Rainbow Kitten Surprise


Rainbow Kitten Surprise is an alternative rock indie band, featuring lead vocalist Sam Melo, Darrick “Bozzy” Keller, Ethan Goodpaster, Jess Haney, and Charlie Holt. Members hail from Boone, North Carolina as well as Robbinsville, North Carolina.
The music of Rainbow Kitten Surprise, also known as “RKS,” is known for its harmonies, instrumentation and lyrics, and its sound has been influenced by artists Modest Mouse, Kings of Leon, Frank Ocean and Schoolboy Q.

History

Rainbow Kitten Surprise was formed in 2013 by Sam Melo and Darrick Keller, while they were writing music and composing together, as they attended Appalachian State University. Their first EP, “Mary” was recorded in a dorm room at the university. They later added three new members, Ethan Goodpaster, Jess Haney, and Charlie Holt. RKS independently released its first album, “Seven,” which was later re-released together with the band's first EP as a joint album called “Seven + Mary.” RKS initially recorded its music under the Split Rail Records label, a student run label at Appalachian State University's Hayes School of Music, where three of the band's members attended. From 2014 through 2017, Rainbow Kitten Surprise has performed at multiple music festivals and other events, including Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival and Austin City Limits Festival.
In early 2018, RKS released its “How To: Friend, Love, Freefall” album, under the Elektra Records label. It features 13 tracks, including the deeply revealing and emotional “Hide” single, and music video about four drag queens coming out to their families. Its "Fever Pitch" single from the new album climbed to 34th most popular song on Billboard's Alternative Song chart in spring 2018. In spring and summer 2018, the group toured the US and Canada to promote the album.
In April 2019, RKS performed at several venues across North Carolina to raise funds for Equality NC, the country's oldest statewide LGBT equality organization.
In May 2019, RKS released Mary , consisting of a studio recording of "Heart" and a new track "No Vacancy".
In June 2019, they performed at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheater which they sold out in 7 days. This was the last stop on their summer tour.
In January 2020, the long-running PBS show Austin City Limits aired Rainbow Kitten Surprise in a half-hour set recorded the previous fall.

Discography