ABOUT
Quick Overview: Kiss Me Deadly is an Indie Rock Band mixing seductive vocal with Rock, Punk, R&B, &the Groove of keys, drums, bass, guitar, mandolin bari sax & bells.
About the Band: With their breakthrough release on Kingswood Records in 2015, Kiss Me Deadly lit up the Cleveland indie scene with their 12 song album “What You Do In The Dark,” executive produced by Todd Kwait. Jen Poland (Songwriter, Vocals, Guitar, Mandolin), Evan Lieberman (Bass), Madelyn Hayes (Vocals, Drums) , and Daniel Baxter (Keys) worked with Chris Keffer at Magnetic North Studios Production to produce “an exploration of groove-infuse film noir pop” with “smart and tuneful lyrics that range from personal emotion to social observation.” (IconvsIcon.com) Their first release kicked off a two week North American tour that gained the hearts of fans excited for Kiss Me Deadly to return to their town with new music. KMD would indeed return, but with new additions to the band and an ever-evolving sound.
In late 2016, Jen’s search for a baritone saxophone player to fulfill her vision of a complimentary tone to her own shredding electric mandolin style came to fruition when Matt King joined the band. He brought with him a background in jazz, skills on keyboard, and backing vocals that collectively began to evolve the band’s sound. Months after Matt joined the group, Madelyn’s departure initiated years of different drummers trying to fit the unique sonic signature of Kiss Me Deadly. A busy festival and concert schedule was brought to a hiatus by the Covid Pandemic, which only allowed Jen, Evan, and Matt to live stream shows from the comfort of their shared apartment on platforms such as the 48 Hour Virtual Music Fest. In 2021 they began playing with drummer John Scully, who’s blend of world beats with punk and jazz influence fit seamlessly into the growing sound of Kiss Me Deadly. The band began to tour again throughout the northeast while exercising their affinity to create upbeat, genre-bending music. In the midst of a show-heavy schedule, Jen tragically broke her wrist, and the band sought help from their friend, Chris Frohring, who happily stepped in so KMD did not miss any shows. Chris’s distinctive psychedelic, hook-centric guitar playing not only filled the gap while Jen’s injury healed, but his musical affinities and abilities augment Kiss Me Deadly’s progressing arrangements. Four months later, Kiss Me Deadly recorded tracks for “Ship Of Theseus” at Redefer Studio in Ohio University’s Schoonover Center. With Jen Poland leading the audio engineering, the band’s first self-produced album was underway. While Jen and Matt mixed “Ship Of Theseus,” local Clevelander and founder of the music focused fanzine “CLE Magazine,” Jim Ellis approached the band with the opportunity to record a three song EP for his new record label CLE Records. Kiss Me Deadly quickly recorded “Hootenanny” at the legendary SUMA Recording Studio with multi-platinum award winner Michael Seifert. After a successful session at SUMA, CLE Records and Kiss Me Deadly decided to move forward with a full length album to be recorded at SUMA in 2026.
