Jeff Kite | |
|---|---|
 Jeff Kite backstage in Philadelphia. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jeffrey Kite |
| Born | March 19, 1979 |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instrument(s) | Keyboard Synthesizers Guitar Drums |
| Labels | Cult Records, RCA Records, Mom + Pop Music, Terrible Records, Mr. Bongo Records |
Jeff Kite (born March 19, 1979) is an American musician, composer, producer and member of the band, The Voidz. [1]
In 2009, Julian Casablancas released his debut solo record, Phrazes for the Young. Kite joined Casablancas’ touring band, The Sick Six, as a keyboard and guitar player. Between tours, he began writing new songs with Casablancas and drummer, Alex Carapetis, in a studio New York City. Many of their demos eventually became songs on the debut Voidz album, Tyranny. [2]
After touring extensively with Julian Casablancas in 2009, Jeff once again joined forces with The Strokes frontman on his new project, The Voidz. They began recording their debut album, Tyranny, in 2013 in New York City. The album was released on September 23, 2014. The first single to be released was the 11 minute song, “Human Sadness”. Included with the song’s release was a music video co-directed by Warren Fu and Nicholuas Goossen. The second single that the band released was, “Where No Eagles Fly”. They performed the song on The Tonight Show and Le Gran Journal. Tyranny peaked inside the US Top 40 albums chart at No. 39. [3]
In December 2017, the band announced a name change from "Julian Casablancas + The Voidz" to "The Voidz". [4]
Virtue is the second studio album by The Voidz. This time the band recorded in Los Angeles. It was released on March 30, 2018, through Cult Records and RCA. “Leave It In My Dreams,” was the first single to be released and they performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The band toured extensively and appeared on several late night shows to promote the album.
In 2019, The Voidz collaborated with Mac DeMarco who produced two songs, “Did My Best” and “T.E.T” that were released on Terrible Records. [5] T.E.T was used as the theme song for The Mets 2021 MLB season.
In late 2020, The Voidz premiered a new song "Alien Crime Lord" in the video game Grand Theft Auto V .
Jeff acts as the lead vocalist and also plays keyboards in Beat Club. Their first single, 'Something Better,' was released in February 2013 on Boombox Recordings (PCM/Mom+Pop). In Fall 2013, Beat Club toured the US with Fitz and the Tantrums and Capital Cities. [6] In February 2016, Noisey released the band's most recent single, 'New Age Kid,' citing the tracks 'psych-pop swagger' and the 'Lennon-lean of his [Kite's] voice.' [7]
In 2013, Jeff worked in the studio on Vicky Cryer's debut release, The Synthetic Love of Emotional Engineering. Vicky Cryer is helmed by Jason Hill (of Louis XIV). Also recruited for the project was current drummer for The Voidz, Alex Carapetis, along with Dominic Howard (of Muse), Mark Stoermer (of The Killers), Nick Fyffe (of Jamiroquai) and Dave Elitch (of Mars Volta). [8]
He is currently the producer and keyboardist in the instrumental trio, Coastal Kites.
In 2008, Jeff Kite composed the score for No Subtitles Necessary, a film that follows the lives of renowned cinematographers László Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond as they escape from the 1956 Soviet invasion of Hungary to present day. It premiered at the 2008 Cannes International Film Festival and was a part of the Independent Lens series on PBS. [9] He also composed music for the documentary, Rio Breaks; a film that explores surfing and slum-life in Rio de Janeiro. [10] The soundtrack was released on Mr. Bongo Records.
The Strokes are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 1998. The band is composed of lead singer and primary songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio Moretti. They were a leading group of the early-2000s post-punk revival and garage rock revival movements.
Julian Fernando Casablancas is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the rock band The Strokes, with whom he has released six studio albums since their founding in 1998. Casablancas released a solo studio album, Phrazes for the Young, in 2009, and has released two albums with the experimental rock band The Voidz.
Alex Carapetis is an Australian drummer and member of The Voidz. He was formerly a member of Wolfmother, and has toured with Nine Inch Nails, and Julian Casablancas among others. Alex currently resides in Los Angeles.
Michael Evan Bloom is an American musician, singer, composer, producer and mixer who has performed, produced or recorded with artists such as Rilo Kiley, Jenny Lewis, Julian Casablancas, Johnathan Rice, Margot & the Nuclear So and So's, and Rachael Yamagata. He was a co-founder of The Elected. Bloom plays guitar, bass, lap steel guitar, keys, drums, banjo, and harmonica. He is also a composer and has served as music supervisor for films and TV shows. He is the younger brother of actor/writer Brian Bloom and actor/producer/writer Scott Bloom.
