kLoB

By Taylor Toothman ttoothman@flagler.edu

JAX band kLoB is growing ‘like a very healthy and beautiful weed’

Too often a band will start to get lazy once they realize they have a substantial fan base, then it will inevitably smudge slowly into the periphery of music history. Such is definitely not the case for Jacksonville band kLoB, whose relentless enthusiasm for performing tells us that not only do they love their jobs and their fans, but also that they’re not going anywhere. Anywhere but up.

They have performed all over Florida, up the eastern seaboard, and into New York City’s crowded bars and music halls. Their jams stomp through the crowd, creating unity and a happiness to be alive. Try experiencing the bouncy beat of “All the Time” thumping through your brain for four minutes without subconsciously starting to bob your head and hum along. It’s impossible. kLoB is quickly moving up in the industry, and with a great album out, it’s only a matter of time before we start hearing them on national radio.

kLoB front man and namesake Kip Kolb describes the band’s sound as soul music. “That’s where ya feel it,” Kolb said. “In your center. Like when you get nervous, or excited. The songs have a “new familiarity” to them. They don’t sound like the old classics, but they feel like ‘em.’

kLoB’s album, speed dial: LOVE – which the quintet of thirty-somethings recorded in St. Augustine and released independently – has sparked the ears of every hearing person in the eastern U.S., and has certainly garnered them a huge following. Kolb’s favorite part of the biz is obviously performing.

“We will play these songs everywhere, and the people will sing with us,” he said. “Favorites are tough. It feels great to groove on “Of a Story,” and it gets ya goin’ to ride out on “speed dial: LOVE.” “Parting Gift” feels great. They all do. Each one does something different to ya. “All the Time” gets people singing – loud. That feels so good.”

Kolb’s voice, which sounds like a Tom Waits-Randy Newman hybrid, blasts and croons its way through the 12 awesome, uniquely saucy tracks of speed dial: LOVE. The band has been together, more or less, for 10 years, and their friendship and easygoing natures come through in each song. They sync as a musical unit so well because they get on so well as friends.

“We have grown like a very healthy and beautiful weed,” Kolb said. “We’re all men. We love each other. Friends. A family. When Louie LeClaire joined the band, he slid right in. Sense of humor, work ethic, dedication, attention to detail, whiskey drinker. Easy. Same with Mike Bowman.

“They are all fantastic people and we all get along. Pickin’ on each other, keepin’ each other in line. On the road, it’s a party. No bickering. At my age (36), that’s how it would have to be. Everything clicks well.”

Life, death, memories, mental calisthenics, weirdness, and happiness course through the veins of kLoB’s music. In the song “3 Cats,” Kolb sings, “You really gotta love what you love with all the love that you got and shine thankful for every day.”

This seems a fitting outlook for band members who clearly love what they do.

“We’re already a success,” Kolb said. “Watching the fan base grow so quick, and with so much passion, has been extremely exciting. The Big Label thing is out there. If they let us play these songs the way we need to and in front of all the people, no problem. But I’m not adding dancers and DJs so we can be ‘hip.’”

Hip or not, kLoB is a powerful experience, so get their CD and see them live before you die.

For more information on kLoB, their random capitalized letters, and their show schedule, visit www.klobsong.com. - Flagler College Gargoyle

My first trip to Cafe 331 was to check out Kip Kolb's all original five piece band kLoB. The upscale room was a fitting place to present this class act. Hatched from Kip Kolb's creative musical mind, kLoB got its start as a vehicle for Kip's inventive songwriting. Today, kLoB defies categorization as a modern rock band that crosses over many musical genres.
Over its tenure as a working band, kLoB has evolved into a tautly wired ensemble which is more than the sum its parts. Indeed, this musical force attracts all age groups to its hot modern sound, which is an alchemy of avant-garde ideas and old school concepts, distilled into a unique trademark sound.
Kip leads the group with his advanced keyboard playing, gritty vocals, and harmonica improvisations. Brian Jenkins plays drums, Louie LeClaire plays bass, Mike Kiramarios plays saxophone, and Mike Bowman plays guitar, vocals, and percussion. Together this assemblage of top-tier musicians crank out a repertoire of Kip's original songs, which evoke old school imagery fused with new ideas.
The band is full of surprises, yet Kip's songs make sense, never straying too far from his main themes. In other words, kLoB is a group of sophisticated musicians who have matured into a cohesive ensemble, yet avoiding full-scale jazz improvisation. Catchy songs with funky beats and soulful sounds define Kip's concept. I could hear the master of funkadelic, George Clinton and Chaka Kahn's influences in Kip's bag of songwriting tricks. His gravely world-worn voice sounds like a cross between Tom Waits and Bruce Springsteen. These players are experienced and savvy enough to appeal to a wide spectrum of music devotees, without coming off as elitist. kLoB is fun to listen to and Kip's repartee with the audience is witty with a tinge of sardonic tone.
Kip's songs come off with foot-tapping energy.˜Tired but Good" is imbued with a funky rhythm, which sets the tone for Kip's vocals accented with his mournful harmonica. The music gets into your blood like a jolt of good hit, making one "tired but good, and this is how I'm supposed to feel."? And sure, we know what he's talking about, but the song itself is worth inhaling, causing a musical high.˜Tree" utilizes Mike Kiramarios' smooth-as-silk saxophone, which is prominent in the mix. "When it all comes crashing down... it could be my last time," as the song builds momentum to a climax, accented by Mike's saxophone improvisations. The result is a moving anthem of love gone bad. Well, love always goes wrong, doesn't it??
˜Of a Story" begins with Kip's haunting chordal rhythm on his B3 facsimile. "I could tell you anything that was going on in my life and you knew just what to say to make it go away..."? all the while his relentless organ chords played in the rhythm of the song. It's a powerful technique to hold the listener in Kip's musical spell. The song builds crescendo to the end, leaving that organ sound stamped on one's brain. It's funky hipness that turns into hypnosis.
˜All the Time" begins as an parody of a Beatles song that suddenly veers away from the Fab Four's concept. It then becomes a quasi-rap song. Here is a good example of unexpected surprises in Kip's music that clears out the cobwebs from one's brain. Yes, this is tasty stuff that gets attention from kLoB's audiences.
From the stage, Kip said the band is going into the studio in February to record a second album of original music. Then, wisely, the band is hitting the road, expanding is horizons. Put simply, kLoB is a band that never goes out of style because it presents songs which are hits waiting to happen. More importantly, kLoB's music appeals to diverse demographic. Once the kLoB door is opened to the outside world beyond Jax, there is no stopping it. Intelligent songwriting is the fuel that will drive this band to glory. -Rick Grant - EU Jacksonville - EU Jacksonville