“The Strange Familiar exudes the sort of hang-tough-and-survive attitude that elicits a sea of cell phones held aloft”
- Cleveland Free Times
“....they've crafted smooth pop/rock tracks, all deftly performed...."
- Music Connection
“They're making waves on the music scene with a five-song debut EP chock-full of super-catchy hooks and soulful melodies”
- ABC Family.com
“Primed and pumped radio-ready, arena-rock machine waiting for an arena full of folks to discover them”
- Akron Beacon Journal
“A sublime new sophisticated rock band”
- Cleveland Scene Magazine
"There's intimacy and depth to Leyden's vocals and clarity and simplicity to the arrangements, which provide light-touch piano- and guitar-based support. Though Leyden's a big-voiced singer, she avoids bombast here, her glossy tone embellishing lyrics in a way that seem earthy and heartfelt."
- Cleveland Free Times
As seen / heard on the 2008 Teen Choice Award Winning series "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" TSF's first single, "Courage Is...", was featured in all promos used to launch this brand new hit show from ABC Family. Without radio play, it quickly became a huge fan favorite, especially online, generating over 50,000 downloads for this currently unsigned band. The Strange Familiar broke into the top 10 on iTunes in the Rock category and stayed in the Top 100 for several weeks. Stay tuned for their new single "Secret Life (You and Me)" featured in the promos for Season 2 of TSLOTAT.
The Strange Familiar is the brainchild of two young musicians who've been performing and writing together since they were 14 years old. Kira and Jeff met in grade school, and through the years have developed their soulful rock sound that is equally heartfelt and powerful. After ten years of performing and selling thousands of CDs with a former band, they not only have made themselves a staple in their local music scene, but their catchy songwriting skills also garnered them major label attention. Ashlee Simpson recorded and released "Invisible" (21 Billboard, 1 iTunes) as a single for her platinum selling album, "I Am Me"; a song Kira and Jeff penned when they were only 17. After spending most of 2006 writing and recording demos for their new project, Kira and Jeff were ready to return to the studio. This time they were extremely blessed to work with producer Brian Malouf (Dave Mathews, Everclear, Lisa Loeb, Madonna), for several weeks in Studio City, CA. With the launch of their new EP, Kira and Jeff have recently decided to relocate to Los Angeles along with their bass player, Frank Freeman, whose drive and love for music matches their own. The Strange Familiar's 5-song debut EP, captures the essence of their music in a way that is both truthful and inspiring, intimate and yet powerful. "You Can't Go Back" is aptly named as a reflection on all that these young musicians have been through, and where they are now headed.
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