Karmadons

The Karmadons' forceful dance, retro-rock shifts smoothly between music generations like sitting behind the wheel of a '66 Shelby Cobra wired to play an MP3 player, almost as if they tapped into the subconscious dreams of America's lost pulse with their retro-induced, blues-rooted rock n roll vibe. With vocal lines that reminisce the smooth croon of a soul raised singing, where the crackle of a record player sounds warm and fitting. The Karmadons' forceful dance, retro-rock shifts smoothly between music generations like sitting behind the wheel of a '66 Shelby Cobra wired to play an MP3 player, almost as if they tapped into the subconscious dreams of America's lost pulse with their retro-induced, blues-rooted rock n roll vibe. With vocal lines that reminisce the smooth croon of a soul raised singing, where the crackle of a record player sounds warm and fitting. The Karmadons's decade-bridging sound is the edgy cacophony from lead vocalist/guitarist Micah James, drummer Rory Willis, lead guitarist Jason Sadler, and bassist Chris Placco. Just hit play and a far flung of influences will erupt from Tom Waits to the Stray Cats, Elvis, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, James Brown, Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Ray Charles and other funk, rock and soul chart toppers. Who would have ever expected a former Confederate state capitol (1861-1862) to be the birthplace of a progressive rock group? Much like the smoky timbre of their dance rock tracks, it was the hazy bar scene at Bowling Green, KY's Tidball's that marked the first beer/whiskey exchanged between Karmadons members. Micah would have never known that five years later they would be performing in a group that is rapidly climbing up the indie scene gaining fans and rave reviews. Micah relates "I'd been playing for years, whether buskin' on the street corner up in Michigan for money for coffee and cigarettes or back in high school kicking around in some friend's garage. Now, I count my blessings that Tidball's is such a commune of artists and musicians." The Karmadons, a derivation of karma "what goes around, comes around and you get what you deserve," seemed to be a perfect moniker for these Kentucky natives who had been jamming in-and-out of bands since their tweens. Chris not only brings a musical platform to the Karmadons, but adds a unique funk flavor to the mix. His persistent passion has helped steer the band beyond a jam session group to a contender in the commercial music arena. Pushing aside the contemporary rock mold, the Karmadons found a niche merging a "lost-in-the-fifties" groove with new age riffs and pulsating songs that make it impossible to passively listen. This summer they traveled to LA shooting a dark, neo-noir interpretation of "Came A Long Way To See You" with Continuum Pictures and director/executive producer Danny Torres. "Came A Long Way To See You" is a fast-paced "revenge" track that begs to be blaring through your car speakers on an open highway. Micah explains "These are pretty hard times, but we wanted to give something to people to make them remember that life is too damn fine a thing to waste. We wanted to give them music to dance to. We wanted to give them stories they could relate to. We wanted to give them a night they could remember through the opaque memories."
In the summer of 2010, Billy Swayze left the group and made way for Jason Sadler, a classically trained drifter who originated from Kentucky and had been running around New York for a spell. The Karmadons were looking for a guitarist who could keep up. When Placco grabbed James while drinking at Tidball's and said, "Here's our new guitarist." Micah was then formerly introduced to a guy who had been crashing on his couch for the previous two weeks. Jason Sadler. Sadler had been long time friends with one of James' room-mates, and soon moved back to Bowling Green. Sadler brought a Jazz influence, a stray cat sway that melted in with a Zepplin fever, kicking up the dust that had settled in Billy's absence. After a few months, another musical chair switch took place when Rory Willis brought his blood burgundy drums to fill in for Jeremy Pryor. After issues came up within the harmony of the band, James and Pryor shook hands and walked separate ways. Placco brought on Shane, and the four picked up right where they had left off, booking up through the next few months within weeks. At Starry Nights Festival they came out swinging and spent the rest of the weekend stumbling to meet people. They've finished up their debut self titled album with ten songs ready to hit the speakers, taking it to radio stations round their way. "What goes around, comes around," Micah murmured, wolf-like grin on his face, "Just our way of saying we'll come around again."