Killola
Encyclopedia
Killola is an independent American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 band from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 consisting of Lisa Rieffel
Lisa Rieffel
Lisa Rieffel is an American singer, musician, and actress.Rieffel was born in Denville, New Jersey. She is a founding member and lead singer of the Los Angeles-based alternative rock band Killola, and has been a singer/actress since childhood...

 (lead vocals), Dan Grody (drums) and Johnny Dunn (bass, guitar). The band's varied musical style is primarily 'Garage Pop' with punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

/electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...

 influences. Many of their songs make integrated use of layered vocal harmonies and synthesizers. The band possesses a notable DIY
Do it yourself
Do it yourself is a term used to describe building, modifying, or repairing of something without the aid of experts or professionals...

 work ethic, and maintains a widespread, global fanbase thanks to multiple self-produced releases, free downloads and heavy internet presence.

The band was awarded "Best Use of Emerging Technologies, 2010" by the NYC-based music blog WAMM, alongside OK Go and Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...

.

Killola fans from all over the world submit photos of their band-related tattoos via the group's social networking sites. Tattooed fans are granted free-admission to shows, when the band is able to accommodate. Rieffel is also an actress, appearing in the 2011 feature musical Girltrash: All Night Long. She was also an original cast member of the The King of Queens.

Career

The group formed in 2003 in Los Angeles. They recorded and released a free 4-song EP on stencil-screened CD-Rs, packaged in hand-painted sleeves. The band frequently dropped stacks of the free EPs at Amoeba Music in Hollywood, and at various stores, bars, coffee shops and venues around Los Angeles.

The first formal Killola record "Louder, Louder!
Louder, Louder!
Louder, Louder! is the debut album by American rock band Killola, released in 2006. Recorded at locations all over Los Angeles in late 2005 and early 2006, Killola spent close to zero on the entire production itself...

" was released in January 2006. They recorded the album with friends at locations all over Los Angeles, spending close to zero on the entire production itself. This 8-song CD sold steadily and heavily over the internet and at live shows, with strong internet-orders coming from England. This led to a May 2007 tour of the United Kingdom, actually preempting the band's first United States tour. Barrel of Donkeys, the opening track of Louder, Louder!, was released as a limited-print 7" vinyl single by England-based label Kerascene Recordings.

In summer 2007, the band self-booked an 11-show UK tour through email and Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....

. The final performance of this tour was recorded as a live studio-session, to analog tape, at BreakThru Radio (BTR) in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. The resulting 12-song Live in England radio-session was offered as a free download to fans.

The band also released a double-disc DVD/CD package in the summer of 2007. Killola filmed and recorded a performance at the all-ages East Hollywood venue Safari Sam's on October 6, 2006, and from this recording they produced a live DVD/CD entitled Live in Hollywood.

Their second album, "I Am The Messer
I Am The Messer
I Am The Messer is the second studio album by American rock band Killola, released in 2008. The album was "freeleased" as a completely free downloadable album. This was made possible through a digital distribution agreement/partnership with New York/San Francisco-based digilabel True Anthem, and...

", was recorded in Los Angeles, California in late 2007 and early 2008; for production, the band tapped Luke Tierney (close friend and member of The Playing Favorites
The Playing Favorites
The Playing Favorites is an American indie rock band, working as a side project of several punk rock band members. The band members are Joey Cape , Luke Tierney , Tim Cullen , Marko DeSantis and Mick Flowers...

, and The Penfifteen Club), tracking the record in Tierney's home studio in Laurel Canyon. I Am The Messer was released in April 2008 on CD, as well as sold on USB drives
USB flash drive
A flash drive is a data storage device that consists of flash memory with an integrated Universal Serial Bus interface. flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, and physically much smaller than a floppy disk. Most weigh less than 30 g...

. Killola was one of the first acts to distribute an album on USB flash drive wristbands. The drives, entitled 'Digital Arms bRACElets', were pre-loaded with I Am The Messer mp3 files, along with several hidden songs, photos and videos.

In September 2008, Killola co-headlined a tour throughout the entire United States with indie-powerpop band The Action Design
The Action Design
The Action Design is a rock band from California which was formed after the breakup of the former punk band Tsunami Bomb. Emily Whitehurst and Matt McKenzie came together to produce a new band, self-described as "a refreshing mix of the band's punk rock roots infused with hard hitting dance...

, from San Francisco, California. The tour lasted 32 days and the bands played a total of 27 shows together.

