Musicians in Lockdown: Little King Interview

Cherishing the success of their last EP, dynamic rock band Little King entered 2020 with high hopes and a heap of ambitious planning. Although the touring aspect had to be shelved for the time being, they weren’t held back from achieving much else. Their elaborate sound ranges from raging guitar solos to a stripped, almost medieval tone. Through this intricate fusion of sonic moods, they tell eventful stories that paint a detailed world around you.

Little King sat down with The Outer Void to talk through the impact quarantine has had on them:

What have you been up to during the pandemic?

We were celebrating the release and success of our last release, Occam’s Foil, in the first bit of 2020. Press has been almost uniformly positive, our fanbase was expanding exponentially, and the record actually charted in the Top 150 on college radio. It was…surprising. I mean, it’s really gratifying when people actually care and appreciate your art.  But it’s also a little intimidating.  I mean, what do you do with that? What’s the encore supposed to look like?

In response to that response, so to speak, we were set to tour.  I had a bunch of festival dates and club shows in the works (and it’s amazing how much easier that was when I had a record that was doing pretty well.)  I have a life away from music, and so do Eddy and Manny (Garcia and Tejeda, drums and bass, respectively.)  We have kids, other financial commitments, even JOBS!  I know, disgustingly normal, right?

Of course, the best laid plans of mice and men…all of that disintegrated into Pandemic Madness. So, what’s a newly anointed old band to do? Make a record!  That’s what you do.  And so we are…

Has the lockdown impacted your songwriting this year in any way?

In EVERY way, really. As I said, touring was (and is) out the window, but I had so much time on my hands that I couldn’t sit still and jeopardize the momentum of Occam’s Foil.  I mean, after 20+ years of making records, this seemed to be the one that would garner a real dedicated following.

As I sat on my bed with a classical guitar and watched the world implode as the death toll went higher and higher (along with my levels of serotonin and anxiety), I started to compose. Riff after riff, line by line, things took shape quickly.  I was in the zone. Now Manny lived about 10 minutes away at the time, but because of COVID, we didn’t see each other for a couple months.  As such, I would send him semi-completed songs via video, and he would start to formulate ideas.  Finally, when things lifted a bit in May, we got together and began to jam.

At that point, I had 7 songs and a strong desire to get them recorded…perhaps only matched by my desire to get the fuck out of Delaware and back to my roots in the southwest. Also had the little matter of a goddamn DUI (we can discuss that later) to deal with, meaning I am currently without a license. But with that impetus, I sold my house, most of my toys and furniture, and Manny and I packed the remaining stuff up and hit the road with my son.  2112 miles later, we were back in El Paso with a new set of tunes and TON of confidence.

The new album will be released in February or March of 2021.  It is called Amuse De Q, and I am quite sure it will be the best thing I have ever released.  The 7 songs are recorded already, musically. For the most part – we still have some eyebrows to add, and my son is playing a piano part on a tune called “Set It Down,” which is quite exciting. We are really just waiting for the pandemic to calm down a bit before we head back to El Paso from Tucson, where we are currently residing.

All of the tracks are inspired by my experience in the Quarantine, aka the “Q.”  Newfound sobriety, isolation from family and relationships, domestic violence (too many of my female friends were and are dealing with this pandemic), Social Media, racial unrest, political insanity, and more. I think the themes will be quite relatable as universal as they seem to have been this year.

What’s your favorite show you’ve ever played?

It’s been a minute, but we played a show at the Viper Room in Hollywood about 15 years ago that sticks out. Not only were we super tight and yet relaxed, we were also pissed. We had been on the road for a couple weeks and our label had basically abandoned us. We had no support, no press, and no one even bothered to show up to the gig. SO PISSED. With that anger and that tightness that only a couple weeks on the road can bring, we flat out set that place on fire. I miss that feeling…

If you could tour with any band/artist, who would it be?

Dave Grohl and I have a couple locations in common – grew up in Washington State, and we both have spent a lot of time in Delaware (he frequents the beaches near my old hometown of Rehoboth Beach).  Plus, I think our love for Rush and our respective musical styles would be a total fit. Different enough and yet with a common through-line of passion, melody, musicianship, and unbridled joy of playing.  Holla, Dave…

What 2020 album would you recommend to someone who believes there’s no good new music?

Wait…people are making music?  Fuck. I had no idea.

Foo, Deftones, Tame Impala, March Divide, Pissing Razors…get it.

What are your plans for 2021?

If we survive, and it looks promising, we will release Amuse De Q and promote the hell out of it. We have a team that believes in us, and I think the content will justify that push.  If the stars align, we will tour on the strength of the last 2 records and play as much as we can.

I haven’t toured in earnest in a long time. Too long. So, I have a back-catalog of 7 records that need to be thoroughly vetted and refined, especially since we had rehearsed the Occam songs so heavily.  I’ve got to go through them all again and whittle it down to 90 minutes or so.  That means I have to re-listen (with equal parts horror and fascination and pride) to all of the last 23 years.  Some songs still resonate, some make me cringe. So it goes…but it will be fun.

I would encourage everyone to follow our IG and FB pages @littlekingtunes and also visit our web site at www.littlekingtunes.com for the latest.  You will learn a lot.