In 2006 the Kismets were looking for a new lead singer.
I took the job, along with playing some rhythm guitar. The other band members included: Ken Valejos (Drums), Nick Valejos (Bass), Christian Sudweeks (Lead Guitar), and Tyrel Jensen (Keyboard/Sax).
With a new player in the mix the dynamic of the band changed. I didn't have the strength or range of the previous singer (Matt Romero) and the new music we were writing was more complex. We had a hard time staying put stylistically and our songs varied from a retro-pop feel to heavy rock jams.
The Kismet experience was that of young talent, ambition, and experimentation. We gigged around the valley a little bit, and hit a highlight when we took first place in the Utah Battle of the Bands competition held at a venue in Murray.
The Kismets never put out an official album, in fact recordings are limited, but we do have some footage of live shows. Honestly, playing live was our element; Ken was so creative on the drums and Tyrel's saxophone improvisation added a boost of energy. "Kismet" originates from an Arabic term that means "fate" or "destiny" and that's what our time together was.
I took the job, along with playing some rhythm guitar. The other band members included: Ken Valejos (Drums), Nick Valejos (Bass), Christian Sudweeks (Lead Guitar), and Tyrel Jensen (Keyboard/Sax).
With a new player in the mix the dynamic of the band changed. I didn't have the strength or range of the previous singer (Matt Romero) and the new music we were writing was more complex. We had a hard time staying put stylistically and our songs varied from a retro-pop feel to heavy rock jams.
The Kismet experience was that of young talent, ambition, and experimentation. We gigged around the valley a little bit, and hit a highlight when we took first place in the Utah Battle of the Bands competition held at a venue in Murray.
The Kismets never put out an official album, in fact recordings are limited, but we do have some footage of live shows. Honestly, playing live was our element; Ken was so creative on the drums and Tyrel's saxophone improvisation added a boost of energy. "Kismet" originates from an Arabic term that means "fate" or "destiny" and that's what our time together was.
"I Couldn't Love You More"
The Best Day of My Life
Funkadelic
A Song About A Tragedy
We do not have a recording of the song, but in February of 2007 there was a tragic shooting that took place at Trolley Square Mall in Salt Lake City, Utah. At one performance not more than a couple miles from where the shooting took place I broke down and cried on stage as we performed the song. Below are the lyrics.
The Shooter's in the Grave
Where does that kind of anger come from?
The kind that leads one to take up gun,
And countless rounds of ammunition
Tempted by deception of perdition
In his mind he’s going back to his childhood
All the fear and the violence in the streets
Forced from his home in the panic of a moment
He’s only 5 years old and a refugee
He found his way to a freedom in a new land
But only after years of a life in poverty
Quietly he hides all the trauma of the past
No one understands or even knows that he bleeds
The silence breaks as shots are fired
The violence takes the life of friends
Confusion, fear and hate conspire
Life and hope and comfort ends
He rounds the corner with the stance of mad man
The shoppers try to hide but its far too late
A man with his lover and a girl with a handbag
Fall victim to his rage in an evil twist of fate
The screams and the blood bring him back to his childhood
The days of trepidation and living in the streets
Another shot is fired but this one hit’s the gunman
No one understands but now they see that he bleeds
Five are dead , four are wounded lying in a bed
And all that we can do is question
The quiet boy and his transgression
Was it the product of repression?
Now only God hears his confession
What part of hell does that kind of anger come from?
What motivates kid to end a strangers life?
What would you do if the shooter was your own son?
How would you feel if the victim was your wife?
When will the pain from this tragedy be over?
Will there be a time that it will go away?
And how could we stop such a random act of hatred?
Who can we ask now the shooters in the grave?
Where does that kind of anger come from?
The kind that leads one to take up gun,
And countless rounds of ammunition
Tempted by deception of perdition
In his mind he’s going back to his childhood
All the fear and the violence in the streets
Forced from his home in the panic of a moment
He’s only 5 years old and a refugee
He found his way to a freedom in a new land
But only after years of a life in poverty
Quietly he hides all the trauma of the past
No one understands or even knows that he bleeds
The silence breaks as shots are fired
The violence takes the life of friends
Confusion, fear and hate conspire
Life and hope and comfort ends
He rounds the corner with the stance of mad man
The shoppers try to hide but its far too late
A man with his lover and a girl with a handbag
Fall victim to his rage in an evil twist of fate
The screams and the blood bring him back to his childhood
The days of trepidation and living in the streets
Another shot is fired but this one hit’s the gunman
No one understands but now they see that he bleeds
Five are dead , four are wounded lying in a bed
And all that we can do is question
The quiet boy and his transgression
Was it the product of repression?
Now only God hears his confession
What part of hell does that kind of anger come from?
What motivates kid to end a strangers life?
What would you do if the shooter was your own son?
How would you feel if the victim was your wife?
When will the pain from this tragedy be over?
Will there be a time that it will go away?
And how could we stop such a random act of hatred?
Who can we ask now the shooters in the grave?