Killola, Semi Precious Weapons
Semi Precious Weapons
Semi Precious Weapons is a rock band from New York City consisting of Justin Tranter on vocals, Stevy Pyne on guitar, Cole Whittle on bass and Dan Crean on drums. Pyne replaced former guitarist, Aaron Lee Tasjan, in November 2008...

, Nico Vega
Nico Vega
Nico Vega is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2005. The band consists of lead singer Aja Volkman, guitarist Rich Koehler and drummer Dan Epand. Comparisons have been made to The White Stripes in that they have never had a bass player...

 and Von Iva
Von Iva
Von Iva is an all-girl electro soul-punk group out of San Francisco. Formerly a quartet, they are now a trio.-Members:*Jillian Iva - vocals*Bex - keyboards*Lay Lay - drums-EPs:...

 all performed on the 'Hell on Heels' tour, in early 2009.

Killola opened for New York Dolls
New York Dolls
The New York Dolls is an American rock band, formed in New York in 1971. The band's protopunk sound prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave and 1980s-era glam metal groups, and they began the local New York scene that later...

 at SXSW in March 2009, and supported new-wave pioneers Berlin
Berlin (band)
Berlin is an American New Wave/Synthpop band. The group was formed in Los Angeles in 1978 by John Crawford . The band contained Crawford, Terri Nunn , David Diamond , Ric Olsen , Matt Reid and Rod Learned . Learned left during the first EU tour and was replaced by Rob Brill...

 for multiple dates in April 2009.

Kristeen Young
Kristeen Young
Kristeen Young is an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist from St. Louis, Missouri. She is noted for her aggressive style and four-octave vocal range....

 and Killola did a west-coast tour of the United States in May 2009.

Killola began their "Buy the Milk" U.S. Tour on March 10, 2010 at Crazy Girls in Hollywood, California.

On August 20, 2010 Killola's partnership with Aderra Inc.
Aderra inc.
Aderra Inc. is a music technology company based in Los Angeles, London, Melbourne, Tokyo, Nashville, New York, Paris and Luxembourg. The company specializes in recording live events directly to USB flash drives which are then distributed to the audience before they leave the venue.Aderra Inc...

 and their USB flash drive album were profiled on the Los Angeles Times Music Blog.

On March 18, 2010 Killola announced the release of their Let's Get Associated album available on a USB Dog Tag Flash Drive. The USB Dog Tag is reported to also include their entire CD back catalog of Louder, Louder and I Am the Messer.

The band's booking is handled by Mob Agency, in Los Angeles.

As of October 2010, Killola began writing songs for a new and upcoming album.

On December 17, 2010 Killola was featured in an article written by Damian Kulash
Damian Kulash
Damian Joseph Kulash Jr. is the lead singer and guitarist for Chicago-based rock band OK Go.-Early life:Born in Washington D.C., USA, Kulash graduated from St. Albans School in 1994, and later Brown University in 1998 with a concentration in Art-Semiotics. The family name was originally "Kulas"...

, singer of rock band OK Go
OK Go
OK Go is a rock band originally from Chicago, Illinois, USA, now residing in Los Angeles, California, USA. The band is composed of Damian Kulash , Tim Nordwind , Dan Konopka and Andy Ross , who joined them in 2005, replacing Andy Duncan...

, in The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....

. The article was an overview of Kulash's opinions about the future of the music industry. He cited Killola's partnership with Aderra Inc.
Aderra inc.
Aderra Inc. is a music technology company based in Los Angeles, London, Melbourne, Tokyo, Nashville, New York, Paris and Luxembourg. The company specializes in recording live events directly to USB flash drives which are then distributed to the audience before they leave the venue.Aderra Inc...

 as a prime example of how emerging artists can make money while touring.

World's First Live Performance Via an Album

On June 17, 2010, Killola performed four songs live with video, streaming real-time to a secret hidden page embedded in every USB Dog-Tag version of their Let's Get Associated album. Fans who owned the record were instructed via Twitter to "plug in your USB album tonight at 7pm PST and we'll perform for you." This was the world's first ever live-streaming performance from inside an album. A second in-album performance took place on July 22, 2010, and was recorded and released free to non-Dog-Tag-owning fans. This performance inside the up-datable USB Dog-Tag was noteworthy in the "Best Use of Emerging Technologies, 2010" award from NYC-based music blog WAMM.

