Band of the Week: Kairos

By Conner Yarbrough
Music Director

What’s better than a San Marcos-based, reggae-inspired rock band? A San Marcos-based, reggae-inspired rock band that makes overwhelmingly tasty pancakes…with cinnamon and maybe a little nutmeg – not once, but twice for the KTSW Band of the Week team.

It’s a pleasure to finally introduce (someone cue the drumroll) Kairos!

After meeting the band in the fall for our failed first-shoot (that may have involved the death of our best camera…RIP), we met up with Jacob (vocals/guitar), Jake (drummer) and Brent (self-proclaimed sugar daddy and bassist) for a second round of homemade pancakes and to talk about their work together as Kairos.

The trio dropped their first EP, Cuatro, back in the fall of 2017, but had been working together for about a year before then. Their sound, which draws influences from bands like Sublime and The Roots, melds island-funk with alternative creating a sound that “makes it hard to stand still.” It’s easy to say that their music is perfect for a relaxing day at Sewell Park or on the river (as long as you’ve got a waterproof speaker handy).

While Kairos may be based in San Marcos, they’ve played their fair share of shows in cities all over Texas including Houston, San Antonio, New Braunfels and Austin. One of their decided favorites, though, was their show in Corpus Christi with Ballyhoo!, The Holdup and Darenots where they had their first real “fan experience” after the show when people came up asking for pictures. While they may be branching out to new cities and new venues, the band got their start at Kiva Lounge & Bar on The Square.

In between discussing ASMR and obsessing over the band’s ever-enchanting housecat, Jacob described to me how the group is still finding themselves as individuals and as a band through their sound and energy–something that takes guts to recognize, much less admit.

As for the future, Kairos next EP, conveniently titled Half Stack (y’all really thought the whole pancake thing wouldn’t come full circle, huh?), will be released on April 13 and the band will host a release party at Roosters on The Square. Kairos will also be performing at Empire Control Room & Garage in Austin on March 22 (tickets here) and at Martian Arts Festival 2019 (tickets here) here in San Marcos in April.

Listen to Kairos here:

Featured image by Victoria Vasquez.