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Before David Naughton starred in one of my all-time favorite horror movies (An American Werewolf in London), he sang and danced in a Dr. Pepper commercial. Sometime after that, he made sweet, sweet love, passing on his musical genes to Kendal Naughton, the fetching 21-year-old lass at the front of Colorshow, a Lake Tahoe-based pop, hip-hop quartet that’s playing Friday, Feb. 5 at Native Lounge (10 p.m.; 21-and-older; $20). Local electro duo 2852 opens the show.

I heard a few Colorshow tracks on their Myspace page, and their press is accurate: “This foursome fabricates a wide range of beats from upbeat party drops to deep soulful real life laments and reflections.”

They’re touring in support of Freak Your Heart Out, their debut that’s littered with upbeat raps from Galen Gifford (rapper/vocalist) and Benjamin Cooper (multi-instrumentalist/vocalist). And, if you can get your head around this, they’ve been best described as “Outkast meets Fleetwood Mac.”

Color Your World!! - New Times

"Colorshow or should I say Kendal Naughton (Lead Vocals) captivates your soul & rocks your world! At only 21 Kendal has a voice far beyond her years & this voice is the glue of Colorshow." - The Denim Boa

Following the smashing success of their show in SLO, Colorshow teamed up with some of the biggest names in the music business to raise money for the Haiti victims. The brand new band Colorshow raised more than $15k for Haiti relief by throwing a party “Celebrating Life” at the world famous BLVD 3 club on Friday night. The celebrity turnout included Daniel Bedingfiled, Jessie Metcalfe, Common, & Judith Hill.

More than 500 of the hottest LA socialites in attendance all gave at least $30 at the door, or $500 for a table. It was a night to remember as Access Hollywood, LA Weekly and LA Times covered the event.

- The Denim Boa

"Their potential to become the next Black Eyed Peas-esque group is not far in their horizon and they prove to be as philanthropic as they are talented. Don't miss an opportunity to check out this group- you'll know why they call it addictive ear candy"


- Gigiouf

Published: April 8, 2010
April Print Edition

by Olivia Dwyer

I’m sitting in a Truckee coffee shop on a sunny spring afternoon, surrounded by the bustle of the usual crowd — mothers with strollers, students plugged into laptops, baristas with colorful tattoos. The door opens, and Kendal Naughton enters the mix.

Naughton, 21, has purple highlights in her blond hair and is dressed in black — a vest with gold buttons and skinny jeans — with a perfectly made up face, almost as if she expects the paparazzi to sneak up and take her picture any moment. She looks like a rock star, which is exactly what she hopes to be.

North Tahoe locals might remember Naughton as a talented youngster who would unleash her voice at Truckee Amphitheater concerts, or recognize her name because of her family history — mother Debbie Dutton and father David Naughton met during the filming of “Hot Dog: The Movie” in the 1980s. Naughton hopes that people near and far will soon know her in another role: the lead singer of Colorshow.

Naughton makes her home in Truckee, while another band member, rapper/MC Galen Gifford, lives in Tahoe City and is a partner in Dumptruck Couture, a local hat-making business. Colorshow’s songwriter and back-up vocalist Nava Cooper lives in L.A. with her fiancé, Benny Cooper, who is the group’s producer as well as occasional rapper. The group was formed in 2007, when Nava and Benny were staying in Kings Beach and met up with Gifford for a jam session. Gifford invited Naughton, and an exuberant family unit was forged. Upbeat tracks flowed forth, featuring acoustic guitar over hip hop beats and Naughton’s powerful voice.

“We’re just one big love puddle,” Gifford says. He’s not joking — he greets me with a bear hug at the coffee shop. He and Naughton act like brother and sister, finishing each other’s sentences, laughing at inside jokes, grinning and gesturing wildly as they tell of their band’s beginnings and plans for the future.

“For us it felt magnetic,” Gifford says of the first time Colorshow was in a room together. “Nava and Benny and me and Kendal got together, and there was such a nice energy...” “Immediately,” Naughton jumps in. “We just knew from there.”

The first song Colorshow recorded was “Beautiful & Free,” a track that pops with Gifford’s driving energy in the rap verses and Naughton’s soul voice on the hooks, and is built on the foundation of Nava’s sunny lyrics and Benny’s infectious beats.

It was the first of many sessions in the studio that led to Colorshow’s 2009 album, “Freak Your Heart Out.” The title track, “Freak Out,” promises to do just that to everyone from your grandma to your city, and delivers with a relentless dance track.

The album plays like a hybrid of the Black Eyed Peas and No Doubt, or Outkast joined with Fleetwood Mac, depending on which band member you ask. In my not-so-professional opinion, it’s the kind of music that sets your feet on fire and puts a smile on your face.

“I’ve always been a closet pop junkie,” Benny says when I catch up with him on the phone. “I want to create that moment of ecstasy — I want to create music that people listen to in the car on their way to a party.” Even by phone, Benny and Nava communicate the contagious, wide-eyed optimism and joy that is irresistible in Naughton and Gifford.

It would be hard to swallow if it wasn’t so much fun to be around. Gifford whips out his minister’s license from the American Fellowship Church and says he’s already made Nava and Benny’s union official — which may explain why she uses his name professionally. Naughton reveals she can’t read music, and that her sixth-grade band was named “Divas & Dudes.” Nava loves the L.A. reunions, even though they mean four people sharing one bathroom. “If we didn’t love it, we’d have given up on it a long time ago,” she says. “We have a really good time and we love to work.”

Colorshow performed at Julia Mancuso’s post-Olympics celebration at Northstar in February, debuting “Now Or Never,” a song written in honor of Mancuso’s two silver medals. “The band came together and decided we were going to launch our business plan, our plan for world domination,” Benny says. That plan includes a return to the studio in search of a grittier sound but a more polished final product, and the addition of drummer Kris Kwiatkowski and bassist Ari Baron. Shows in L.A. and the Reno/Tahoe area are in the works, and Naughton and Gifford plan to relocate to L.A. Colorshow is a group of irrepressible dreamers, and they’re committed to making their fantasies of success come true.

“That’s my dream,” Naughton says, “to be driving along and then all of a sudden my song comes on [the radio]. I’ve had dreams about that since I was a kid.” Colorshow won’t settle for less than a No. 5 hit on the Billboard Top 40 charts — just as good as David Naughton’s 1979 single, “Makin’ It.” Performing for the crowd at Mancuso’s celebration gave them a taste of that success. “It made me hungrier. It made me want more,” Gifford says. “I want to spread our music to the world. I want everyone to hear it and dance to it and feel good because of it.”

With one more round of bear hugs, he and Naughton left the coffee shop to do just that. Give them a listen at
colorshowmusic.com.

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- Moonshine Ink