Illiterate Light & Kind Hearted Strangers

Illiterate Light thrives on subverting expectations. Though just a duo, the Harrisonburg,Virginia-based singer-guitarist Jeff Gorman along with Nashville, Tennessee-based drummerJake Cochran make surprisingly pummeling and thoughtful alternative rock. Since the band’s2015 inception, they’ve intently focused on their unorthodox live show with Cochran standing behind his kit and Gorman playing synth bass with his foot as he sings and strums his guitar.Fiercely egalitarian and independent, the two not only split up songwriting duties and arrangement ideas, they even built bike-powered stages: bringing the fans into the live experience and envisioning a greener future for shows.

But with their latest album Sunburned, out January 27 via Thirty Tigers, Gorman and Cochran have turned their attention inward to their songwriting and studio craft. It’s their most fully-realized and ambitious LP yet, one that’s full of immediate songs that update and revolutionize the band’s approach to making music. There are rich key board and programmed percussion textures now populating their songs, as well as soaringly anthemic choruses, and hefty doses of fuzz. “On our first record, we were very live-focused and wanted to make sure whatever we were writing was translated in person,” says Gorman. “Without that crutch, we could be more adventurous and take more risks. We definitely weren’t timid in the studio.”

Hailing from all corners of the country, Kind Hearted Strangers began in the foothills of Colorado – where an impromptu open mic performance by songwriter Marc Townes quickly evolved into something much bigger. With genre bending improvisations from lead guitarist Kevin Hinder and bassist/vocalist Ace Engfer, KHS has become a dynamic full band capable of bridging the gap between all out rock n’ roll and their harmony-driven acoustic roots. The addition of drummer Eggy Gorman has seen the band grow into a road-driven force, hungry for live music, delivering high-energy rock shows across the country.

The debut record “East // West” (2021) explores both the sonic & stylistic origins of the band while giving listeners a taste of the group’s diverse influences.

Out April 7th, 2023 – the band’s 2nd LP entitled “Now.here” features a collaboration with visual artist/painter Dylan Lynch. This immersive project found the band working in a shared Richmond, VA warehouse space for 5 days. With no prepared material, the artists intentionally put pressure on themselves to create and deliver a Live Concert & Art Exhibition at the end of the week. The resulting album contains brand new material that was recorded live with the same raw energy and passion KHS has been delivering across the country during their busiest year of touring to date.