Kari + The Hurricane
Austin, Texas, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2013 | SELF
Music
Press
Listen to Kari K. and The Stonewall Riot in their exclusive interview over all of their accomplishments they have achieved in such a short time. - Leztopia Radio
2013 Best Local Band in Houston, Tx: Kari K. and The Stonewall Riot - Outsmart Magazine
Nominated for Best Pop Song by a panel of judges, Kari K. and The Stonewall Riot won for their first single, "I'm Not The One."
Watch the video awards at the link below. - RightOutTV Awards
Friday night ended up shorter than expected, but we had a great time, regardless. The band to fire off the weekend was Open Air, formerly known as WestBend. All of the bands tonight got extended sets. Open Air used the time to showcase their blend of Americana-folk, ska and acoustic rock. The set was balanced and clean, and the vocals complimented one another. Great work from this three-piece!
Uptown Creepers hit the stage next with a punk ska sound reminiscent of Rancid and Buck-O-Nine. The energy these guys had got the crowd on their feet and built the night up substantially! The horns were solid as a rock, and the rhythm section set it off just right. The vocals soared over the band perfectly!
Knights of Apollo were the third band of four to take the stage, setting of a stretch of eclectic and intriguing rock featuring great keys and backline. The vocals floated over all of this, and invited the crowd to nod, sway and dance.
Friday was wrapped by Out of Order, who came this season with an additional guitar player that freed the vocals to really break out and lead this outstanding punk group into the next round. Outstanding job all the way around!
Our second night of the weekend was fired off with last season's vets, Rhyme Mind Theory. This unique blend of hip-hop with a funky influx of horns and keys and Latin percussion set the night off right at Reptilez. The lyrics flowed from the emcee's mouth like buttah, and the rest of the band kept it live with a solid set of original material. Oh, and nice Adult Swim reference!
All-Star Transit took the stage with our first three piece band of the night. Their new rock sound entertained the crowd, as well as their stage presence. The vocal harmonies were outstanding.
The third band of the evening was Unbroken Loathe. These guys were T-I-G-H-T! Balls-out Texas metal was the benchmark of their set, accented by aggressive vocals and powerful drumming. The crowd got riled and into this show for certain. The next band, Of My Redemption, followed suit with an intense set of speed metal meets old school punk… yeah; it was a fucking crazy set! The vocals cut like a razor blade and the guitar and synth sailed over psychotic drums. Catch your breath… okay? Now, The Big Nasty Blues Band hit the stage. They played a rocky blues set, featuring some searing guitar licks and dirty vocals that hit you in the soul. The really unique thing about this band wasn't necessarily the music, but rather the artist that they brought. He started the set with an empty canvas and let the music guide his hand, ending in abstract perfection. Make sure you make it out to the next round to see for yourself!
With the ferocity of a lion, Kari took the crowd at Reptilez to a new level of excitement. Her vocals and guitar led this three piece to the peak of the night. "I got caught… with another man's wife…" Just outstanding. The set started intense and never let up as they rocked the house!
The weekend came and went with beautiful weather and superb music. See you at Jack's Patio Bar March 29 through April 1!
One Love,
- Emergenza
"Kari Kuwamura, or Kari K as she’s known, has been winning fans with regular Houston appearances ever since HWF first introduced her at our 2007 Kickoff celebration. Her original music is a mural of her life representing where she’s been, where she’s going and what she’s been through. It’s candid yet ever reaching into the World." http://www.hwfestival.org/
- Sharman Petri
"I want everyone to go asap and check out Kari K. Kari K. is our first artist that we are sponsoring. We are hooking her up with sweet Ts for her to rock out in while she rocks your ears. She’s also going to be wearing Sir. Jane on her album cover. Ya’ll this chick is going to be major. From the time I first heard her music, I wanted to sing along. The shit is insanely good. So ya’ll be looking for her album to drop and go check out one of her shows. She is going to be hanging out with us on Sept. 17th so everyone needs to come by and say hi." - Sir Jane Clothing
"Kari Kuwamura is an acoustic songstress born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. Currently a local favorite based around her monthly first Friday performances; she has attracted a lot of attention with her shimmering vocals, fantastic guitar playing and catchy rock/pop melodies. Akin to the likes of Ani DIfranco, Pink, KT Tunstell, Alicia Keys, Sheryl Crow and Kelly Clarkson, Kari is one of the rare female solo artists that actually rock! With a reputation for very high energy live performances and talent to boot, Kari is slowly but surely making her way out of coffeehouses and onto the big stage. As cliched as it may sound, for Kari Kuwamura (or Kari K. for short) music is her life. Its part of a tapestry, a mural that represents her life, where she's been, where she's going and what she's been through. Sexy yet sensitive, her vocals carry a weight and maturity that resonates. The music is candid yet ever reaching, out into the world, filling our hearts with song." - Hitt Music Group
Kari, a native San Antonian and a veteran of coffee-shop croonin', has infectious energy on stage. She clearly enjoys her gig and has a smooth self-deprecating sense of humor to rescue those detour moments of string repair. Bassist Jonny Dub has trouble standing still for too long, which is a good instinct for a bass player (it is the rhythm section, after all). Check out Kari K in a city near you: She's playing San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, and Houston in the next six weeks. No reason to miss out!