"11th Dimension" is a song by Julian Casablancas and is the lead single from his debut album Phrazes for the Young. It was first performed live on the talk show The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien on October 27, 2009. Pitchfork Media awarded the track as "Best New Track" and rated "11th Dimension" the 66th best song of 2009, calling it "the strongest [Julian's] sounded since Room on Fire. It's a blast of retro-futuristic synths, steam-rolling guitar licks, and slicing, dicing hi-hat, and the busy pulse of the production cuts through the detachment and manages to convey a sense of fun, as if he's finally enjoying the creative experience".
Fitz and the Tantrums are an American indie pop and neo soul band from Los Angeles, California, that formed in 2008. The band consists of Michael Fitzpatrick, Noelle Scaggs, James King, Joseph Karnes, and Jeremy Ruzumna (keyboards). Their debut studio album, Pickin' Up the Pieces, was released in August 2010 on indie label Dangerbird Records and received critical acclaim; it also reached no. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. In early 2013 the band signed to their current label, Elektra Records, which released their second LP, More Than Just a Dream, the same year. Their self-titled third album was released in 2016, which contains their most notable song, "HandClap". Their fourth studio album, All the Feels, was released in 2019, and their fifth, Let Yourself Free, in 2022.
The Growlers is an American band from Southern California. They began their career in the Orange County city of Dana Point, California in 2006. They are currently based in Costa Mesa. The band is currently composed of singer Brooks Nielsen and keyboard player/guitarist Kyle Straka. They have released seven albums, several EPs and a number of singles. The band's sound has been described as "a trademark style of music that somehow combines surf, pop, rock and beat" which has been labeled "Beach Goth".
More Than Just a Dream is the second and major-label debut studio album by American band Fitz and the Tantrums, released on May 7, 2013, by Elektra Records. The album was produced by Tony Hoffer at The Sound Factory in Los Angeles. The title comes from a line of the chorus from the group's lead single "Out of My League". Their song "Spark" also featured in the soundtrack to EA Sports game, FIFA 13.
"Instant Crush" is a song written, produced, and performed by French electronic music duo Daft Punk and American musician Julian Casablancas. It was released as the fourth single from Daft Punk's fourth studio album, Random Access Memories (2013), on 22 November 2013. It was number 58 on Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Best Songs of 2013 list.
Cult Records is an independent record label founded by Julian Casablancas in 2009. Initially used as an imprint for Casablancas' solo releases, Cult later became a standalone label, and in June 2014 entered a label services agreement with Kobalt as well as a digital distribution agreement with ONErpm.
The Voidz are an American rock band. They consist of Julian Casablancas (vocals), Jeramy "Beardo" Gritter (guitar), Amir Yaghmai (guitar), Jacob "Jake" Bercovici, Alex Carapetis (drums), and Jeff Kite (keyboards). Their debut album was placed 50th in NME's Top 50 Albums of 2014 list.
Tyranny is the debut studio album by the American rock band the Voidz, recorded at Labyrinth, NYC and released on September 23, 2014 through the Cult label. The first single from the album, the 11-minute track "Human Sadness", was released on September 2, 2014. The music video for the second single "Where No Eagles Fly" was directed by guitarist Jeramy "Beardo" Gritter. On September 19, Tyranny was made available to stream on the websites of Rolling Stone and Pitchfork.
Rey Pila is a Mexican rock band formed in Mexico City in 2010. The band consists of Diego Solórzano, Andrés Velasco, Rodrigo Blanco and Miguel Hernández, though it started as Solórzano's solo project. The name "Rey Pila" is Spanish for "King Battery", a phrase Diego saw in a painting by the late graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
"Human Sadness" is the debut single by American rock band Julian Casablancas + The Voidz. It was released on September 2, 2014 via Casablancas' indie record label Cult Records and is from their debut album Tyranny. The song is nearly eleven minutes long.
Shawn Everett is a Canadian music engineer and producer best known for his work with Alabama Shakes, Kacey Musgraves, The War on Drugs, The Killers, and Julian Casablancas. Everett has won six Grammy Awards.
Future Present Past is the second EP by American band the Strokes, released on June 3, 2016 through Cult Records. The title represents each song: "Drag Queen" refers to the "future", "Oblivius"—the "present", and "Threat of Joy"—the "past".
Jennifer "Jen" Turner is a singer-songwriter musician and producer.
Virtue is the second studio album by American band the Voidz, released on March 30, 2018 through Cult and RCA. It is the band's first album after shortening their name from "Julian Casablancas + The Voidz" to "The Voidz".
This article presents the complete discography of The Voidz.