Images: Kid Meets Cougar, Totescity, Hungry Cloud February 25th, 2012 at the Winchester Cultural Center

Local electro-organic duo Kid Meets Cougar have been noticeably and sadly absent from the music scene these past 16 months. After raising $6,000 through Kickstarter, Brett Bolton and Courtney Carroll retreated from performing to enhance their already inventive live show and record their new EP Sierra Papa Tango. They say absence can make the heart grow fonder, but more often than not, disappearing from the public eye can make people forget, or build up unrealistic expectations.

Never one to forget, I anxiously awaited the band’s return, and I have to admit that my hopes were pretty high. The twosome boasted of new videos, better lighting, and the incorporation of Kinect technology into their set. It seemed difficult to incorporate and pull off, but they did it. Without a hitch.

The new tracks from Sierra Papa Tango show an impressive level of growth, with the band able to slow things down while still keeping the dancing going with the Minus the Bear-esq intro to “Expired Satellites” (accompanied by a video by Jorrel Belmonte), turn up the funk on cuts like “Apollo Repeat” (with a video by Mike and Jerry Thompson) and let the music do the talking on the instrumental title track. I also loved the digital guest appearance from S & K music instructor and Bolton’s Bee Movie the Band bandmate Brian Cantrell as the titular character in my favorite of the new tracks, the highly danceable Steve’s Guitar Corner.

The duo spent their Kickstarter money well, producing new background imagery, and also projecting videos onto their bodies, the most interesting use of which being a song-length countdown clock. This new stage show is brilliant, kinetic and just a blast to watch. In our recent interview with them, they stated that they’d love to take their show on the road, and I sincerely hope that they do. The rest of the world needs to see the level of talent that Vegas has to offer.

-Emily Matview

Photos by Emily Matview | https://www.flickr.com/photos/holdfastnow/

and Liliana Trejo Vanegas

NOTE: In addition to Hungry Cloud, Twin Brother also opened this show, but due to their performance taking place in complete darkness, photos were not possible.