Music From "Beyond the World Of Man"?

I first saw the KOLARS when they opened for Saint Motel in January and was blown away at how with little more than a single guitar and drum set, they pulled focus from the giant television screen that read “Late Nights with Saint Motel”. As we walked back to our hotel through the darkened streets of downtown Los Angeles, not knowing whether it was night or early morning, the opening act with the tap dancing drummer was one of everyone’s favorite moments from the show.

Decked out in glittering costumes, taking over their own sides of the stage as if competing for the crowds cheers, the KOLARS look less like a typical Los Angeles based duo and more like cousins of the interrestrial rockstar Ziggy Stardust. Their image is a small but important part of their show. Lauren Brown‘s smudged eyeliner pulls your focus from her glittering dress that projects light like a disco ball as she moves, to her thousand yard stare as she performs the mind boggling feat of not only pounding away on snares, toms, and a crash cymbal, but tap dancing on a bass drum at the same time. Rob Kolar wears a sparkly blazer to match his wife, and with his hair in a pompadour he almost looks like an Elvis impersonator one might find on the streets of Las Vegas. Brown wears white as Kolar wears black, and from our seats they looked like a yin and yang symbol. One only has to hear one of their songs to understand that much like yin and yang, they work together to balance each other out.

Kolar dances over to the other side of the stage to sing to her, but she is in such a zone the only evidence of a reaction is the way she slightly motions for him to back away, needing as much space and air as she can get. By the end of each song, she is so exhausted all she can do is slump over the drum kit, and after a brief second, look up at the audience with an almost motherly smile. She’s back and ready for more. Rob Kolar pulls his guitar closely to himself as he spins to face backstage while playing a guitar solo, and then turns back to the audience and scrunches his face as he asks in a voice from down in his gut, ”Is it dangerous to live like us?”

The former members of He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister have played over 200 shows in the past two years, and now that they’ve finished their tour of the US, they are traveling through England with Shonen Knife, an all-girl punk group from Osaka, Japan that despite becoming favorites of Nirvana and Sonic Youth, have clung to their underground image. With a set list composed of dreamy yet rhythm driven tracks perfect for dancing in a mosh pit like “Dizzy”, “One More Thrill”, and “Dangerous”, as well as anthems that weigh on your heart while simultaneously lifting your spirits like “Beyond the World of Man” and “Change Your Mind”, it’s no wonder that the duo has left music critics at Paste Magazine, Lemonade Magazine, The Huffington Post, and Consequence of Sound smitten with their performances. Brown and Kolars energy and electric chemistry onstage brings each song to life, and will make you want to pick up a guitar or take a tap dancing class. If you have a chance to catch the gruff voiced crooner and his partner in crime, the actual goddess of rhythm, take a deep breath, keep your eyes peeled, and just absorb it all.

All photos taken from The KOLARS Instagram page, @kolarsmusic