Rainbow Kitten Surprise

North Carolina indie folk-rock outfit Rainbow Kitten Surprise rose from college dorm-room jammers to main-stage festival performers during the mid-2010s. ∙ The band got their name during a hospital visit with a friend, who suggested Rainbow Kitten Surprise while under the effects of anesthesia. ∙ They were voted into the final 24 on the 2014 music competition series, Make a Band Famous. ∙ In 2014, they attended the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival as fans, and by 2017 they were playing its second-biggest stage. ∙ Singer Ela Melo came out in 2018 via the percussive jam “Hide,” which was accompanied by a cinematic music video chronicling the lives of four New Orleans drag queens. ∙ The alt-rock single “Fever Pitch,” from their album How To: Friend, Love, Freefall, was named one of NPR Music’s 35 Favorite Songs of 2018 (So Far). ∙ They released the live album RKS! Live From Athens Georgia in 2021.