BOONE—The alternative/indie-pop band Rainbow Kitten Surprise has been signed by the student-run recording label Split Rail Records at Appalachian State University.

Split Rail Records is affiliated with the music industry studies degree program in Appalachian’s Hayes School of Music. Rainbow Kitten Surprise’s (RSK) recording will be the eighth album produced and released by Split Rail Records since 2008. The Split Rail label was founded in 2005.

Rainbow Kitten Surprise, a five-piece band currently based in Boone, was formed in early 2013 when Sam Melo and Darrick “Bozzy” Keller decided to begin writing and composing music together. After recording RKS’s first EP, “Mary,” in an old residence hall room on Appalachian’s campus, the duo added more members and instruments to the band: Ethan Goodpaster, electric guitar, Jess Haney, drums, and Charlie Holt, bass.

Three of the band members are enrolled at Appalachian.

RKS independently released its first album, “Seven,” which was later re-released in combination with the band’s first EP as a joint album titled “Seven + Mary.” The title song “Seven” has been featured on the web, including the very popular podcast by IGN, Podcast Beyond! The song “Devil Like Me” and its music video earned the band a spot in VH1’s “Make A Band Famous” contest, where they made it to the final 24 out of thousands of artists from across the U.S.

“It’s exciting to have the opportunity to work with a band whose musical and artistic values are unlike anything else in Boone. The entire Split Rail Records team is looking forward to helping record and release the band’s album this semester,” said RKS executive producer Greg Peterson, a senior music industry studies major at Appalachian.

With its signing with Split Rail Records, RKS will join past artists such as Defending Brooklyn, Major Magick, Do it to Julia, Dreaming in Color, Alexis Worthington and Kennedy Fitzsimmons.

Rainbow Kitten Surprise will perform at several music events in North Carolina and participate in a full album release weekend in Boone as part of a music industry event presented by Split Rail Records in April.

For more information on Split Rail Records and Rainbow Kitten Surprise, visit http://www.splitrailrecords.com and on Facebook and Twitter.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

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