coffee
5. Dorky Girl
6. May
Photos
Bio
The band released their self-titled EP, A Chance of Fireballs, in December 2010. A collection songs that blur the lines between alternative rock and modern synth that orlandobands.com has described as, "an eclectric sound that's bending the rules and boundaries of traditional rock."
ACOF began in December of 2007 in Orlando, FL, when five local amateur musicians got together one Saturday with big intentions. By the next Saturday only two returned - J.C. Killingsworth and Eric Diamond - two people who knew little about each each other. But they had drums, keyboards, a guitar, and desire to play fun, youthful, simple music. And so the experiment began.
J.C.'s musical ambitions largely sprang from his time living abroad in Tokyo, Japan. After a trip to the guitar district of Ochanomisu, he bought a Yamaha and began writing songs. It made him feel connected to something in a place so far and detached from everything familiar.
From a young age, Eric Diamond had played the piano. He spent hours learning cartoon and video game themes he heard on television. His interest in the keys fluctuated throughout middle and high school, but still he would craft his sound at night creating catchy techno tunes.
John Savage answered an online ad in the Spring of 2008 looking for a guitarist. He had previously played in the band Humbucker and brought some needed experience to the band even though he was very young himself. His style was deep and melodic and his guitar added a richness that still kept the innocent and exuberant spirit of the early songs but added a new depth and maturity.
The final piece of the puzzle was drummer Kelly Pare. Kelly was a natural fit - an animal safari driver full of laughs and an intense love of music and baseball.
A Chance of Fireballs has been performing live throughout Central Florida and beyond for more four years. Their latest EP can be heard on iTunes and Amazon.
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