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A rare performance of “Mission” by King’s X comes to an abrupt end after the first chorus. Usually the band teases the crowd with only the first few bars of this fan favorite before launching into another tune, so I’m really surprised they played this much of it. Here’s what the YouTube poster had to say:

King’s X give us a distinctly unexpected version of Mission (not played any other night of the entire tour) on the last night of the European Tour, at the Effenaar, Eindhoven, NL. 1st May 2011

Enjoy!

dUg Pinnick of King’s X • ©2011 Michelle Murphy

dUg Pinnick of King’s X • ©2011 Michelle Murphy

It Used To Be Such A Hassle To Make A Record

Interview with King’s X’s Ty Tabor and Doug Pinnick

Here’s an interview with Ty Tabor and Doug Pinnick of King’s X from late 2001 shortly after the release of Manic Moonlight. The guys discuss everything from the songwriting process and the decision to use loops on the album to the cover design and how the album was named. They also talk a bit about the rigors of touring, working in the studio, and what they see as the problems with the music industry.

At one point the conversation turns to the internet and using it to promote a band’s music. Here’s what Ty had to say:

The internet is important but highly overrated still at this point… It just doesn’t come anywhere close to reaching the market yet… It will someday, but it’s nowhere close yet… [at] being actually really effective.

Remember, this was 2001, and while MP3 players had been around for awhile, Apple’s iPod had likely just been introduced to the market, so there was no iTunes or Amazon music store to speak of. For that matter, there was no Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, or any of the other online and social media tools that bands use to market themselves these days.

I bet present-day Ty really wishes he could go back in time and have a talk with his 2001 self. Then again, after listening to him and Doug talking about being comfortable with where they are in the band’s career, maybe not.

Enjoy!

The Friday Five: February 10, 2012

iTunes hates me today, but I’m betting you’ll like IckMusic’s Friday Five.

Extreme - “Kid Ego” (Extreme, 1989)
Meh. I was never much of an Extreme fan. Don’t get me wrong, I like Cherone’s voice, I think Nuno is a talented guitarist, and together they make a good songwriting team. I also liked some of their big hooks, and the funky groove they tried to inject into their music. In theory, all of this should have worked for me, but the implementation never grabbed me.

U2 - “The Unforgettable Fire” (The Unforgettable Fire, 1984)
Nice driving bass and ethereal Edge soundscapes combine to make this one of the better tracks on the album. Unfortunately much of the rest is pretty forgettable to me.

The Cure - “10:15 Saturday Night” (Staring at the Sea: The Singles, 1986)
What’s up, iTunes?! You trying to bum me out? Why did you pick this song among all the other good material here? Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip.

Yes - “Mood for a Day” (Fragile, 1972)
In and of itself, it’s a pretty cool little acoustic guitar instrumental, but after awhile I start thinking, “OK, I understand that you can play. When am I gonna get some Chris Squire or Jon Anderson?” Just too much noodling and not enough of the rhythmic interestingness for me for such a short song. Sigh.

King’s X - “Black Flag” (King’s X, 1992)
“A year in the hole had taken its toll when I took a good look at me.” Now that’s more like it, iTunes. But sorry—too little, too late.

The Friday Five: January 27, 2012

Short and sweet pre-vacation Friday Five today. And my first track sorted by name is Anthrax’s “A.D.I./Horror of It All” from Among the Living.

Saosin - “The Worst of Me” (In Search of Solid Ground, 2009)
Possibly the best song on this emo/screamo band’s most commercial (and most recent) release to date.

Glen Phillips - “Got to Get On” (The Unreleased Songs Compilation: Vol. 1)
Interesting track from a set of live versions of songs Glen had not released prior to its compilation. A bit different from the norm for Glen, but still really good.

King’s X - “Marsh Mellow Field” (Please Come Home…Mr. Bulbous, 2000)
Equal parts groove, sludge, and psychedelic. Love it.

Owl City - “Dental Care” (Ocean Eyes, 2009)
OK, confession time. Although I purchased this for my son during his brief obsession with this artist, I have kept it around since I find it catchy and not too annoying—at least most of the time. “I’ve been to the dentist a thousand times, so I know the drill.” Funny.

Smashing Pumpkins - “Siva” (Gish, 1991)
Michael recently questioned what he ever saw in Smashing Pumpkins. This is it. The slow, mellow middle breakdown is why I Mother Earth reminds me of Smashing Pumpkins at times.

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King's X - “Dream In My Life”

I know this is the way it has to be
But it doesn’t make it easier
I can’t just pay a fee
That will make pain go away
So I accept it for another day
Our hope is deeper that the pain we often feel
So we take these steps together
As the hurt begins to heal
And we know it is for real
So we accept it for another day

The Friday Five: January 13, 2012

Bringing it back for IckMusic’s Friday Five.

I just realized that it’s Friday the 13th. In light of that and Tony Iommi’s recent cancer announcement, maybe I should have made this an all Black Sabbath Friday Five. Oh well …

Kansas - “Bringing It Back” (Kansas, 1974)
Boogie-jam cover of a J.J. Cale tune from future AOR prog-rock darlings that relates a tale of bringing something back from Mexico. Wonder what that could have been?!

