Rainbow Kitten Surprise has surpassed one billion streams on digital platforms, set to play The Woodlands July 1st
from Staff Reports
As if channeling another dimension where genres simply don’t exist, Rainbow Kitten Surprise finds harmony in unpredictability — weaving together lyrical poetry, hummable melodies, and a rush of instrumental eccentricities. Made up of Ela Melo (lead vocals, piano), Darrick “Bozzy” Keller (guitar, vocals), Ethan Goodpaster (lead guitar, vocals), Charlie Holt (bass, vocals), and Jess Haney (drums), RKS now boasts more than 1 billion global streams across platforms. The are set to play The Woodlands Nature Preserver here in West Ashley on Friday, July 1.
RKS first began building their devoted fanbase with albums Seven + Mary (2013) and RKS (2015). 2018 brought the release of the genre-defying quintet’s third album — and debut for Elektra Records — How to: Friend, Love, Freefall. Lead single “Fever Pitch” vaulted into the Top 10 at Triple A radio upon release and has since racked up more than 40 million streams, with the album as a whole amassing more than 230 million streams globally. Produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Jay Joyce (Cage The Elephant, Sleeper Agent), the album garnered widespread critical praise from the likes of TIME, Vice, Billboard, and NPR who described their sound as “a mix of jam and indie and whatever else you can throw into the soup… very earnest, beautiful, political, loving rock n’ roll.”
The release of How to: Friend, Love, Freefall ignited a multi-year whirlwind of touring for the band, with the 2019 eponymous North American tour yielding 50 sold-out shows and more than 80,000 tickets sold, including a landmark sold-out show at Colorado’s iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Since then, the band’s achievements have only multiplied. This past December, RKS made its triumphant return to the live stage after a nearly two-year COVID-induced hiatus, selling out three nights at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl and ending the year with a sold-out New Year’s Eve show at The Anthem in Washington DC. At the same time as these live successes, a pair of fan-favorite tracks — “It’s Called: Freefall” and “Cocaine Jesus” — experienced massive upticks when user-created content on TikTok went viral, resulting in more than 11 million weekly streams for the band. The songs now boast 85 and 80 million streams, respectively.
Halfway through 2022 and the band is still touring heavily from, including performances at marquee festivals Shaky Knees, last month’s Bottle Rock Festival in Napa Valley,and set to play Hinterland in Iowa later this summer. The band also has a two-night stand net month at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado that sold-out just minutes after going on sale. For their headline run, the band has again teamed up with PLUS1, ensuring $1 of every ticket sold will go to local food banks. The band’s previous work with PLUS1 has resulted in donations to Equality NC, The Trans Justice Funding Project, and the Louisville Pride Foundation, amongst a number of other local non-profit organizations.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise are playing Friday, July 1 at the Woodlands Nature Reserve, located at 4279 Ashley River Road. For tickets and information about camping, visit www.woodlandsnaturereserve.com.
