Four Dead Kings – Thanks for Asking!

Four Dead Kings – Thanks for Asking! – by Liam Sweeny.

RRX: We all get a little support from those around us. And we also can be impressed by our fellow performers. Who do you admire in your community, and why?

Randy: I am a fan of many local artists and people involved in the capital region music scene. Some that I admire are: Mike Valente: He writes killer guitar riffs for his band Brick by Brick and gave us some of our first opportunities to play gigs in the area as a new band at Empire Live Underground and we really appreciate and respect that! Andy Scullin: He had us on his 518 Unsigned podcast early on and we played a great show together with his ShortWave RadioBand and E.R.I.E and we just appreciate what he is doing and the effort he is making to promote the local music scene. Erin Harkes: I’m a big fan of her comedy and her band and inspired by what she has done to pull a team together to resurrect the sorely missed Metroland Now publication. We all think that’s really impressive and very admirable and definitely something that was needed to help give forward momentum to the local music scene.

Jimi Woodul/Girl Blue: I am a big fan of Dark Honey and the music that Jimi and his wife Arielle(Girl Blue) are creating. He helped me record a great demo of a song I wrote a couple years ago and I plan on working with him and his wife in the near future to record more of my side project songs that don’t fit the 4DK band.

Eric: Fellow performers I admire would be anyone that has the talent, vision, dedication and resilience to write/compose their own music and have the guts to perform it live without any wild amounts of technology helping them sound perfect.

Ziz: I grew up in Woodstock NY in the 90’s and the best local band we always went to see was Pitchfork Militia. Peter Head and the gang were some of the first local shows I got to see as a kid and really got me interested in starting a band myself. Tony Levin and his brother were also just an absolute treat to run into at shows around town. I’ve wanted a chapmann stick since I first saw him playing one.

RRX: A band is a business. A business of love, but you got to work for it. Let’s pretend, instead of a band, you all owned a business. What would it be, and why would it be good?

Randy: We all like to hang out and have a good time so I think we would probably open a lake side bar that has a killer music stage facing the lake so we could play whenever we want and also book all the local bands and acts that we love. I think it would work out well because we love all sorts of shenanigans and styles of music and drinks and great food and the mix of all that would be very unique and would definitely make for a really good time.

Eric: I’ve never really thought of being in a band as a business. Music is my passion and something I truly love, so I don’t think I could ever see it as “work.” You know the saying: “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” That’s how I feel about music.  That said, if I were to consider another business, I’d love to open a bar, brewery, and restaurant that serves high-end bar food. I enjoy cooking, I love good drinks, and the bar would feature live music—combining three things I’m passionate about all in one place

Ziz: I’d say a bar/venue with a great soundboard to stream/record the live performances. I have a small studio myself so I could run all the sound while the rest of the gang runs the bar and books the acts

RRX: Cover art is cool. It shows listeners what the artist thinks the album is all about. Because music can be felt visually. If you had to give the public a visual image that you think they would see and just “get” your groove right away, what would it be?

Randy: We think our current band logo of an old scratched analog record with our band name in 3D printed on it gives people a good idea of our style and grove. We all grew up with records and were inspired by classic rock music and really love the sound of an analog record on a good sound system, so that simple design kind of gives out our general vibe right away.

Eric: Cover art is something I have mixed feelings about—sometimes I love it, and other times it doesn’t really resonate with me. Take Pearl Jam’s debut album from 1991/92 as an example. Their name and cover art might not necessarily change how you feel about the music, especially when the album itself is incredible from start to finish. On the other hand, Life of Agony’s first album is a great example of cover art that perfectly matches their sound and the message just fits.  So as long as people are listening to the music is really all that matters.

RRX: Artists, musicians, we immortalize. We set it in stone. Is there anyone who has passed that you feel you have immortalized in your work? If so, can you tell us a little about them?”

Randy: There are a core few that I immortalize so I  like to think a lot of my style is a weird mix influenced by John Lennon, Jim Morrison, Scott Weiland and Gordon Downie in everything that I write vocally and melody wise.  They all contributed heavily to the style and vibe of the music that I write.

Eric: Among those who have passed: Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ozzy Osbourne, Scott Weiland, John Bonham, and Keith Moon. Among those still with us: Tony Iommi, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and Bob Dylan. Every single person on this list is a master of their craft and represents the kind of musician I aspire to be. I could go on for hours about why each of them has influenced me and what makes them so extraordinary.

Greg: Early on and still to this day, Kurt Cobain. As we all know, he influenced a (my) generation and altered the course of rock n roll forever. Lemmy….. Lemmy stayed true to rock n roll, never changed who he was, didn’t care about critics, and gave his heart and soul to his fans until the very end. Same with Ozzy. He showed us that after life throws you a curve ball, you can come back bigger and stronger. That, and he showed us that it’s not about fame and fortune, it’s about the fans and the connection he had with them around the world.

RRX: Stereotypes are a bitch. I mean, aside from  the really bad ones, you have cultural stereotypes about everything, including music.  Would do you think is the stereotype for the music you play, and how far are you away from it?

Randy: The archetype rock musicians are always painted as these sexed up rebellious self-destructive drug addicts who are unreliable and unemployable and basically cant function in normal society.

While we all like to think of ourselves as nonconformists, the reality is we are all just a bunch of fun loving hard working professional guys with normal lives who just love to get together to write and play music and make some noise.

Eric: “It’s loud and dumb” …” It’s about the song and not the solos” …There are a million stereotypes.  My thought is it is about being loud, it is about the song and it’s especially about the solos (says the lead guitarist).   Stereotypes only matter if you give an ounce of “care” about someone’s opinion you didn’t ask for.

RRX: Our style comes from the extension of our influences. It’s like an evolution. We’re influenced, and it inspires us to influence. What can you say about your influences, and what you feel you’ve done with their influence as a musician or band? Have you extended their work?

Randy: Our influences are the blueprint of our music. We grew up on the sounds that kept us awake. We took those pieces that shaped us and twisted them into our own new voice. Honoring where we came from while building something new for whoever’s listening next. I think we all subliminally steal from our biggest influences and that act alone extends their work into the next generation of song writers.

Eric: Everyone I mentioned in the previous ‘immortalize’ question has been a major influence on me. In many ways, my playing and writing are shaped by the songs I’ve learned and listened to from them over the years. At the same time, I’ve also learned from their mistakes, trying to avoid the chaos, addiction and self-destruction that some of them are known for. So, there’s both inspiration and caution when it comes down to it. That said, I would never claim to have extended the work of legends like Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, or Black Sabbath that would be an absurd statement. The contributions they have made are unmatched and untouchable.

Greg: Beatles, Zeppelin, Sabbath, Aerosmith, Van Halen, INXS, U2, Depeche Mode, KISS, Motorhead, GnR, John Mellencamp, STP, Nirvana, AIC, Soundgarden, and many many more. I learned how to play and sing by covering them. I learned how to write by studying their song and chord structures. I learned how to get through life by just listening to them. In one way or another there’s a piece of them in everything I do musically. What I enjoy most is looking to their legacy for advice, and then making it my own

Ziz: I grew up listening to Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, Primus, Tony Levin, Therion, Dimmu Borgir, and a shitload of video game music via NES, SNES, Genesis, and onwards. I think all music is an amalgamated interpretation of one’s feelings filtered thru the lense of music/artists that they listen to or have heard.

 

 

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