Chadwick "Chad" Gardner is the central figure in Kings Kaleidoscope, an American Christian rock band based in Seattle. Known for their unique sound, the band blends electronic, woodwind, string, and brass instruments, creating a style described as "indie rock meets hip hop production with a sprinkle of Disney".
Early Influences and Formation
Kings Kaleidoscope was formed when Gardner worked as a college campus worship leader with Mars Hill. The band started when Gardner first started working for Mars Hill Church, planting a new Mars Hill Church on the campus of the University of Washington.
At the beginning, the average age of the band was under 21. The band's diverse sound was influenced by a range of artists. It was made up of stuff we liked, so at the time, my biggest influences were Broken Social Scene, a band called Anathollo and Radiohead. Then, like, the Mars Volta and some various rock bands. I grew up as a hip-hop DJ, so that was always a big influence, and kind of why we have two drummers. Completely live.
Leaving Mars Hill and Finding Independence
In late 2013, Gardner and the band announced they were leaving Mars Hill, where they had served as worship leaders and artists on the church's label. I transitioned from working at Mars Hill Church. I moved away from working there and so, inevitably, the band stopped being a band that was part of Mars Hill Church’s label. It just made a lot of sense to keep the band going.
Their fourth EP, 2014's Live in Color, was released by BadChristian Music. Working with BadChristian Music and well-established indie label Tooth & Nail Records, they released their debut LP, Becoming Who We Are, on October 27, 2014.
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More than two years later, Kings announced that they were working on their fourth studio album "Baptized Imagination", a work that they crafted and edited while on tour throughout 2022, finally culminating in a November 2022 release.
Musical Style and Influences
Kings Kaleidoscope is known for having a unique approach for a Christian music act-not worship music, yet very explicitly Christian. The singer and producer appeared on the most recent episode of Tooth & Nail Records’ Labeled podcast, hosted by Matt Carter of Emery.
Gardner's diverse musical background plays a significant role in the band's sound. We’re a bunch of Christians that love Jesus and love music, but all of our musical education and what we’ve listened to has been nearly exclusively, or at least the vast majority, secular music or whatever is going on. I think that’s just normal for our generation, the information generation. We have everything available to us. Also, in the Pacific Northwest, growing up I never faced the dilemma of having to burn my secular CDs. I never got in trouble for listening to secular music. I think that’s just most people in our band. We (grew up) like normal kids listening to everything.
Kings Kaleidoscope is a project led by Chadwick "Chad" Gardner with a large rotating cast of collaborators. Beyond these core members, Brian Eichelberger and Zach Bolen of Citizens have extensive writing and performance credits on Kings Kaleidoscope songs; Eichelberger also mixes all the band's releases and performs live occasionally. Maxwell Gaver has contributed to albums from Zeal to Kings Kaleidoscope and performs on all three Live from Kamp Kaleidoscope albums.
The "Modern Psalms" Approach
Gardner describes their music as "Modern Psalms," blending worshipful focus with personal experiences. I was a worship director arranging hymns for church, and a lot of people found out about us because of that. But as soon as we started writing our own songs, I began writing prayers-sometimes frustrated, sometimes more praise-oriented. So what is that? It’s a very worshipful focus, but it’s very personal. I think that’s what reading Psalms feels like. We started using this phrase, “Modern Psalms,” this year.
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This approach resonates with an audience that seeks worship but may not find it in traditional church settings. The burden I keep coming back to is: What can King’s Kaleidoscope do in the next season to serve these people in a way a church would, without being a church? Can they come to a King’s Kaleidoscope show in 2025 and find something beneficial?
Live Performances and Creative Experimentation
Kings Kaleidoscope is known for their immersive and creative live performances. This was our “down cycle” year, and we wanted to find something fun and creative to do. Our manager had always suggested doing an acoustic tour. He said, “Your band is so big. I’d always resisted that idea because, in my mind, acoustic tours are what you do when you’re washed up, doing songs and stories tours. I’d always said the only way I’d do it was if it was just me, an acoustic guitar, an LED wall, and some video.
The band embraces mechanical creativity, incorporating elements like overhead projectors to create unique visual experiences. I think this world has felt so refreshing to us because it’s so mechanical. We’re expressing all these visuals with no real digital element outside of printing. Zach has to take whatever’s going to go on the projectors, whether it’s plants or colorful transparencies, and put them on with his own hands. The mechanicalness of it feels refreshing because we’re not staring at laptops or looking at a lighting engineer with a big computer screen.
Becoming Who We Are: A Landmark Album
Released in 2014, "Becoming Who We Are" was met with critical acclaim and is considered a significant work in the Christian music genre. Is it premature to call an album “one of the greatest worship records of all time” after 10 years? When Becoming Who We Are came out, a lot of reviewers were not asking this question. They were not even asking whether 10 weeks was enough time. At that moment (October 28, 2014), an abnormally large proportion of contemporary Christian music listeners were calling it “the greatest worship album of the 21st century.”
The album's unique sound and worshipful nature set it apart. To me, the most striking thing about Becoming Who We Are is how unabashedly worshipful it is. In spite of the numerous setbacks, severe lack of budget, and oppressive Mars Hill ecosystem, the “hallelujahs” are emphatic enough to drown everything else out. This is some of the most fearless, ferocious, and sincere worship music I’ve ever had the privilege of hearing.
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Key tracks from the album include:
- "I Know"
- "Defender"
- "139"
- "All Creatures of Our God and King"
- "Dreams"
- "Felix Culpa"
- "Zion"
- "Fix My Eyes"
Despite its success, the album did not reshape the Contemporary Christian Music industry as predicted. For a little while, it seemed like they might actually break into the radio market. They won over a respectable audience in Seattle, played a few different music festivals, and got nominated for a Dove Award.
The Story Behind Radiant Reason | Kings Kaleidoscope
The band faced challenges due to their willingness to address complex and controversial themes. Where things really went south was the release of a little ditty on Beyond Control titled “A Prayer”. The way Gardner tells it, he was still holding onto a lot of unresolved trauma and bitterness, and the lyrics just spilled out of him one day. He and the band then spent several days pondering whether to even record it, and they were so divided that some stepped away from King’s Kaleidoscope since they weren’t comfortable with playing it live.
Despite these challenges, Kings Kaleidoscope continues to create music and connect with audiences. Gardner doesn’t seem to hold it in as high regard as the rest of his catalog, saying that he feels like it wasn’t really his album, and he appreciates the influence it had on a new generation of artists more than he appreciates the music itself.
| Title | Type | Release Date | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live in Color | EP | 2014 | BadChristian Music |
| Becoming Who We Are | LP | October 27, 2014 | Tooth & Nail Records |
| Baptized Imagination | Studio Album | November 2022 |
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