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Seattle supplied Nirvana; Minneapolis produced Prince; Detroit delivered Eminem, Chicago churned out Fall Out Boy. When will it be Pittsburgh's turn? When will a "Burgh band rise from the local music scene and soar into superstardom, swelling our civic pride and sending label reps and talent scouts scurrying to western Pennsylvania to find similar acts?
By winning an XM Satellite Radio contest, Kairos got to warm up a Mellon Arena crowd for Bon Jovi. Packing a heavier, more prog-metal-ish punch, Kariso also opened a Scranton show for national act Ill Nino. Many '06 shows are planned and the band promises they'll be hanging out on the South Side passing out free cd's.
-Scott Tady - Go Magazine
Artist: Kairos
Album: "Rethink: Reshape"
It is to the sound of screeching guitars and drums like cannons that I announce the presence of a new and formidable band on the Pennsylvania music scene. With its second album, "Rethink: Reshape," hard rock wunderkinds Kairos have created a regional musical masterpiece.
Cutting their teeth as a young band for several years in State College, Kairos recently relocated to Pittsburgh, which may bring a much needed shot in the arm to the city's dying music scene.
Sounding like Tool with a healthy dose of Pink Floyd, Radiohead, The Deftones and a little Coldplay, Kairos takes the best of their influences and polishes them up for a 60-minute collection of emotionally driven, hard-rocking, ambient tunes that are truly hypnotic.
Made up of brothers Jason and Josh Sturm, Jason's wife Shar, and drummer Drew Rodaniche, Kairos has a knack for focus and musical direction. "Rethink: Reshape" has a razor-sharp sense of style and continuity; from the opening chords to the last fading drum, the album launches into what could only be described as a hard-rock symphony -- each track sounds like a specific orchestral movement placed within context.
The opening track, "Loss of Supplication," is a gut-wrenching tribute to Christ propelled by wonderful, sludgy guitars. Songs such as "Saturate" and "Shine" show the Sturms' songwriting at its most melodic, though these songs still simmer with aggression and angst.
The album ends with the 13-minute opus "Ronzer," which showcases all of Kairos' strengths. The song ebbs and flows through psychotic highs and brooding lows, ending with strange and distorted voices replaying over and over -- it's truly a haunting and creepy way to end a record.
Lyrically, the album is rife with self-deprecation, depression, sorrow and frustration. But through it all, Kairos' uplifting message of salvation, redemption and hope can't be crushed, in spite of the bone-breaking guitar riffs and thunderous drums and bass. In a twisted sort of way, "Rethink: Reshape" is a positive and uplifting album for the disillusioned, metal loving, head-banging masses.
"Rethink: Reshape" is an album that shows us one thing: Kairos could be huge. This is a band that begs, borrows and steals from some of rock's greatest bands, and does it without sounding like crass imitators, but rather by creating a reverent homage. Kairos takes a tricky style of music -- the epic hard rock song -- and executes it successfully and with originality. Though the album can be a bit cerebral and builds momentum very slowly, it is a rewarding prog-rock odyssey: moody, melancholy, and maddening, yet magnificent.
Kairos will headline a concert featuring Audiblethread, Feliz Sarco and Cloverleaf at 9 p.m. Monday at Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave., State College. Visit www.crowbarlivemusic.com for more information. - Dennis Fallon, Center Daily Times
The word kairos in Greek has a few meanings. The one that fits best for the rock band Kairos is "appropriate time."
"Certain things happen at a certain time," says guitarist and vocalist Josh Strum, "and there's always a right time for everything to happen."
In their wildest dreams, however, the band members, from the Level Green area in Westmoreland County, never could have envisioned that this would be the right time for them. That they would be playing Mellon Arena.Only a few months after they solidified their lineup. For Bon Jovi, no less.
"It's crazy," Sturm says. "Way down the road, you'd like to be able to say, yeah, we opened for Bon Jovi."
Instead, Kairos is ostensibly launching its career with the opening slot for Tuesday's concert. The band was selected as the winners of the Have a Nice Gig contest, sponsored by Bon Jovi and XM Satellite Radio.
