Technology takes the stage with indie band Kid Meets Cougar

The last time local band Kid Meets Cougar played publicly was October 2010. The band members make a strong case that their next concert will be worth the wait.

"We've been working on developing a new system," said the band's guitarist and vocalist, Brett Bolton. "We've been adding ideas, ironing things out, and we have a whole album of new songs."

The band is set to celebrate the release of that album, "Sierra Papa Tango," in a concert scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at the Winchester Cultural Center.

"The quality of the new album is a lot better than the last album," said Courtney Carroll, who plays drums and keyboard and sings in the band. "The songs are a lot more interesting, too."

The pair met in 2009 and became a couple and a band in a way that was so fluid and organic that Carroll has trouble recalling which came first. The band's name stems from a hyperbolic interpretation of their age difference. Carroll is six years Bolton's senior.

Bolton said the new album tackles a wide variety of subjects, and while it doesn't have an over-arching theme, many of the songs sound scientific.

The science connection is not surprising. From their early days, the band has included a fair amount of technology in its shows, syncing videos to its live performances and projecting them onto themselves and a screen behind them. Improvements on this part of the show are part of what it has been working on during its hiatus.

"In August of 2010, we had some new ideas for the projections in the show," Bolton said. "We made a Kickstarter page to raise funds for a new projector and software."

With the money raised through the online grant program, they bought a short throw projector, which allows large projections from a short distance. Bolton spent a lot of time working with multiple programs to make just the show they wanted to. In the end, he created a system that uses four programs to operate the audio, another four to run the video and interconnectivity and links so all the programs work together.

The addition of an Xb ox Kinect to the system added a new wrinkle to the set up.

"It tracks us," Bolton said. "It can mask our silhouettes. It can put pictures on our chests."

The pair hasn't been completely out of the limelight since their last Kid Meets Cougar show. Bolton plays drums in another band that currently is looking for a new name but previously was called Bee Movie the Band . Carroll plays with The Clydesdale and Dusty Sunshine, in addition to her two non-performing jobs.

"Courtney's non-stop," Bolton said.

The couple have no plans to give up the multiple bands as they move forward with their new album and complex show.

"I really like playing music with people," Carroll said. "I've been doing it so long, I don't know what I'd do if didn't do it."

For more information about the band, visit kidmeetscougar.com.

Contact Sunrise/Whitney View reporter F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 380-4532.