Palomino Blond — a self-identified shred-gaze band whose name is inspired by a species of tarantula — played its first Tampa gig as part of the May lineup for the girl-powered indie-rock extravaganza Babefest (Chastity Belt and St. Petersburg favorite Broom Closet were also on the bill).
The outfit returns to Tampa on Friday to play Tampa Shuffle alongside Emo Night Tampa favorites Photo Fire and Fort Myers powerhouse trio Even Less Friends; it comes back to Tampa Bay yet again on August 23 for a free show at The Bends in St. Petersburg.
The Chastity Belt show in Ybor City made a lasting impression on the South Florida rockers.
“It was our first time playing with a band of that stature, so it was really cool to have that experience outside of our hometown,” Carli Acosta and Kyle Fink — who both play guitar and sing in the indie-rock band — told CL. “Also Ybor City is arguably one of the coolest neighborhoods in Florida, so we’re stoked to be coming back.”
The band’s development snowballed quickly after a creative spark naturally ignited between the two songwriters. The same enthusiasm and incessant eagerness to grow artistically has carried the band — which grew to include drummer Jake Karner and bassist Raven Nieto — to the regional success it’s achieving in the just two years since Palomino Blond’s inception. Acosta and Fink contribute the speedy journey to the continuity of goals and values throughout the four members of the band.
“Our goals within this band align and that’s why we love to be doing this together. I can say with confidence that I feel incredibly grateful for what we're able to do, and excited for what's to come,” the pair explained. “Our movement towards anything bigger or better is all about discipline and not being concerned with what other people think of us.”
The band’s growth can be described as exponential, to say the least.
Last summer, after just four months as a band, Palomino Blond toured and hit stages as far away as Austin, Texas and New Orleans. The band won’t do that again until it has a recording to tour behind.
A full-length is still marinating in a Miami studio run by Jon Nuñez of Miami hardcore heroes Torche, but Palomino Blond is in no big rush to release it.
“The full-length is still in its infancy… there are still a few songs we want to include on the tracklist that we haven’t even finished writing,” Acosta and Fink said. “Good things come with time, and we want to release an LP with which we're 110% satisfied. So we would say expect news about the album's release some time in early 2020.”
And while the Miami quartet plans to keep shows within Florida borders for the next few months, by no means does that mean that it will be restraining its potential. Palomino Blond is on the bill for Gainesville’s legendary fall throwdown The Fest alongside friends in Pool Kids, Teen Divorce, and the aforementioned Torche.
With music that’s palpable enough to appeal the greater indie masses, but distinctive enough to undoubtedly turn heads, Palomino Blond’s tenacious duo-guitar riffs, range of songwriting, and headbang-inducing jams make Palomino Blond a force to be reckoned with –– it’s a band that will soon be tackling national aspirations, but only when it’s ready.
Palomino Blond w/Even Less Friends/Photo Fire. Sat. July 26, 9 p.m. No cover. Shuffle Tampa, 2612 N. Tampa St., Tampa. Brokenmoldentertainment.com.
Follow @cl_tampabay on Twitter to get the most up-to-date news + views. Subscribe to our newsletter, too.
This article appears in Jul 18-25, 2019.