Coming in from New England, The Kleyla Family Band glimmers with the soulful stylings of Rock and Blues with their expressive single, "Cursed."
Formed by brother and sister duo, Brad and Katie Kleyla, The Kleyla Family Band (and friends) also features their other brother Chris Kleyla and Brad's wife/multi-instrumentalist Olivia Kleyla. Not to mention the active New England Classical and Rock percussionist Charlie Kalajian, The Kleyla Family Band delivers a sweet high-quality sound while keeping their circle tight.
Their latest single, "Cursed," offers a blistering blend of Blues and Rock through The Kleyla Family Band's vibrant instrumentals that burst with energy and flavor. Katie Kleyla pours her powerful vocals over the blazing instrumentals to make for a tightly-wound foot-stomper with help from each anthemic and dominant aspect The Kleyla Family Band offers.
"Cursed" begins with Brad Kleyla's whaling lead guitar that sets the song's bluesy and soulful tone. While layered over Chris Kleyla's smooth rhythm guitar and Charlie Kalajian's steady drum patterns, Katie Kleyla takes the stage as she sings of the grueling and painful experiences that lay in the past. A subtle yet spirited organ from Olivia Kleyla takes the track through the verse and livens the song with energy and life. As the pre-chorus rolls through, Brad Kleyla stomps over with his gut-wrenching guitar that punches through our speakers. Katie and Olivia Kleyla deliver an incredibly melodic hook that carries the song with soul.
Through each vibrant and passionate element of their single, "Cursed," The Kleyla Family Band is making a mark on the industry while serving powerful and punchy tracks that naturally liven our spirits.
Hello Kleyla Family Band and welcome to BuzzMusic. It seems as though "Cursed" is your band's debut single, congratulations! How does this track help listeners get to know your band and music better?
I think Cursed is a great single to release because it showcases the musical elements that are so important to our particular sound; powerful vocals and layered harmonies without autotune, catchy guitar riffs, and a tight groove. As we continue to release more music, I know these themes will only continue to develop and become more iconic to the KFB.
What inspired the heavy lyrical content with your recent hit, "Cursed?" Where did the concept for the song derive from?
Much of my musical creativity is directly related to my having bipolar disorder. For that reason, it is a blessing and a curse. When I wrote the lyrics for "Cursed", I was going through a particularly difficult time and it is an expression of those emotions. It is so hard to explain what it feels like to experience an "episode". The song talks a lot about this general idea of being lost - maybe that is physically from where you think should be and/or maybe that is psychologically or emotionally lost. The constant searching for something more - where does it end? And sometimes you take people down with you, even if you didn't mean to.
Seeing as your band is a relatively new formation, how did you divide the creative process for your single "Cursed?" Are you still navigating which creative methods work best for your band?
Both Brad and I have creative minds and each brings something different to the table when it comes to songwriting. Each song on the album has a little bit of both of us in it! For Cursed, I wrote the lyrics and came up with the overall melodies in the song, and Brad set the harmonization and developed the arrangement. But, Brad is the real master here. That is the most fun part for me. When I'm working alone molding a concept for a new song, it's a lot of plunking things out on the piano, but once I start to work with Brad it really comes to life. Often, he'll offer suggestions of a chord progression and we will craft it together deciding each chord one by one so it breathes like I imagined it would in my head. We've just started collaborating with the band all together, and that has been a very rewarding experience. Our drummer, Charlie, always adds his own interpretation to our songs and really transforms them based on the grooves he chooses to play and the fills he adds. Olivia plays bass (also brass and keyboards) and adds vocal harmonies to all of our songs. She also helps to promote all our material and keep us on track! Each member really plays a vital role in everything we do as a band.
We've noticed that all members of The Kleyla Family Band have quite extensive musical backgrounds. How have your individual experiences helped your group flourish collectively?
The professional experience we have all gained working with other people in orchestras, choirs, jazz ensembles, musicals, operas, and other bands is our biggest strength, without question. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts - we each bring so much individual knowledge to the band, as well as different skill sets. The different aspects of musicianship make playing together so rewarding. It never feels like any song is too far out of reach. If you can think of it, we can probably figure out some way to play it! We love a challenge.
What has been your biggest source of inspiration while creating new music this year?
I've recently been working on a few new songs; one is a more upbeat pop kind of song inspired a bit by my fiance, the other is very sad. For me, it's always been easier to write sad songs. Brad's inspiration lately has come from being in isolation and having the time and need for a distraction. He recently built a recording studio in his and Olivia's house, and it's been where we have done all of our work on our upcoming album over the past 8 months. Brad and I have been making demos for years, but now that we have the band we are finally putting them all together. Being able to collaborate with everyone in the band has truly helped develop our overall sound and bring new life to our music!