Hello Karma
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Hello Karma

Band Alternative Rock

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This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Unclenched Fists"

Punk music has always been in business with political activism — hardly strange bedfellows, given the anarchic nature of the genre. But as years pass, the affair has waned, the passion leaked out of it until the closest thing to indignant rage is Green Day taking cheap shots at George W. Bush. Fortunately, there are a few sparks left here and there, bands who make meaningful political statements. Seattle’s Hello Karma, including former Spokanites Andy Rumsey and Mike Renes, is one such band — combining a love of melody with an appreciation for candidness and a desire for change.
Hello Karma’s debut album, Aurora Corporealis, is all about new dawns, new beginnings — tooth-rotting sweetness, even though it’s the kind of sugary taste that leaves you satisfied rather than sick.
“I feel that there are a lot of things wrong with the world — I guess maybe what sets us apart as a band and what connects us with certain people in society is that yearning for peace, love and understanding, all that gooey stuff,” Rumsey says.
In his own personal gospel, “The Book of Andrew James,” Rumsey sings tongue-in-cheek, throwing out racial epithets and lines like, “My god’s better than your god,” overtly mocking both practices. “I’m not afraid to say things — I’ll say some outlandish things, and it’s hard for other people to hear certain things,” Rumsey says, looking to subvert existing modes of operation in daily life.
Renes says his input is a little less emotional, more philosophical. “There’s an element of an effort to challenge people a little bit,” he says. “It’s funny because everybody in the band is coming from a place where we want people to have fun, we want them to enjoy watching our show, but we also want to challenge them in a way that is going to hopefully change the meaning in their lives.”
Packaging their message in an easy-to-swallow sugar pill helps, Hello Karma may align themselves with Green Day and Blink 182 in their own list of influences, but they avoid the juvenility and cliché nature of both — preferring to deal in poignant political statements rather than low-blows. “Open, honest communication is what we’re advocating,” Rumsey says. Practice what you preach, indeed.
-Jeff Echert - The Inlander


Discography

Hello Karma's "Aurora Corporealis" now available on iTunes, CDbaby.com, Amazon, Dig Station.com, and more!

"The War at Home" -Man of Action
"Third Time's a Charm" -Derby

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Bio

Hello Karma blends unique and catchy melodies with captivating lyrics that inspire thought. Drawing from the energy of punk rock beats and driving guitars Hello Karma breaks the stereotypical rock mold and strives to reach an audience eager for meaning.