The Kris Special
Los Angeles, California, United States | SELF
Music
Press
There really is something special about the Kris Special. The semi-obscure local band’s 2007 debut CD, Alone Feels Like a Hotel Room, opens with a gently spacy ballad, “April Loved John,� which pairs dusty guitar chords with Anne Pointer’s plaintive cooing to create a lovely Mazzy Star–style idyll. The ballad “I Sleep Alone Sometimes,� with Nick Schutz’s low-key drumming and Andrew Dorsett’s weary lap-steel guitar plunges, is even more windswept and minimal. But just as you’re starting to label the Kris Special a sleepy alt-country band, they surprise you with tracks like “Untitled 2� and “Papers and Such,� which rumble with an early Gun Club drive. “Little Red Song� is a flat-out punk rock barnburner, as Pointer belies her churning fuzz chords with a cool, calm and collected vocal delivery. Still, she’s at her most affecting when she slows things down on such austere, melancholic songs as “Wet Payphone� and the subdued sarcasm of “Smile a Little Louder So They Can Hear You,� where she confides in a glassy, childlike voice, “What do they know about this place anyway? Fuck ’em . . . I’m sure God has reconsidered things.� (Falling James) - LA Weekly
"[The Kris Special] has a tank full of Americana and the pedal to the metal." - Kevin Bronson, Los Angeles Times Buzz Bands - Los Angeles Times
"Their ability to innovate makes them intriguing members of the music community." - Music Connection
"[The Kris Special] offer a memorable rock show." - LA Alternative
"The cunty juice of country-punk..." - LA Weekly
"Pretty good stuff." - Arizona Reporter
"a classic, unclassifiable color and sound that is full of sincerity and ignores trends" - Performer Magazine
"far away, dreamy...great music" - Hybrid Magazine
Discography
Alone Feels Like a Hotel Room LP - No Exit Records - 2008
Live: Rockin' the Future LP - Future Static Records - 2010
Photos
Bio
The Kris Special is a two-piece band from Southern California. If The Kris Special were a car, they'd have chipped wood paneling and probably wouldn't pass smog check. Influences ranging from Slim Whitman to X to Fleet Foxes, and the band's devotion to playing straight from their hearts give The Kris Special a classic, unclassifiable color and sound that is full of sincerity and ignores trends. Their powerful sound, sweeping melodies, and emotional themes have gained a strong fan-base throughout Southern California and into the surrounding states. The Kris Special is obsessed with playing their best show ever every night.
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