Some say the expression "kismet" is just an old cliché… perhaps an unattainable, wishful expression of the romantic. But for unlikely lovers LnZ Kayd and Chris Newton of the award-winning duo A Melodic Daydream, kismet is not just a way of life but the very explanation of everything that has brought – and kept – them together. In an industry full of manufactured talent, it is refreshing to meet a duo formed out of complete, genuine, fate.
Their initial meeting late one night in a Colorado bar was a fluke; after all, LnZ was not meant to stop there and Chris was on his way out. Neither one, however, could have ever guessed just how serendipitous their chance meeting would turn out to be. After three short months together Kismet hurled these two unsuspecting lovers into parenthood. Their surprise [Jaxon] would turn out to be the very glue and inspiration for their music, family and life together.
Fast-forward two years; Chris explains, "She [LnZ] simply never told me could sing, let alone write songs. Then one day while in the studio recording my solo record, I asked her to sing this one thing - just for fun… the rest is history. Everyone there was blown away that day. It's not as if LnZ has an ordinary voice…it's hard to believe something so powerfully intense was hidden away. All I had left to do was convince LnZ to spend the rest of time pursuing it together." LnZ continues, "We fell in love, became parents and then started a band. Most people don't begin their career after they have a child – but for us, it was truly our journey. We want our story to give hope to those that think starting a family or ‘settling down’ is the end of the dream; for us, it was where it all began…"
The resultant music is what all great artists strive for: something that is totally true to itself. A Melodic Daydream’s first musical effort [Their Demo entitled Sample Platter] earned them two national awards for best songwriting and best band in the pop/rock category. A Melodic Daydream’s full length self-titled album received an astounding 2,000 plays a day on their MySpace Profile and additionally awarded them Mile High Music Album of the Year.
After the success of their self-titled debut album and the more recent EP, “Pool or the Pond", this extraordinary couple is pushing ahead as they release their new EP entitled "In the Middle" as well as their second LP (due out in 2008). LnZ and Chris continue to work hard to grow as artists, and drive their musical success forward. LnZ concludes, “It’s the story of a love affair that unexpectedly became a life augmented by a mutual love of music. Music is our life, but it was our life that created the music.” That and a little Kismet.
A: Become rock star.
B: Settle down with a spouse and raise children.
Local acoustic pop duo a Melodic Daydream, consisting of husband-and-wife team LnZ Kayd and Chris Newton, has flipped this script. Kayd and Newton were married and had a son before they ever played together on stage.
"It was a backward way to go about it," Kayd says of being life partners before being musical partners. "Chris was always the one doing music. I had done music when I was younger. Chris was doing his solo stuff, and he was always writing and recording."
Then one day, she says, he asked her to sing on a studio track.
"It was fate, as we like to say," Kayd says.
Since then the married couple has performed as a duo and with a full band as a Melodic Daydream and has released a full-length record and three EPs, including last year's In the Middle. A Melodic Daydream plays Saturday night at Boulder's Rock 'N Soul cafe.
"People see starting a family as settling down and changing and reevaluating," Kayd says. "It kind of became our opportunity to go out and live the dream."
It didn't take long for the daydream to become reality. Soon after forming as an acoustic act (Newton plays guitar, Kayd sings live and plays piano, melodica and harmonica in the studio), the duo caught the ears of esteemed guitarist Dave Beegle, who took an active interest in the band.
"At first it was slightly intimidating, but he's definitely become one of our best friends," Kayd says. "Over time he's really become an integral part of what we do."
Beginning as producer, Beegle also serves as the band's occasional bass player both live and in the studio, schedule permitting. While a Melodic Daydream mostly gigs as a duo, Saturday's show will feature a full band, including Beegle on bass. Beegle will also open the show with an acoustic performance.
"All the stars aligned, so we were able to do it," Kayd says.
While the band plays locally each month, it also tours throughout the country, building a fanbase through regular road trips and the frequent release of new material. All of the group's releases came in a two-year span ("Never Came Back," off the duo's latest release, In the Middle, is a must-hear worthy of national attention), and Kayd says they're currently working on another EP, which will come out later this year.
It's a schedule that forces Kayd and Newton to wear many hats -- parents, partners, artists, coworkers. Trying to balance all of those roles is a tall order that would make short work of a lesser couple.
"It's pretty difficult sometimes," Kayd says, but adds that the payoff is worth the struggle.
"Having this fun together has been this glue that has made everything else work," she says. "It's definitely a challenge, but at the end of the day we get to do what we love -- and we get to do it together.
"It definitely works for us. It's our way of life."