- NITES...live Blog Video
"Kari Kuwamura is an acous-
tic songstress born and raised
right here in San Antonio, Tex-
as. Currently a local favorite
based around her monthly first
Friday performances; she has
attracted a lot of attention with
her shimmering vocals, fantas-
tic guitar playing and catchy
rock/pop melodies.
Kari K.'s list of accomplish-
ments of being an independent
musician is astonishingly never
Kari K’s Soulful Tunes making waves
by Maria Elena Cruz
- La Prensa 3/22/2009
"Kari Kuwamura is an acoustic songstress born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. Currently a local favorite based around her monthly first Friday performances; she has attracted a lot of attention with her shimmering vocals, fantastic guitar playing and catchy rock/pop melodies. Akin to the likes of Ani DIfranco, Pink, KT Tunstell, Alicia Keys, Sheryl Crow and Kelly Clarkson, Kari is one of the rare female solo artists that actually rock! With a reputation for very high energy live performances and talent to boot, Kari is slowly but surely making her way out of coffeehouses and onto the big stage. As cliched as it may sound, for Kari Kuwamura (or Kari K. for short) music is her life. Its part of a tapestry, a mural that represents her life, where she's been, where she's going and what she's been through. Sexy yet sensitive, her vocals carry a weight and maturity that resonates. The music is candid yet ever reaching, out into the world, filling our hearts with song." - Hitt Music Group
Discography
Kari K. Band 2008 EP
I'm Not The One (Single) 2012
Photos
Bio
This band, aptly named after the start of the Gay Civil Rights Movement, is not from New York as one might expect (although one member lived there briefly). This all-girl, unsigned trio is from Texas, a state unfortunately known as one of the most unfriendly places for LGBTQ persons. They admit nonetheless they are all "somewhere along that spectrum", and play infectious pop/rock at music venues and gay bars all over the state. The band was invited to play two shows during the 2013 SXSW music festival in Austin, including the Outlander music festival affiliated with LOGO TV, and will be playing two shows during Las Vegas Pride 2013 in September. The event brings visitors from around the globe. Olivia Newton John, Kathy Griffin, and Margaret Cho are scheduled to appear.
The band asks its followers to "join the Riot" at their shows where they perform a healthy mix of pop covers and original radio-ready music, including their first single, "I'm Not The One" which has been played on public radio stations' LGBTQ shows, and featured on several online LGBTQ sites and music hubs.
How can an infectiously good pop band still be underground? And only known by the LGBTQ community? Their music is mainstream quality, and gay or not, sounds like what you'd want to hear on your local pop station on a Sunday drive.
Band members are Kari Kuwamura (vocals, guitar), Selina Maldonado (drums), and Naomi Toledo (bass). Kari and Selina currently reside in Austin, and Naomi lives in Houston, which makes for an interesting rehearsal routine.
All three members had a rich musical background before coming together as a power pop trio.
Kari built a dedicated fan base on her own as a hard-working solo performer. As a high school student, she sang for Hilary Clinton in Washington DC. She won Austin's vocalist competition "The Showcase" in 2008, and toured the East coast with The Aftershock in 2010. Kari attended the Media Tech Institute where she is a graduate of the Audio Engineering department and lent her talents as Assistant Engineer at Hideout Studios. Her resume as a gigging musician can be mapped all over the United States, but she built her live reputation in San Antonio, then her foundation as a powerful performer in Austin, where she became a beloved darling of the city's infamous and diverse live music scene.
Naomi also started off as a solo singer/songwriter while studying English at Rice University, opening for The Butchies and Eric Himan. She then fronted Decision Theory, an indie band that gigged relentlessly in Houston from 2003-2009. She is a contributing vocalist for industrial/electronica band Leatherbal, which has tracks featured in several independent films, and played drums for a punk band. She picked up the bass with the Houston indie-pop group Elect Trick City, voted Best Local Band by Houston's OutSmart magazine in 2012.
Born and raised in South Texas, Selina started playing music at 5 years old. After teaching herself how to play guitar, she began taking piano and voice lessons at a local community center. By the end of high school, Selina had already played for audiences in New York and California as an alto saxophonist, played rhythm guitar for an award-winning Rio Grande Valley Mariachi band, and performed in singer-songwriter showcases in Puerto Rico and in California. She has lent her writing talents to local artists in Houston and Austin. In 2012, Selina received a certificate in Music Performance from the Austin Live Music Academy at the University of Texas in Austin, and caught the bug for drums and percussion.
Kari and Naomi met in Houston in 2011 after Kari played a solo acoustic gig at a local venue, and Selina met Kari at a 2012 gig in Austin through a mutual friend. Kari asked Naomi to play bass for her, and Selina was invited to join soon after. They played their first show as Kari K and The Stonewall Riot to a packed room at Avant Garden in Houston after only two rehearsals together.
Band Members
Links
