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The ingenuity that rock bands have to come up with new names seems
to spring eternal like a well that has no bottom. Some of the most
unusual band names are the ones that people remember the best, like
The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Def
Leppard, or Nickelback. Go virtually any place in the world
and you'll find people who know their music, but making history does
not end with these guys. A new name can be added to the roster, that
of New Haven, Connecticut's The Queen Killing Kings.
Lead singer/pianist Coley O'Toole explains about the band's
name, "I came up with the name. The idea behind the name was
influenced by the realization of the inevitable fact that all things
must come to an end. In this case, it was the demise of a love affair
that brought me to ruins and I started this band in the midst of a
broken heart. I used a Queen and a King to depict two very powerful
forms of an alliance whose ties would spoil and they'd ultimately
destroy each other."
TQKK 's debut album from Wind-Up Records, Tidal Eyes, is a
recording that sheds light on the shadows of the past and aspirations
for the future. O'Toole speaks candidly about the making of the album,
"Tidal Eyes is a very personal record. It is a confession, one
that I made to myself. It is also my diary in disguise. There was
a dark period in my life where I was so consumed by depression that
making poor decisions came easy. I found happiness in things that
I never believed true of my character, things I only speak of lyrically.
The name 'Tidal Eyes' is based on the idea that when trying to understand
something in its entirety, it is important to be familiar with its
components and the intricacies that make up its whole. I want listeners
to be aware of the relationships that the songs have with each other,
and how our purpose for this record is not to showcase one, two or
three songs, it's about each track individually contributing to the
scope of Tidal Eyes."
He recollects, "The majority of the songs were written long
before we went in to make the record. Songs like 'Into The Woods',
'Birds With Iron Wings', 'The Streets', 'Reinventing Language', and
'Naked In The Rain' were songs we played as a local act long before
entering the studio. The only songs that were written during the time
of recording were 'Ivory' - which was actually written in New Orleans,
hence [the lyric] 'Last chance train from New Orleans', and 'The Warden'
which is a tune that pretty much found us. 'Dark Hearts' was an older
song that we brought back to life and changed the melodies and wrote
and entirely different chorus. "
One song that is a real heart-stopping, throat clenching tune is
"The Warden." O'Toole reveals about the song, "This
is the only track on the record that did not come from the same personal
status as the others. In fact, this song was not written for the record,
I didn't even intend to write this song. While strumming on a guitar
along side Joe Ballaro, the bass player for the band, I spat
out the line 'same old story for the warden.' From that point the
song pretty much wrote itself. It was one of those songs that was
waiting to be written, as if it had been floating about through the
air waiting to touch down over a Cm. We just saw 'The Warden' in for
a gentle landing that afternoon and never once thought to arrange
its instrumentation for TQKK. However, later on during the recording
process I sat down at the grand piano and played it as would TQKK.
The rest is history. We added this track to the record because it
had a mood and a vibe that was undeniable. It's a story in and of
itself, and while it may not be of the same vein as the other 10 tracks,
it is still [one] that I hold dear to my heart because it came so
naturally."
TQKK gravitate to choices that feel natural to them. The band, which
comprises O'Toole on lead vocals and piano, Joe Ballaro on bass, Dan
Duggins on drums, and Zac Clark on organ, are a natural
fit for modern rock gears, but with no set guitarist on board and
mainly keyboard-driven tracks, they defy what people expect in a rock
band, O'Toole persists, "I love guitars. I write on guitar just
as much I do piano. I had played in guitar bands since I was 13, but
my early days as a songwriter via guitar had taken a turn toward mediocracy.
Even though I was writing all the time, the songs themselves where
not natural to the performer I was meant to be. I didn't know who
I truly was as a songwriter until I was able to incorporate my percussion
background with the melody of a piano. I started on my musical journey
as a drummer and played for many years, and the piano allows me to
steer songwriting elements in a percussive direction which I think
works best with my vocal capabilities. Having Dan's wealth of vibe
behind the drum kit brings the simplicities and/or the technicalities
of our keys arrangements to frontiers that bring all parts back to
supporting roles that cater to the song. In our case, the drums are
just as much of a melodic instrument as the piano. We use the organ
and Fender Rhodes to smooth out the attack of the piano and help instill
a particular mood of a song. In the studio and now live, we treat
them as our 'guitar' parts. The growl of the organ or distorted Rhodes
gives attitude much like a driven guitar would, but we utilize their
sounds to round out the cadence."
He surmises, "To us it's all about the song. We draw from jazz
and classical music to better the rock songs that we write by understanding
and using jazz chord arrangements and classical expressions. I am
a much better rock 'n' roll songwriter than I am a jazz or classical
composer because rock strikes a different chord with me, and I've
studied rock far longer than I have anything else. I also love words
and telling stories that are guided by moody soundscapes to destinations
of no further than 4 minutes."
