Queen Kwong

Carré Callaway is the singer and songwriter leading our latest Buzz Band, Queen Kwong. Her songs would fit in nicely with "Live Through This"-era Hole, bringing an off-kilter meldocism that wails and teeters beautifully on the edge. While their catalog of songs is still small, the band seems to be coming together quite quickly. When they played our Groupee Session, the lineup had only been together a few weeks.

Queen Kwong is led by singer/songwriter Carré Callaway. Carré first received some notoriety a few years ago when she opened for Nine Inch Nails on one of their tours. Her music is not anything like Nine Inch Nails, however. It’s highly melodic, slightly off kilter, rock that veers from aggressive to hauntingly confessional.

We brought Queen Kwong in for a Groupee Session when the band was really just forming. The lineup for this session had been together about two weeks and overall they had only performed a few shows together. This is a band in its infancy, but clearly demonstrating great promise.

Carré was feeling pretty nauseous for this session, performing with a bucket nearby just in case (you’ll see a reference to just getting through the session in the video for “Secret’s Safe” below), and she was leaving for China that night.. so we were just grateful that she got through the performances. No excuses needed though. These are great songs and the future is very bright for the group. Now the group is recording its debut record with help from Brian Bell of Weezer. - Ted O'Neil of Groupee.com Seattle

Queen Kwong is more or less a showcase band for frontwoman Carré Callaway. Last night was only their third or fourth show, though Callaway is no novice. I'd been hearing good things and had to see for myself.

I think there is an (unfair) expectation that beautiful women in high heels with an electric guitar ought to really kick your ass, and considering that Callaway was discovered by Trent Reznor, I was taken aback by how earthy Queen Kwong's act is. Sure, its a rock outfit, and decidedly electric, and one might expect to hear the band at The Cat Club instead of The Silverlake Lounge... but Callaway seems to be the genuine article; there's no rock posturing to be found. Expectations be damned, she was happy to giggle and laugh with the crowd between songs.

Queen Kwong was a fun, perfectly suitable act for the venue. A song called "Black Heart" was one of the stronger numbers and the band closed with a bang; the more energy they exuded the more likable they were

I can't put my finger on it, but there was definitely a glimmer of something worth noting. Maybe it was the one particular who fan was driven to mental derangement by Queen Kwong's music. He began to convulse, moved towards the stage, then grabbed the mic stand and shook it violently, sending the mic to the floor. Callaway didn't skip a beat and played on. Now that's professional. - Classical Geek Theater Music Review LA

Queen Kwong at the Palladium Review:

"Opening the night was a somewhat new artist by the name Queen Kwong. Front-woman Carré Callaway had the pleasure of opening for NIN a few years ago under her solo name, and this time around was able to showcase some rock-induced tunes under the band name Queen Kwong, who reside locally in the Silverlake area. To say everyone was focused on seeing NIN would be an understatement, however the audience’s reaction to Queen Kwong was nothing short of great. Their mix of alternative guitar riffs, tender yet aggressive vocals, coupled along with gorgeous harmonies from a violin and cello left me in a good mood for the rest of the night. Hopefully another big name will take them on the road soon, as they definitely have the wings for this flight called the music biz."
- LA RECORD

"Queen Kwong has so much going for her, solid musicianship, solid sound, and a wonderful look, it’s the total package. If I were to make a band, this would be the band I made; it would damn near be the sound I made. It’s fresh and yet familiar. Queen Kwong can be so delicate and beautiful at the same time dirty and harsh, basically a catholic school girl dressed up in her uniform singing like choir of angels all while giving a come hither look." - Chicago Music blog: loveshackbaby.net