Creative Loafing best described STREZO as "Tim Burton-esque dark pop that blends spooky and oddball
sounds with gypsy rhythms. There's a bit of a Klezmer feel to instrumentation in some songs, and
more of a rock asthetic in others..."
Add "tribal psych-folk" to that and you come close to describing STREZO.
Based out of Atlanta, GA, STREZO's music has elements of psychedelic rock, Eastern European folk and
dramatic percussion spliced with African and Latin influences. STREZO breathes the energy and
excitement of rock with the beautiful chords of the old world.
STREZO is best known for it's unpredictable live shows and hypnotic percussion. Live, Kristen Strezo
flaunts her charisma and leads the band through intense and dramatic performances. She can sing with
the beauty of Lisa Gerrard or taunts with the unpredictable mania of Iggy Pop.
If Kathleen Hanna fronted Dead Can Dance, it would sound something like STREZO.
Kristen Strezo has written for Flagpole, Indie Yeshiva and her own blog article on musical performance titled Vociferous Wail!.
Robert Filippo creates sound design and music for films and theater productions all over the world.
STREZO is:
Kristen Strezo - vocals
Robert Filippo - guitar, percussion
Collin Guy - bass
Al Mangini - keyboards
"...Through her lyrics, sung strong and clear, she pleaded for women’s rights, for independence,
and for peace....Hypnotizing rhythms conjured an air of mysticism as tribal drum beats and metallic
guitar notes rocked the room. Through the span of their short set, Strezo took the audience halfway
around the world and back, venturing through klezmer, afro beat, and flamenco..."
- live review from Southeast Performer
"...Listening to Strezo, one can imagine that Strezo and cohort Filippo traveled the world
collecting musical pebbles from distant shores. They put them in a jar, rattled them together,
and the eclectic musical sound waves emerging from the speakers are the complimentary banging
together of these diverse sounds. Strezo defies catergorizing, though if I'm going to hazard an
umbrella, I would say it's world-electro-pop...Listeners go on a rainbowed world tour..."
- Girlistic Magazine
"...Strezo's music is what one could call "prog-folk" - certainly not your daddy's folk!
With world percussion rhythms that change multiple times in a given song and atmospheric
guitar work, Strezo has made an album that is quite original in both sound and approach...
An intriguing piece of work, This Balance is definitely a record for anyone wanting to hear
something they've never heard before" -Southeast Performer
"...Strezo plays Tim Burton-esque dark pop that blends spooky and oddball sounds with gypsy
rhythms. There's a bit of a Klezmer feel to the instrumentation in some songs, and more of a
rock asthetic in others.." -Creative Loafing, Atlanta
"...moody, thought provoking, interesting and nothing of the ordinary..." -Venus Magazine
"...Strezo's 'This Balance' is one of those rare compilations which show the hallmark of
goodartistry combining originality, deep personal expression and genuine experimentation with
unique sounds and rhythmic mixes..."
-Wo! Magazine
"...Kristen Strezo took the stage with a unique and surprising performance. With drums, guitar,
dulcimer and keys, Strezo has an indie sound that had everyone wondering what would happen next."
- Sophie Creole, music festival writer
"...Kristen has a precise and graceful voice..." - Stomp and Stammer
"..Cinematic Storyteller..." - Creative Loafing, Atlanta
"..A band that is not afraid to mix musical styles ranging from African rhythms to more traditional
indie music is usually worth at least a first listen, but a group that fits that description isn’t
too uncommon in Atlanta or elsewhere. However, if you throw a talented singer into that mix, you’ll
get a unique listening experience, and that description just about sums up This Balance..."
- Silence is a Rhythm
If you are looking for a foot-tapping, fist-pumping new sound, then Strezo is not the band for you.
Its melodies are quite complex and are not meant to be an easy listen. The instrumentation and
vocals are both experimental and toy with the use of minor keys, which are appropriate for the
“Haunted House” theme. Some tracks could be placed neatly among the screeches and wind howls of a
Scooby Doo episode.
Generous percussive soundscapes paint the 10 tracks of Haunted House Volume 1; the use of such
instruments as hammered dulcimer on “Spray Paint” and “A Thousand,” glockenspiel in “Three Hummingbirds,”
and cello on “In Defense of Dreams” promote the group’s instrumental virtuosity. Kristen Strezo’s
vocals are theatrical and span a wide range of notes, yet the focus is more so on the messages in
her words than on the melodies and harmonies. - Atlanta Music Blog
Perhaps the foremost quality that Strezo’s Haunted House Vol. 1 emanates is compression; that is
to say, this album feels like a pocket full of stones: 10 dense, somewhat similar objects are
captured and quietly demanding the consideration which will illuminate their subtle individuality.
-Flagpole