The four members of TQKK show total confidence and complete agreement
in putting themselves out there alongside other guitar-mantled rock
bands. O'Toole can trace back their bond to his years in high school
with classmate Joe Ballaro. "Joe and I have been playing music
together for over a decade and he introduced me to Dan Duggins and
Zac Clark who were a perfect fit for the project. What I love about
this group is the fact that everyone is a player and strives to get
better. Dan is more than a drummer, he is a student and a teacher
in the art of percussion. He brings his knowledge of genre and ethnic
rhythms to the group which help influence the mood and solidify our
parts as a whole. Zac is a songwriter himself and thinks from a melody-based
stand point so he is able to get underneath a song and pull out melodic
ideas that I had not thought of. What's great about Zac and myself
is the fact that he is the major keyed one and I am the minor keyed
one. We have the spectrum covered. We have yet another songwriter
in the group with Joe whose bass playing I would not trade for anything.
His influences have shaped his playing into something that is unique
to TQKK and I often forfeit runs with my left hand to allow him the
space because I love listening to him play."
TQKK obtained the attention of Wind-Up Records A&R officials
after years of playing in local clubs throughout Connecticut. Being
signed to a major label has opened the band up to new opportunities
as well as expanding their creative output as O'Toole remarks, "Having
a label such as Wind-Up come to you with an offer to help build a
career by putting out your records is a dream come true. I still pinch
myself everyday because we were that 1-in-a-million chance everyone
talks about when you are busting your ass for recognition. Being signed
to Wind-Up has given me the biggest dream of all and that is focusing
on writing music and developing the art everyday I wake up. I don't
have to show up to a white room anymore and work 12 hours a day in
a space suit or wait tables while people complain that their steak
tastes like rubber. Years of random jobs to support a lifestyle dedicated
to music has humbled me and made me appreciate and work even harder
for what I have now. Since signing with the label, things have changed
in the sense that we now have a guided purpose to everything we do
and a team of talented professionals to help us achieve our dream.
The biggest thing I've learned is 'hurry up and wait'. There is a
strategy to building a band and trying to create a fan base that will
give the group longevity. It takes time, especially with the music
we play, to feel out our target audience and the most effective ways
of doing it."
Performing live remains a natural fit for TQKK whose songs seem to
be made to be played before a live audience. O'Toole expresses, "Our
live performance is never directed by the reaction of the crowd. We
take the stage with great excitement to play these songs and the energy
we get from each other ignites the intensity and passion behind each
and every show. We created the music for us to enjoy, and we feel
blessed when people take to it, but we will always create and entertain
for ourselves first. If we don't believe in what we do then how can
I convince an audience, too? I love what happens to me both physically
and mentally when we are performing. It is the greatest high I've
ever had. When I play, it's a rock 'n' roll cocktail of equal parts
excitement, anger, sex, love, and fearlessness. It's a parallel living
that I miss the minute I walk away from the keys. Interacting with
audiences is easy if you are in control and we are always in control.
It's important to be daring and bold in all of your intentions and
in the beginning some will believe and some won't. we will continue
to be relentless until we are playing rooms where everyone believes."
He envisions, "We want to bring this music to the rest of the
world because for every one person that our passion affects, our spirits
grow 100% stronger and there is no greater feeling. Tidal Eyes
is the first stepping stone to a mountain that we must climb. This
record is going to be the first crack in breaking commercial barriers
so that we may kick up the dust of decaying pioneers. "
Making great strides in the span of a couple of years has enable
the band to recognize what works for them, and impart to aspiring
musicians, "Keep listening and keep writing! Whether its words
or melody, never stop creating. Stimulate your life with things that
inspire you and use them as fuel to navigate through the mediocre
representations of who you truly are. Never fear people's opinion,
fear your own. If you don't believe in yourself then it will never
be enough. When you catch that wind that delivers a song, don't take
it for granted that it will pass so it's important to keep on mining
even if the day leaves no gold to be found. What ever genre of music
you play always give it all of you, it doesn't have to be artsy or
indie to be passionate. Catapult off the tails of your influences
to create something. I write poetry and free form pieces every day
to ward off the inner critic. It's important not to be single-minded
and to never be too precious with ideas. Music is an expression, not
a template."
The Queen Killing Kings are more than an unusual band name or a rock
'n' roll fad. They have something special which comes through in their
songs, taking a pinch from their musical influences and pouring a
whole lot of themselves into their music. They are a rock band that
is chunky on the keyboards and defies what the general consensus dictates
constitutes as rock music. TQKK show that sometimes rules need to
be retooled and bended for progress to take shape, and they are just
the sort of musicians who thrive on accepting the challenge. It's
a natural fit for them, and Tidal Eyes confirms it.
-Susan Frances
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