““Giorgio Moroder -MEETS- the 1970s CBGB sounds of Blondie & Talking Heads -MEETS- the New York City Dance Life Scene of Studio 54 -MEETS-the literary works of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne”……Maybe better put: IT’S LIKE AS IF ‘DOCTOR WHO’ WAS A GREAT ROCK MUSICIAN”. The songs are exceptionally right for radio airplay and right for the time. Deeply influenced by late 70′s New York City Pop & Rock, they definitely bring a freshness to the Pop Music World. I’ve spent much of my life following many of those New York City bands from CBGB and other venues across Lower Manhattan, and now I see some of what was present with those bands in Kaboom. – Plus a bonus attraction -How many bands perform with their own pair of back up dancers? One could call them the Kaboom Girls or 2014′s version of The Solid Gold Dancers. A throwback of the Eighties, it’s different and fits in with what Kaboom is obviously wanting to achieve.”

“We came, we listened, we picked six regional bands to play a series of free concerts leading up to the Hangout Music Fest. Now it’s up to you to pick which of them will win the opportunity to play at the Festival. WZEW-FM 92.1 recently invited local and regional acts to enter its “Reach for the Beach” contest, and on Saturday a panel of judges waded through submission from more than 40 qualifying groups. To be eligible, bands had to be based in Alabama, or within 100 miles of Gulf Shores. Judges included members of the WZEW programming staff plus representatives of Alabama Media Group, Meyer Vacation Rentals and The Southern Rambler. The winners: The Volks, The Underhill Family Orchestra and The Mulligan Brothers of Mobile; Joel Madison Blount and Festival Expressions of Birmingham; and Kaboom of D’Iberville, Miss.”

“Six South Mississippi bands are competing in the Hard Rock Rising 2014 global battle of the bands in Biloxi and another will compete in the finals in New Orleans. Biloxi band Kaboom entered the competition in New Orleans this year. Front man Dustin Kahlil, who was a top 10 global finalist the last two years in a row, said it was a little harder to get in the New Orleans competition because so many bands entered. Now that he is in the finals, he is optimistic about his chances of winning. Kahlil is the vocalist of Kaboom and plays keyboards and guitar. He is joined by Ben Kaufman on bass, Scott Erickson on guitar and Scott Andersen on drums. Kaboom will compete against the New Orleans hip hop act Go Getta$ and the country group The Gillis Silo, of Baton Rouge. The finals will be held Sunday at 7 p.m. at Hard Rock Café New Orleans. The winner will advance to a global online voting competition to determine the grand prize winner.”

“More than 60 unsigned regional artists from Pensacola to Hattiesburg to Birmingham submitted their best to get into the challenge. The judges spent at least eight hours listening and voting by secret grade scale from 1-5. Numbers were averaged to get the top 6. Each of the finalists will perform at least a 30 minute set to open for the national recording artists in the Countdown to Hangout Fest Free Concert Series. Each band will get votes via fans at the venue and participating judges. Results will be calculated at the end to find out who will play. Thank you for lending your ears to guage: Lawrence Specker of AL.com; Missy Zak of Meyer Vacation Rentals (sponsoring the event); and Michelle Carroll of SouthernRambler.com; and the 92ZEW Programming Staff.”

“BILOXI, MS (WLOX)- It's the refreshing sounds of accomplished front-man Dustin Khalil and his newest band, which just won Hard Rock's International Rising Contest here at home. Kaboom also placed 1st in America and 3rd in the world in online voting. Together just eight months, Dustin Khalil's newest band Kaboom is making serious waves in the local music scene with an already large, loyal following. Fan Julie Dixon doesn't miss a show. "I love these guys, they are amazing," Dixon said. "They're just like real feel good, real uplifting, almost spiritual." Front man Dustin Khalil has been with incredibly talented lead guitarist Steven Mills since they were kids. That's easy to tell by their perfect harmonies. Kaboom is their fourth, and perhaps final band. "I would say this is the best line up, I've had so far," Khalil said. And that's saying a lot."”

“Hard Rock International called on aspiring musicians around the globe to rock out for a chance at stardom through this year's Hard Rock Rising global battle of the bands competition – and they responded. Over 12,000 entries, 390,000 fan votes, and 941 competing bands later, Kaboom is now one step closer to having their dream come true. Following several battle rounds against some of Biloxi's top talent, Kaboom will now move on to the global voting round and vie for the opportunity of a lifetime – a World Tour in six renowned cities arranged by Hard Rock International – including a spot on the bill at the Hard Rock Calling festival in London; an album and music video produced through Hard Rock Records; and new music equipment and gear valued at $10,000. Now Kaboom is calling on Biloxi fans to show their support! Kaboom, along with ninety-five other winning bands from around the world who took the top spot in their respective city, will battle it out during the final online fan”

“BILOXI -- Biloxi-based pop-rock band Kaboom handily won the second week of competition Wednesday night in the Hard Rock Rising 2013 Global Battle of the Bands. They faced off against Saucier hard-rock group Blackbird Cemetery for the win. The band competed in 2012 under the name The Dustin Kahlil Band and won not only the local competition but placed fourth in the world in the online voting, receiving more votes than any other North American act. "It's a feat to make it this far," said Ben Kaufman, Kaboom bassist, "but it's another feat to make it to the next level. It's not about just this win. We're a growing band and we're always moving forward. "To play on this stage is a win in itself."”