The Kontroversy was formed in 1981 by Kevin Sanders, formerly of Kansas City’s The Leopards, who opened for the Talking Heads in Kansas City in 1979. Members were: Kevin Sanders, rhythm guitar; Fred Prellberg, bass; Tim Sanders, drums; and Barry Johnson, lead guitar. Original songs influenced by British Invasion & American garage rock. In 1984, they released an EP on Kansas City’s Titan Records This, Then, Is…The Kontroversy (Titan 8465), featuring Johnson’s successor on lead, Ken Carey. Described as “a mixture of pop, surf and rock and roll, great guitars, & great tunes.” After the release of the EP, the band recorded several more originals intended for release, but were subsequently shelved and seemingly forgotten. Thirty years after disbanding in 1985, Kevin, Fred, and Tim re-formed for the purpose of recording several new originals of Kevin's, and those previously unreleased tracks. The resultant album, Reprise, found them playing in the same style of 60s Rock ‘N’ Roll that inspired them to get together over 30 years ago. All the elements that defined their sound back then were still intact, making it a Reprise that was quite aptly named. The Kontroversy’s second album, released in 2016, is a collection of songs from a musical written by Kevin, titled Armourdale. Based on a true story, it moves beyond the garage band sound of their first album. The Kontroversy’s original songs are characterized by strong melodies, unique chord progressions, and clever lyrics.