Model Kite

With vocal melodies that both comfort and haunt, layered guitars that sound wider than your speakers, and lyrics that tug at the heartstrings while being careful not to stretch them out, Model Kite is a 3-piece rock band that puts the vocal in the forefront and supports it with a bed of tight rhythmic activity.

Born in a suburban CT basement in the winter of 2012 and quickly lured to Brooklyn, NY, Model Kite was started by frontman Thomas Keidel, a former music teacher who spends his days thinking of how he can inject his unique melodies into the collective music-mind of the city. They are the kind of melodies that remind you of the first time you were struck with a feeling of melancholy, probably while listening to U2 from the backseat of your parents’ car.

Keidel draws inspiration from the anthemic songs of REM, Bruce Springsteen, Arcade Fire as well as the earthier tones of Wilco and Son Volt. He’s been writing and recording songs since he was 15, but it was after opening for Arcade Fire that he knew he would make a career out of music.

"I was in the band The Main Drag in college, and we opened for Arcade Fire once. We actually had them over to our house and cooked dinner for them. We spent, like, $200 on the meal, which included high-quality tuna steaks and craft beers. That felt like a fortune to us at the time."

After graduating from Tufts University with a degree in music, Keidel moved to Connecticut to work as a music teacher at a small private school. Dissatisfied with the music scene in Connecticut, he moved to Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and not long after arriving in the Spring of 2012, he had enough material for an EP. “Kid Brother”, which includes 6 original songs written by Keidel, was recorded in 3 different places, including his home studios in Connecticut and Greenpoint, Brooklyn. He also worked with producer Woody Poulard, where they recorded “Dream After Dream” at the School of Audio Engineering. Keidel does the mixing himself, realizing the make-or-break nature of the process. In the Fall of 2012, he joined up with bassist Robin Soper and drummer Jon Chapman, both of whom toured extensively with the Boston-based band Adam Ezra Group. Soper and Chapman, both graduates of Berklee College of Music, contribute the experience and professionalism of seasoned veterans.