"Kairos is a band that stood out during the review process," says Billy Zero, a programming director at XM and host of The Radar Report, a weekly show highlighting unsigned bands. "The quality of the production and songwriting were key to the band's win. All of us who listened to the submissions felt Kairos was the clear choice to open for Bon Jovi."Sturm and his brother, Jason, Penn-Trafford High School and Penn State graduates, started writing music for the band four years ago. At Penn State, they recruited drummer Andrew Rodaniche, and earlier in the year they added Jason's wife, Shar, on bass.
Musically, the band takes it cues from groups such as Metallica, Tool and Pantera. But Kairos differs from those bands with intricate, melodic guitar and songs that are more than angry bursts of aggression.
"It's really weird, because a lot of guitarists out there, on the radio, they can play guitar a million times better than I can, but they're not writing stuff like that," Sturm says. "And the reason is it's not as popular for radio hit songs. (Radio) wants a barebones formula with a catchy chorus. Our motto has always been to stick to our guns and write what we play in the studio rather than water it down to fit what the media wants."
Kairos has played a few high-profile gigs, notably at Station Square and on the local stop of the Vans Warped Tour. But Tuesday's show dwarfs those appearances, and Sturm realizes this is a chance to reach and convert 17,000 new fans. To that end, the band has been working constantly; for the past week or so, from noon to 9 p.m., they've been making copies of a CD to hand out to fans after the show. From 9 to midnight, they've been rehearsing.
Beyond that, Kairos' goal is to revitalize rock music in Pittsburgh.
"When I was in high school, there was music everywhere," Sturm says. "There were tons of clubs and lots stuff going on. Sadly, that kind of stuff has been depleted, and a lot of people are leaving to go to bigger cities. Our goal, our dream right now, is to revive the arts in Pittsburgh, music and art. We want people to get excited about art, because we believe strongly that art brings commerce. Look at Seattle and the grunge era: Kurt Cobain and Alice and Chains and those bands, they revived the city. That's what we're hoping for here."
By Regis Behe
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, December 5, 2005 - Tribune-Review
Discography
Kairos, self-titled (2002)
Kairos, rethink : reshape (2005)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Music has the power to change the state of your mind and place of your heart. The highest objective for every Kairos performance is for their listeners to experience a state of revelation. Kairos creates this experience by mixing ambient melodies with driving rhythms and emotion driven lyrics.
Often compared to bands like Pink Floyd, Muse, Dredg and Tool, Kairos brings a dynamic mix of progressive rock with delicate precision. Typical songs range from 5 to 12 minutes and take the listener through a whirlwind of emotions. Regardless of song length, Kairos continues to have listeners on the edges of their seats and begging for more.
Kairos was formed at the beginning of the millennium by brothers, Jason and Josh Sturm. What started off as a side project, quickly turned into a progressive movement. Fate first appeared when Josh was introduced to drummer, Andrew Rodaniche while attending Penn State University. Drew, who had played in bands growing up in Central America, had come to the States assuming that music was a part of his past. He quickly realized that his instrument would never release its grip on his life. The trio began to write creative and complex material for their first independent album without the presence of a bass player. Fate reappeared again when a young, prodigy named Dominic Misja answered a flyer and quickly filled in the missing musical ingredient. Kairos recorded their first album in 2002, including songs, "Digging through Sand," "Shine," and "Possessions." Just when everything began to settle and take off, Dominic had to leave the group for unforeseeable circumstances. Once again, Kairos would need to search for another bass player to fill in the bottom end. Members of Kairos agreed to take a break from their instruments and re-establish their relationships and character. During this time, fate had once again appeared when Jason’s fiancé, Shar, picked up the bass guitar. Shar was already experienced in music theory on the piano and often played guitar. After only a couple weeks, it was obvious to the entire band that she could easily fill the missing element. Jason and Shar later married in November of that year before Kairos flew off to Los Angeles to record their first studio album, rethink:reshape (2005). After all four members graduated from Penn State, a decision was to be made about where the band would relocate. Instead of moving to the west coast where the industry is hot, Kairos opted to settle in Pittsburgh, PA. They are currently working very hard to build a fan base and gather a small army of artists and musicians to revive the rock scene in the Steel City. As the name “kairos” indicates, time and fate have always played a big part in the history of the band, but somehow all the members of Kairos know that fate is not finished with them just yet.
please visit www.kairosband.com for pics, bios, mp3's and more.
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