Free downloadable album

On August 12, 2008, Killola "freeleased" their second album I Am The Messer as a completely free downloadable album. This was made possible through a digital distribution agreement/partnership with New York/San Francisco-based digilabel True Anthem. The record was offered via an embeddable web 'widget'
Web widget
In computing a web widget is a software widget for the web. It's a small application that can be installed and executed within a web page by an end user. They are derived from the idea of code reuse. Other terms used to describe web widgets include: portlet, gadget, badge, module, webjit, capsule,...

 allowing the free-download mechanism to spread virally throughout the internet. The band offered two previously unavailable bonus tracks to listeners who downloaded the album in its entirety. The bonus tracks became 'unlocked' after the entire album was successfully downloaded. The album is free, based on a sponsorship by DW Drums
Drum Workshop
Drum Workshop is a drum and hardware manufacturing company based in Oxnard, California. Their slogan is "The Drummer's Choice".-History:...

, and Skullcandy
Skullcandy
Skullcandy is a Park City, Utah-based company that markets headphones, earphones, hands free devices, audio backpacks, MP3 players and other products. The company was founded in 2003....

. I Am The Messer remains available for free download via the bands website.

GIRLTRASH (web-series and feature film/musical)

In 2007, Rieffel starred in the cult-popular web-series Girltrash!
Girltrash!
Girltrash! is a web series written and directed by Angela Robinson. It originally aired on ourchart.com from June to August 2007. It stars Michelle Lombardo, Lisa Rieffel, Gabrielle Christian, and Mandy Musgrave.-Plot:...

created by Angela Robinson
Angela Robinson
Angela Robinson is an American film and television director, screenwriter and producer.-Early life:Robinson was born in San Francisco, California and later grew up in Los Angeles. Robinson completed a B.A...

. Girltrash! was a gritty, pulp comedy-drama with a decidedly lesbian spin. The web-series co-starred Killola vocalist Lisa Rieffel
Lisa Rieffel
Lisa Rieffel is an American singer, musician, and actress.Rieffel was born in Denville, New Jersey. She is a founding member and lead singer of the Los Angeles-based alternative rock band Killola, and has been a singer/actress since childhood...

, Margaret Cho
Margaret Cho
Margaret Cho is an American comedian, fashion designer, actress, author, and recording artist. Cho is best known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially those pertaining to race and sexuality. She has also directed and appeared in music...

, Rose Rollins
Rose Rollins
Rose Rollins is an American actress and model.Originally from Yonkers, New York, she now lives in Los Angeles. She joined the cast of The L Word during the fourth season as Tasha Williams. She has also appeared in The West Wing and 13 Moons. She also played Monique on the web series Girltrash! on...

, Michelle Lombardo
Michelle Lombardo
Michelle Helen Lombardo is an American model and actress.-Biography:Lombardo, who is of Italian and Irish descent, is originally from Glastonbury, Connecticut...

, Riki Lindhome
Riki Lindhome
Riki Lindhome is an American actress and musician. She is best known for television roles in shows including Gilmore Girls, House, The Big Bang Theory and United States of Tara and is also one half of the musical comedy duo Garfunkel And Oates...

, Jimmi Simpson
Jimmi Simpson
James Raymond "Jimmi" Simpson is an American actor. He has had recurring roles on the television shows 24, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Psych, My Name Is Earl, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and The Late Show with David Letterman...

, Mandy Musgrave
Mandy Musgrave
Mandy Musgrave is an American actress and singer. Best known for her portrayal of Ashley Davies on the television series South of Nowhere, as well as portraying Misty Monroe in the web series Girltrash! and its musical prequel film Girltrash!: All Night Long...

, Gabrielle Christian
Gabrielle Christian
Gabrielle Christian is an American actress and singer best known for her portrayal of Spencer Carlin in The N original series South of Nowhere and her portrayal of Colby Robson in the web series Girltrash! and its musical prequel film Girltrash!: All Night Long...

, Amber Benson
Amber Benson
Amber Nicole Benson is an American actress, writer, film director, and film producer. She is best known for her role as Tara Maclay on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but has also directed, produced and starred in her own films Chance and Lovers, Liars & Lunatics...

 and Jordana Brewster
Jordana Brewster
Jordana Brewster is an American actress. She began her acting career in her late teens, with a 1995 one-episode role in the soap opera All My Children. She followed that appearance with the recurring role as Nikki Munson in As the World Turns, for which Brewster was nominated for Outstanding Teen...

