Welcome to a brand new feature where we ask musicians or bands five really tough questions about music! Today we speak to the band Little King.

The band released “Silver Tongue” in March of this year and are currently celebrating their 25th anniversary and the track aims to encapsulated all 7 albums. They are also heading out on a club tour in October. So let out interview begin!

What is the hardest lyric you have ever had to write and why?

Good morning from the ovenacious Tucson AZ! Great first question…let’s dive in.

The song “Happy Home” from our EP titled OD1 springs to mind immediately. Most of our songs aren’t necessarily specific to my relationships, but this one definitely was. So was the album Virus Divine, actually, as I was just going through a divorce at that time.

In 2013, I packed up my family and moved from San Jose, CA, to Rehoboth Beach, DE. My son’s mom is from there, and after 5 years of the grind in Silly-coneValley, we were both kinda convinced that move was prudent. Our relationship was clearly on the rocks…had been for a hot minute. So, because we would have some family around to help with our son and her daughter, it seemed to be sensible. 

Sold a bill of goods, man. As my fam moved first, I stayed in San Jose for 4 months solo working while they settled in. It became abundantly clear that she didn’t want me anymore. It kinda had been, but the signals had turned to overt messaging. Moving back east to a place I’d never seen was a rash move, in retrospect, but I don’t regret it at all. “Happy Home” really captures the mood of that limbo I was in for most of 2013. I still reflect everytime I hear it…and it’s bittersweet for so many reasons.

“…I’d love to work with Alex or Geddy from Rush. I was raised by those dudes, and I think the synergy would be pretty sick…”

What is the weirdest gift or compliment a fan has given you?

Someone at our last show came up to me after as we were greeting everyone and said, “You make it look so f****** easy up there, man!”

Really? Because the struggle is real! I mean, we really hadn’t toured since 2006, so those 2022 shows were something of a tightrope act without a net. Preparation and more rehearsal, I guess, got me to the finish line. I’m a f******* perfectionist and I hear EVERYTHING in my own performance. It’s NOT EASY to sing and play Little King songs…and yes, that is totally self-inflicted. I like the challenge, but it makes the actual performance more cerebral than you might realize.

So, to have a guy rocking out all night and then telling me that I looked almost nonchalant was pretty cool to hear. But no doubt I am working hard, so it was funny to have someone say that.

Who is the best band or musician you have had the pleasure to share the stage with?

We opened, as memory serves, for At The Drive In in like 1996. It was EARLY Little King, or maybe it was with Scott and Shannon in my previous band, Tweed Quickly? I don’t totally remember, which, if you need me at the time, isn’t particularly surprising.

They were an El Paso band that did it the right way, the COMMITTED way. They toured their asses off, and they became so incredibly tight and performative that it carried those guys to stardom. Both as ATDI and as Mars Volta and Sparta. I do remember thinking, “Back to the drawing board!”

Gotta give special props to the drummer for Little King’s last 5 releases, Eddy Razor Garcia. We played together for so long in the studio, but last year was the first time we got to do it live. It was so much fun, and as I went back and was editing some video, my appreciation for his playing increased from an already elevated place. It’s been an honor, sir.

What one of your songs has been the most difficult to rehearse for a live audience?

The song “Amuse De Q” from the 2021 album of the same name, I would say, has been incredibly challenging. There are so many moods and odd bits to it, and the main riff takes a lot of head and heart to pull off vocally. Like, I have to DELIVER it with some juice, but I also have to EXECUTE it with precision. And just when that groove locks in, true to form, on we go to another part. The BIG CHORUS in this one is a relief when it comes around, because it’s such a straightforward riff. Boom Boom Boom Booooooom!

There’s another track called “Hate Counter” that has taken its toll. But the anger and the fact that it is the last song I sing live allow me to take some chances with it. It’s really a very intense song, so we all have to make sure we bring it HARD at the end of the set. Again, the odd meter, particularly in the “Meet at 10, I’ll tell you when” verses, is a challenge. 

Finally, we haven’t bitten off “Silver Tongue” just yet, but it’s coming. That song to date is our most popular by far, and we just released it March 25, 2023. Like over 100k streams on Spotify, which is a lot to me!  It has so many moods and changes, and the main chunky Drop D riff is waaaaaaay odd. Like, no counting that one…it’s gotta be ingrained. It’s a mutha, though…can’t wait to debut it on tour in October. (West Coast tour incoming, btw…details are happening like this month, but it’s a 9 day run.)

“…It’s really a very intense song, so we all have to make sure we bring it HARD at the end of the set...”

Dream Collaboration and why ?

I’d love to work with Alex or Geddy from Rush. I was raised by those dudes, and I think the synergy would be pretty sick. I did get to work with their old producer, Terry Brown, back in 2003-4. He mixed Virus Divine, and I had the pleasure of hanging with him for a couple weeks. Such a humble, smart, good man. Legend and he don’t even know it!

I listen to a TON of 90’s hip hop, too. I had Raising Hell early, like ’86 or so, right? But since I was raised in Seattle, we really tended towards West Coast stuff. When NWA came out, we lost our shit. You can TALK like that? On a record? NO fucking WAY.

So, if I could do a prog rock record with Snoop, I think s*** would break. It would be so fucking cool, and he and I are really about the same age, too. Makes so much sense…for me, at least! 

Go to www.littlekingtunes.com to find out more