So how has your latest album/EP gone so far with fans then?
Honestly, the response has exceeded my expectations. I always come out of the studio feeling pretty optimistic, but this one felt different when I was done. I have told the story about getting the final Occam’s Foil mixes from Eddy (Garcia, drummer and engineer and all-around badass) and heading out to the backyard to isolate and listen at night. It brought a tear to my eye! Seriously, I had a moment where I was like, “Okay, that didn’t suck.” Still feel that way.
We have charted for 8 weeks on college radio and peaked at #150, have received uniformly positive reviews from dozens of places, and generally speaking people dig it. I know that I can still listen to the album in the car and not cringe, so that’s a very good sign. I can’t say that about some of my early early Little King work, for sure.
Tell us something about the release no one knows?
I was singing the line in “The Foil” that goes “Keep me lit and play that number, I can groove to this/slip into a drunken slumber, sleep in my own piss” and I just could not get it. You can hear it…it’s just hard, and we weren’t auto-tuning or doing a ton of takes. Like 1 or 2 each for all the bass, guitar, drums, and vocals. We nailed that shit, man! I wanted it to feel live yet produced, and I think that’s part of the magic of this album.
But…I couldn’t hit that note. It was the last performance on the whole record! Everything else was done. So the irony was, I went and did a couple quick shots of whatever and went back in and sang it perfectly. “Keep me lit…” indeed! Note to all: I am sober 5 months or so now. Not lit.
If you could work with any band on a new song, who would it be and why?
What a wonderful question…thank you for asking it.
I am in the process of writing new material right now. As I sit here on my bed and talk to you, my classical guitar is sitting right next to me. I have almost always written songs on my Washburn acoustic that my dad gave me in 1988. It’s my go-to, but the classical is so easy to play and not painful…nylon strings rule! And because I’ve been locked in for so long, I am playing A LOT of guitar…and the classical doesn’t hurt. My callouses are legit.
The point of all of this is the writing has changed a little bit. The sound of this guitar lends itself to different sounds and riffs, and I can hear a significant Latin flavor in these compositions (a couple of them, in particular, are really spicy.) I always record Little King records in El Paso, Texas, which is right on the Mexican border, and so I’ve always toyed with that musical influence. But this is real! So I would love to maybe collaborate with the Buena Vista Social Club and see what that orchestration might lend to a Little King composition. Latin Prog?
Can you tell us about the meaning behind the title track?
Occam’s Razor is a theory that originated with Father William of Occam (Surrey, UK) in about 1347. It’s stood the test of time, and it basically posits that the most simple explanation is usually the correct one.
That has some practical applications, to be sure. But in the context of then AND now, it is problematic on so many levels. I think it was used at the time to discourage questioning the dogma of the Church. I also see it manifest in modern-day life on social media. Usually, the loudest and simplest voice gets the most attention, rather than the most informed and knowledgeable source. It’s maddening! But that’s who we’ve become.
The “Foil” to any argument, in literature or drama or life in general, is the counter. I argue against simplicity! Think more deeply, examine things more closely, consider divergent opinions. So the songs on Occam’s Foil address that counter-argument in the context of current issues like the issues with gun violence, immigration, religious dogma, the opioid crisis, and…yes…social media lunacy.
What tours do you have coming up, and what can you tell us about them?
Wish we had better news on this front. We had a ton of festival and club dates in the works and they are all gone. I will keep everyone posted via our web site at www.littlekingtunes.com and FB/IG @littlekingtunes. For now, though, I am thinking a new album is the way to go.
What venue are you most looking forward to playing the most, and why?
I would say that instead of a particular venue, I am really looking forward to touring in Europe. I have been there a few times, most recently in Amsterdam last year, but Little King has yet to play there. We have a nice fanbase there and I feel a real pull to go on the road in as many countries as I can. Eddy has played Europe (and every other continent, really) extensively with Overkill and Ministry, so he knows the ropes. Can’t wait!
What else can we expect from in 2020?
More music, for sure. 5 songs are done, at least musically. They still sound like Little King, but I think people are gonna be surprised. There’s some fun stuff happening in there.
I always try to change things up and take some chances. There is no good in staying in the same place. But like my heroes in Rush, I will take risks and fail at those experiments sometimes, but I cannot abide my recycling a tired formula. That is counter to everything that I believe, and I won’t do it.
Regardless, no matter if I bring in 3 sitars and some crystal bowls, it will always sound like me, no matter what. So it goes…
https://littlekingtunes.com/sample-page/