The Los Angeles based band, No More Kings, broke out onto the scene last year with their self-titled debut album. The group sings about everything from Sally Brown, to the Peanuts, to the Smurfs. The band's name comes from an episode on School House Rock which was about the Pilgrims leaving England because they wanted sovereignty.
No More Kings has an eclectic love of various styles of entertainment, and they are off to a great start. With influences like The Karate Kid, School House Rock, Dirt Poor Robins, and Knight Rider, everyone can see this band has a sense of humor, are young at heart, can rock a crowd and have a great time while doing it!
ACED Magazine had the fortune of talking with Pete Mitchell, lead singer of the band No More Kings. He speaks of his idols, his goals...and Kermit the Frog...
First things first. What's the last song you listened to on your iPod ?
"Harrowdown Hill" by Thom Yorke.
Would you recommend it to your fans?
Of course! But obviously it's a little moodier than our stuff.
If you had to cover a song, which song would you choose?
Actually there's a list! "Use Me Up" by Bill Withers (I wanted to really extend the part where he sings "baby, baby, baby" and do a James Brown thing with it); "Rainbow Connection" (as sung by Kermit the Frog); we've been talking about doing a jazzy version of "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys. So, we've got a list going.
What was your goal or dream when you first started out? Have you achieved it yet? Has the dream changed at all?
Great question! I think you end up setting multiple goals, you know micro-goals and macro-goals. Before I got signed, my goal was always to have a professionally recorded CD, something I could be proud of. So that goal has been reached (and it feels good)! Sort of a macro-goal was to be able to do this kind of thing for a living, you know, jump around on stage like an idiot and sing about zombies and Smurfs. And it seems like for the time being, that goal is met too! Woohoo! So I think I have to start aiming higher. My new goal is to be the first live concert broadcast from space.
When did you decide that music was what you wanted to do for a career?
You know, I don't think I ever decided specifically that I wanted to do music as a career. In fact, just before I got signed, I had pretty much decided that that wasn't going to happen. But I think I always knew, or at least since late high school, that I wanted to make things for a living. I'm a painter and an animator too, so I thought it would be fun to be able to do the music for my animations. I just really like making things. But for a while I got caught up in telling other peoples' stories, working for big companies and such. So I'm still sort of getting used to the fact that Adam DeGraide, CEO of Astonish, is helping me tell my own stories now.
If you could only hear one more song in your life, what would it be? Why?
Oh wow. Hmm...I'd better pick a long one. I guess "A Day in the Life" by the Beatles. It feels like more than one song. So I'm cheating a little.
Knowing what you do now, what (if anything) would you do differently if you had to start out in the music industry again?
Another great question! I'm not sure I would've done anything differently. I think all my choices, good or stupid, along the way, sort of prepared me for this. You know, I could say that I would've focused more on music, but I think my experience as a visual artist actually really helped my songwriting. Sorry, long answer to say, nothing. I would change nothing.
What's left for the band? Is there a career plan, or some goal you want to achieve, or are you just going with the flow?
A little of both. This is exciting for all of us right now, so it's fun to see where it goes, where it takes us. But I think we all have specific things we'd like to get out of it. For me, it's going to be about relationships. For example, I'm building a little cardboard Johnny Five robot suit in an attempt to befriend Ally Sheedy.
Do you prefer the creative recording process, or performing live?
It's a cool sort of ying and yang situation, I think. Honestly, I really dig both for different reasons. I love the creative process, so writing and recording absolutely fires me up. But then performing is exhilarating as well. There's that wonderful immediate response you get from an audience. I think what makes these things a success is being honest in them. I mean to say, when performing, making sure you are honestly and genuinely in the moment, giving everything to the performance. My worst shows are ones where I start to feel self-conscious or like I'm pretending. Audiences can sense that.
Who were your music idols when you were growing up? Do you still feel the same way about them?
Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Genesis, Boston. I still feel the same way about them in terms of musicianship, and how they made me feel. But I gotta say, I haven't listened to any of them in a while. Except Jacko. Every once in a while I just need to moonwalk.
What does the future hold in store for the band?
Only the Oracle knows. But I hope it involves cookies.
Perhaps Pete should plug into the Matrix. The Oracle always seems to be baking cookies for those wanting to know the future. One thing is for certain, No More Kings are going to be around for a while and we have been fortunate enough to see into the mind of the lead singer, Pete Mitchell.
To delve deeper inside the rabbit hole of No More Kings, go to their Official site and MySpace.
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