History Music / KayoDot

* LiteraryAllusionTitle: "Epipsychidion" is named for a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epipsychidion poem]] by Creator/PercyShelley that advocates free love; Shelley also informed his publisher that he wanted it to be circulated only to "the esoteric few".

* John Carchia - Guitars (2006-unknown)

* D.J. Murray - Unknown (2006-unknown)

* Greg Massi - Guitars, Vocals (2003-unknown)

* Ron Varod - Guitars, Keyboards (2012-present)
* Philip Price - Drums (2019-present)
* Leo Didkovsky - Drums (2019-present)

'''Kayo Dot''' is a NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly band from New York, NY (formerly Boston, MA). They are most frequently classified as AvantGardeMetal, ProgressiveMetal or ProgressiveRock, but as their style varies widely from release to release, it is very difficult to pin down. The band is a SpiritualSuccessor to Music/MaudlinOfTheWell, which generally tended to be ProgressiveDeathMetal.

* NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly: You wouldn't think a metal band would or even ''could'' sound like this.

* {{Jazz}}, JazzFusion: Some of their works qualify as jazz fusion ("The Wait of the World" is an excellent example), and ''Blue Lambency Downward'' also has been compared to free jazz. Toby Driver himself disputes this, though, on the basis that one important characteristic of jazz is almost completely absent in Kayo Dot's music: improvisation. However, a case can be made that improvisation is not ''universally'' central to all jazz subgenres, and some subgenres feature comparatively little to no improv. Take JazzFusion: Music/MahavishnuOrchestra's works were tightly composed, which drew criticism from jazz purists at the time, while much of Music/MilesDavis' fusion output was heavily edited in the studio. Music/FrankZappa's jazz fusion material (most famously ''Music/HotRats'', ''Music/WakaJawaka'', and ''Music/TheGrandWazoo'') is also tightly composed; by comparing these to live versions of their material, we can see how meticulously Zappa arranged his material. One could make a similar argument of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_stream third stream]], a fusion of jazz and ClassicalMusic exemplified by works such as Davis and Gil Evans' ''Music/SketchesOfSpain'' and Music/CharlesMingus' ''Music/LetMyChildrenHearMusic'', ''Music/TheBlackSaintAndTheSinnerLady'', and ''Epitaph''; though these works often feature improvised solos, they occur within the framework of tightly arranged compositions, and thus there's comparatively less improvisation. Lastly, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_band big band music]], exemplified by artists like Music/GlennMiller and the Count Basie Orchestra, relies almost entirely on written compositions and arrangements and rarely features improvisations at all, but it's still (usually) classified as jazz.

* {{Jazz}}: Some of their works fall into jazz fusion territory ("The Wait of the World" is an excellent example of this). ''Blue Lambency Downward'' also has been compared to free jazz. Toby Driver has pointed out, though, that there is one important characteristic of jazz that is almost completely missing from Kayo Dot's music, namely improvisation. (However, there are several subgenres of jazz that often do not feature much, if any, improvisation. For example, Music/MahavishnuOrchestra's works were tightly composed, which drew criticism from jazz purists at the time, while much of Music/MilesDavis' fusion output was heavily edited in the studio. The subgenre of third stream, exemplified by such works as Davis' ''Music/SketchesOfSpain'' and Music/CharlesMingus' ''Let My Children Hear Music'' and ''The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady'', is also tightly composed with comparatively little improvisation; the same could be said of big band music, exemplified by artists like Music/GlennMiller and the Count Basie Orchestra).

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: ''Anywhere'' from a 1 to a 10 or even 11. Sometimes within the same song!

* AvantGardeMetal[=/=]AvantGardeMusic: Depending on the release. To oversimplify matters a bit, ''Choirs of the Eye'', ''Dowsing Anemone with Copper Tongue'', ''Gamma Knife'', ''Hubardo'', and ''Blasphemy'' are their metal releases, though not every song on each of these qualifies as metal.

** ''Moss Grew on the Swords and Plowshares Alike'', however, is notable for being an ''[[InvertedTrope Old]]'' [[InvertedTrope Sound Album]], as it's a throwback to the style of Music/MaudlinOfTheWell. No surprise, since it was recorded by motW's original lineup!

* InNameOnly: Inverted with Toby Driver's solo album ''In the L..L..Library Loft'', which is a Kayo Dot album in all but name.

* LeadBassist: While he plays a number instruments in the studio, Toby Driver most often plays bass when performing live.

* SpiritualSuccessor: To Music/MaudlinOfTheWell.

* 2021 - ''Moss Grew on the Swords and Plowshares Alike''

* ManOfAThousandVoices: Toby Driver can do everything from high pitched falsetto vocals to multiple types of MetalScream, and everything in between.

* Toby Driver - Vocals, Guitars, Clarinet, Keyboards, Cello, Bells, Double bass (2003-present)
* Daniel Means - Guitars, Woodwinds, Keyboards, Bass (2010-present)
* Keith Abrams - Drums, Bass (2012-present)
* Ron Varod - Guitars, Keyboards (session) (2012-present)

* AvantGardeMetal[=/=]AvantGardeMusic: Depending on the release. To oversimplify matters a bit, ''Choirs of the Eye'', ''Dowsing Anemone with Copper Tongue'', ''Gamma Knife'', and ''Hubardo'' are their metal releases, though not every song on each of these qualifies as metal.

* CharacterTitle: ''Hubardo'' and ''Blasphemy'' are both named after characters with their stories.

* ManOfAThousandVoices: Toby Driver can do everything from high pitched falsetto vocals to multiple types of MetalScream and everything in between.

You can stream basically everything Kayo Dot has recorded, as well as quite a lot of band leader Toby Driver's other work, at [[http://kayodot.bandcamp.com their Bandcamp]]. (This includes, but is not limited to, several soundtracks he has composed for various media projects; most of Music/MaudlinOfTheWell's output; ''In the L..L..Library Loft'', a Kayo Dot album in all but name that was released under his name due to ExecutiveMeddling; the side projects Tartar Lamb and Tartar Lamb II; and ''Madonnawhore'', his first non-soundtrack work that he actually seems to have intended to be released under his name. He also has a live solo album on there that will apparently be available only until January 1, 2018).

You can stream basically everything Kayo Dot has recorded, as well as quite a lot of band leader Toby Driver's other work, at [[http://kayodot.bandcamp.com their Bandcamp]]. (This includes, but is not limited to, several soundtracks he has composed for various media projects; most of Music/MaudlinOfTheWell's output; ''In the L..L..Library Loft'', a Kayo Dot album in all but name that was released under his name due to ExecutiveMeddling; the side projects Tartar Lamb and Tartar Lamb II; and ''Madonnawhore'', his first non-soundtrack work that he actually seems to have intended to be released under his name).