. The webisodic consisted of 11 installments, airing weekly via OurChart.com, a fictitious website-turned-social-network controlled by Showtime.
The feature film Girltrash!: All Night Long produced by POWER UP began production in December 2009. The script was written by Angela Robinson
Angela Robinson
Angela Robinson is an American film and television director, screenwriter and producer.-Early life:Robinson was born in San Francisco, California and later grew up in Los Angeles. Robinson completed a B.A...

, with Killola writing and producing the original songs for the film's musical numbers.Girltrash: All Night Long is set to release in 2011.

Appearances

Killola music was featured in 3 consecutive installments of LG15:The Resistance
LG15: The Resistance
LG15: The Resistance was a web television series produced by EQAL that took place within the LG15 Universe. The series was first announced on July 4, 2008 via the official behind-the-scenes LG15 blog, Inside...

, an interactive web spin-off of the massively popular Lonelygirl15
Lonelygirl15
lonelygirl15 was an interactive web-based video series which began in June 2006 and ran through to August 1, 2008. Developed under the working title The Children of Anchor Cove, the show gained worldwide media attention when it was outed as fictional in September 2006.-Overview:lonelygirl15...

video series. The band released an alternate duet-version of "Is This A Love Song?" featuring renowned French singer Anaïs
Anaïs Croze
Anaïs, full name Anaïs Croze, is a French singer. She was born in Grenoble, Isère, France on August 20, 1976. Her first album, called The Cheap Show, was recorded live in January 2004 and released in 2005...

. This duet-version incorporates a verse in French, as the two singers interchange lines and melodies. The song was released for free, and currently remains available for free download on the band's website.

Killola was the first band to be showcased on DIRECTV's original program The Fizz as the "Indie Music Pick."

In September 2007, Rieffel and Dunn began hosting a weekly internet music/talk show on Spread Radio Live, a non-FCC regulated web-based radio station founded by Dave Navarro
Dave Navarro
David Michael "Dave" Navarro is an American guitarist who plays in the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction and cover band Camp Freddy. He has also played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Panic Channel, and many others.- Early life :...

. The popular show broadcasts live on Monday nights at 7PM (PST) on the band's website.

An alternate version of the Killola song entitled "I Wanna See Your Dick" was leaked onto the internet in 2010. The song features a guest-appearance from rapper Shunda K of Yo! Majesty
Yo Majesty
Yo! Majesty is an American hip hop group consisting of rapper Shunda K and singer Jwl B, produced by UK-based electro group HardfeelingsUK.Yo! Majesty was mentioned as one of the 'Top 11 new bands of 2008' by NME magazine as well as one of the '25 Most Exciting Bands In America'.-Biography:Yo!...

.

Killola released a music video for their song "Cracks In The Armor" on September 9, 2009. The video was produced by the band and the director with no outside funding or assistance. It features lead singer Lisa Rieffel
Lisa Rieffel
Lisa Rieffel is an American singer, musician, and actress.Rieffel was born in Denville, New Jersey. She is a founding member and lead singer of the Los Angeles-based alternative rock band Killola, and has been a singer/actress since childhood...

 who has been kidnapped to an underwater television studio where she is forced to perform for fish puppets. The other members of the band appear as commandos who enter the underwater world and free her to perform once again as a full band.

Killola also released a music video for their song "I'm a Bitch" on May 5, 2012. The video was directed by Hank Friedmann who helmed "Cracks In The Armor" for the band and has an appearance by actress Taryn Manning.

Lisa Rieffel has appeared in the MTV show original series Made
Made
Made or MADE may refer to:*Made - town in the Netherlands*van der Made - Dutch family name*Made *Made *Made *Made - by Scarface*M.A.D.E...

 to help a quiet high schooler break out of her shell and become a hard core Rock Star

Albums

  • Louder, Louder!
    Louder, Louder!
    Louder, Louder! is the debut album by American rock band Killola, released in 2006. Recorded at locations all over Los Angeles in late 2005 and early 2006, Killola spent close to zero on the entire production itself...

    (2006)
  • I Am The Messer
    I Am The Messer
    I Am The Messer is the second studio album by American rock band Killola, released in 2008. The album was "freeleased" as a completely free downloadable album. This was made possible through a digital distribution agreement/partnership with New York/San Francisco-based digilabel True Anthem, and...

    (2008) (free-download page)
  • Let's Get Associated (2010) Released on USB Dog tag and CD
  • No Class
    No Class
    "No Class" is a song by the heavy metal band Motörhead. It was released in 1979, in 7" vinyl pressings. The song first appeared on the 1979 album Overkill, and became one of the "cornerstones" of the classic 1981 live album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith...

    (pending 2012)

DVDs


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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