Kmang Kmang Shows its Many Sides in Performance and on Debut

And now for something completely different: a guy with a nylon string guitar, his gang of musicians on string bass, violin, and drums, and a goal that’s at the opposite end of most young bands’ ambitions these days. When you think of your buddy’s band, it’s likely of the rock, punk, or garage variety. But Barmey Ung’s Kmang Kmang prefers to “Challeng[e] listeners gently,” as Ung stated in a recent interview, striding genres from jazz-tinged folk to classical-influenced rock.

At the end of last month, Kmang Kmang performed, with the backing help of professional young ensemble Gaudete Brass Quintet, at Old Town’s converted The Painted Door church to celebrate the release of their Debut album, Drifting. The album has received many accolades from the Chicago music press and beyond, and the quartet was nominated earlier last month by Deli Magazine for band of the month.

I’ve interviewed Barmey (former Lumino writer) and reviewed the quartet’s performances before; it’s safe to say the members are supremely dedicated to the band’s vision, constantly evolving their sound to encompass seemingly incongruent musical styles and showings of visual art to accompany it. For example, an earlier performance had them sharing the converted industrial art-performance space of Defibrillator (in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood) with several other groups of brass and string players, merging with them on several pieces. This was all set against a stack of old TVs showcasing a flurry of random clips.

This time, there was a screening of Kmang Kmang’s music video for “Simpliminal,” the closing track on Drifting, set to a routine by modern dancer by Kate Puckett. But when the extra touches and minimal-modern venues are peeled away, what’s left are four very talented musicians. All whom let their playing speak for itself, and manage to avoid the route of going pop, rock, or electronic. Or at least, blend those styles with enough technical and compositional ability to set them apart from the typical band just trying to make it big.

Ung is a real-deal classical guitarist whose experiences include studying Flamenco guitar in Spain and playing in a classical guitar festival in the Czech Republic. The flight of his fingers on the instrument reflects this back-story. Brandi Berry (violin), Jeff Fortin (drums), and Sam Filip (bass) all provide an excellent supporting cast. Each professionally trained and/or come from a wealth of musical experience with some big names.

While the music on Drifting spans a range of influences, each member adapts their skill to the piece at hand, whether it’s on hypnotic instrumentals like “Glass” and “The World is My Playground,” or a lovelorn ballad like “First Chances” and Cambodian folk gem “Sulpa”. All that and more are the sound of Kmang Kmang: everything has an expansive, smoothly morphing quality to it. “Lullaby,” with its long stretches of violin and electric guitar is a prime example.

All that comes through on the album, but seeing it live puts an extra layer on it. It’s truly nice and even inspiring to see a young group working and blending with each other on stage to bring these composed, written out pieces and songs to the audience. No matter what type of music you’re into, it’s hard to deny the power and grasp these sound have. They are more than world or folk music, and transcend the combination of strings, voice, and drums that make them up.

Check out www.Kmang-Kmang.com for videos, radio interviews, press reviews and band bio. Plus all the latest news including upcoming performance dates.