Biography

Sexy guitar. Infectious rhythms. Smoky vocals. KALO is groovesome rhythm and blues meets fiery rock and roll.

Israeli guitarist, singer and songwriter Bat-Or Kalo fronts her eponymous trio and also travels and tours the U.S. and Israel solo (wearing only her last name and her vintage Gibson electric guitar). Fiery, unbridled and electrifying, the guitar chops of KALO coupled with her contralto voice belie her small frame. Her sound has been compared to blues masters like Howlin Wolf or Muddy Waters on steroids channeling Joan Jett. The band also comprises powerhouse drummer Mike Alexander and bassist Jared Gaiser.

In 2018, KALO was nominated for Best Album in the Indie/Alternative Rock category of the Independent Music Awards for their 2017 album, Wild Change. The funky, guitar- and rhythm-laced studio album was fresh on the heels of KALO’s live album, Live in NYC, recorded at the renowned The Bitter End music club in New York City and released in late 2016.

Within the past two years, KALO has opened for Los Angeles-based rocker Andy Frasco, the godfather of British blues John Mayall, Texas guitar phenom Chris Duarte and others. KALO has shared billing with acts like the Avett Brothers, Robert Randolph & the Family Band and many more.

Based in the Midwest for the past three years as she zigzags the country, KALO’s roots run deep and trace back to her home an ocean away in Israel. A cassette tape of Jimi Hendrix’s Are You Experienced set KALO on a musical path when she was 16 years old. In 2009, that path stretched across the Atlantic when KALO left Israel to soak herself in American music, the sounds of Hendrix, Jim Morrison, John Lee Hooker, Nina Simone and Elvis calling.

After completing her classical and jazz guitar studies in Oklahoma, she briefly returned home to record her jazz-imbued Flesh & Bones in Tel-Aviv. Afterward, KALO moved to New York to hone her skills as a live performer, frequenting stages like The Bitter End, Arlene’s Grocery, Rockwood Music Hall and others.

In 2012, KALO left The Big Apple to strum her guitar and write in the heart of Dixie. Her sophomore album took root in the Mississippi Delta and other southern states, where the blues tinge of Dear John began to grow. Released in 2013, the album received much critical acclaim from media around the world.

Over the next several years, KALO developed a loyal following with fevered stage shows and raw energy. Brandishing a unique and genre-bending interpretation of the blues and rock ‘n’ roll, everything about KALO is unexpected … and infectious. As Skope Magazine put it, “There’s a truth, pure and simple ... that leaves you wanting more.”