King’s X - “Lies in the Sand (the ballad of…)” (Ear Candy, 1996)
Yes! This is more like it. Slow, arpeggiated tune from the trio’s underrated and under-appreciated one-and-only attempt at a hit album (or album of hits) after receiving pressure from Atlantic Records. Ear Candy was a bit of a shock to the KX faithful after the grungy Dogman, but it has remained one of my favorite albums by King’s X. For my money, you would be hard-pressed to find a guitarist as emotive and expressive (while remaining relatively unknown in most circles) as Ty Tabor.

Caedmon’s Call - “Valleys Fill First” (Long Line of Leavers, 2000)
Another departure from the norm of sorts, this time from the folky-turned-poppy CCM group Caedmon’s Call. The band experimented with a wide range of styles on this disc, including adding a brass ensemble on the opening (and possibly best) track. Solid pop tune from a very accomplished group of musicians.

Counting Crows - “If I Could Give All My Love (Richard Manuel Is Dead)” (Hard Candy, 2002)
Hard Candy is quite possibly my favorite album from Counting Crows. A mixture of poppy, upbeat, and accessible tunes and Duritz’ typical brooding, moody, self-deprecating lyrics makes for one of their most cohesive releases. And there is some excellent guitar work throughout.

Queensrÿche - “My Empty Room” (Operation: Mindcrime, 1988)
Filler segue track from this Seattle prog-metal band’s magnum opus. Queensrÿche has tried over the years to top this wildly successful concept album, but in my opinion has only come close a couple of times, first with Mindcrime’s follow-up Empire, the album responsible for making the band a household name due to the success of the single “Silent Lucidity,” and then again with Tribe, the 2003 release that saw the return of founding member and guitarist Chris DeGarmo, who collaborated on a handful of tracks. Fans hoped for a full-fledged reunion of the original lineup, but unfortunately it was not meant to be.

Who can restrain Pleiades or know the laws of heavenlies?
How many times have we been wrong before?
King’s X - “Pleiades,” Gretchen Goes to Nebraska, 1989

I Hear It So Clear

King’s X performs “Over My Head” in Munich on April 19, 2011

“Over My Head” has long been an integral part of the King’s X setlist, usually providing frontman Doug Pinnick a platform to deliver a sermon of sorts to the crowd on any number of topics like love, beliefs, dreams, and never giving up. In this particular clip, Doug deviates to do a little riffing of a different kind as he noodles around on bass and even breaks into an impromptu jazz fusion section with drummer Jerry Gaskill. The songs ends with the typical crowd sing-along, and Doug finally tops things off with a few Mariah Carey-esque squeals.

Enjoy!

There’s Just Something Between Us

King’s X - Then…

Then… is a long-out-of-print retrospective of the genesis of King’s X. Originally released on VHS, this backyard interview finds Doug, Ty, and Jerry reminiscing about how they repeatedly crossed paths as part of the Springfield, MO music scene and how they finally decided to form a band together. The trip down memory lane includes discussions, videos, and photos of the guys slogging away in the Springfield club circuit first as The Edge and then as Sneak Preview before deciding to pack up and move to Houston, following the promise of a record contract and a gig as the support band for Morgan Cryar. The interview concludes with the band having finally changed its name to King’s X, formulating its signature sound, and signing with Megaforce Records after getting the attention of Jon “Jonny Z” and Marsha Zazula by way of Memphis of all places.

Enjoy!

The Friday Five: December 9, 2011

Getting lyrical with IckMusic’s Friday Five.

Work and life have been kicking my tail big-time lately with deadlines and things to do. I’m still not ready for the all Christmas songs all the time theme, and since I’ve been on a bit of a lyrics kick on my blog anyway, I thought I would do a short-and-sweet lyrics-based Friday Five this week.

King’s X - “The Train” (live bootleg)
Step up and step aboard, your seat is to the left

The Outfield - “Your Love” (Play Deep, 1985)
Just ‘cause you’re right, that don’t mean I’m wrong

Stone Temple Pilots - “Creep” (Core, 1992)
Feelin’ uninspired, think I’ll start a fire

Matthew Sweet - “The Ugly Truth” (Acoustic & Live NoiseTrade Sampler, 2011)
We want you to act like nothing’s wrong even though you heard a sound

Dream Theater - “Since I’ve Been Loving You” (live bootleg)
I’ve been working from seven, seven, seven to eleven every night, and it kinda makes my life a drag

Dimebag said there would be no Pantera if it wasn’t for King’s X. We were one of his favourite bands.
King’s X’s Doug Pinnick, Planet Mosh interview
“Dimebag” Darrell Abbott and Doug Pinnick Click for high-res photo

“Dimebag” Darrell Abbott and Doug Pinnick

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King's X - “Lost In Germany”

Shooting at a target that eludes me
Hammering on a nail that just won’t go in
Biting on a tongue that wants to speak out
Searching for a light that I can shine
(Oh woe is me)

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King's X - “Repeating Myself”