Hello Nashville!  

I'm honored today to be able to feature yet another band that recently came through Los Angeles and is now about to enter your town.  Please welcome King's X, playing this Wednesday the 24th of May, 2006, at your local venue,  Exit/In.  If your already a King's X fan then you know what I am about to say.  If your someone like me, who had always heard and knew about them, but for one reason or another, waited this long to see them live, then go buy your ticket and be prepared to see one of the best concerts of 2006.  
Ok, so those that know me, already are aware of the true dingbat that I can be.  I spent my twenties in California, when the scene and the amount of bands and tours coming through were at an alarming number.  There were tons of bands playing, getting signed, and around to keep any young female rock lover busy.  Not caring about the  history or anything else when it came to going to concerts, it was all about the boys in the band.  Soon realizing that it did not take a stage full of pretty boys to make great music, I was able to broaden my range of music to many genres of influence.  This band was one I remember hearing about and for whatever reasons, just one I missed out on.  I am almost convinced that was meant to be so that now, at this stage in my life, I can appreciate and respect the sounds of King's X and yet have this feeling of discovering something new.  It's funny how a band with so much history and influence ranking over 25 years of recording, touring, and making music has slipped through my radar and has a sound that you might describe as unlike any other.   Maybe this is why King's X was so under promoted and a band that was not given the respect and credit that they so justly deserved from media and record labels.  I have experienced many concerts in my short time of concert photography where I am more than amazed and astounded at the quality of players and professionalism that is displayed.  I expect a lot from the concerts I decide to go to after obtaining the passes needed for what I do.  With that being said, I am pleased to say I usually walk away even more impressed.  This proved to be one of those times as these three boys were not going to let me down.  I knew to expect a great show. With the knowledge of how I happened to stumble across a band that I hardly knew about  was the ground point in my interest in seeing them on this tour.  High praise and regogniziton coming from a feature I had done on Virus, (Dope) guitarist, when he released his recent EP 'The Black and Blues EP' with brother Dan,  frontman for Chicago based band (Bully).  A bluesy, acoustical, deep and dark release with intense and paralyzing sound featuring the single, "The Sale".  With a video to accompany this song it was made even more enticing with the special appearance of Jerry Gaskill, drummer for King's X, lending his expertise and hand in this brilliantly done arrangement.  I loved the song before receiving my own copy of Black-N-Blues, Volume 1, and became more obsessed with this powerful ballad after viewing it.  I do not know what it is about Jerry's drumming style that had  grabbed me so suddenly.  I just immediately wanted to know more about him.  When reading what both Dan and Virus had to say about working with Jerry and knowing how Virus is a man of few words, I knew there had to be something special here, to give such praise.  Thunder and lightning struck when I finally found my way to the King's X website to see the single for newly released Orge Tones, "Alone."
Watching this trio of brilliance, I had now become a fan for life.  Looking through their discography, I was shocked to see how much art they had produced and how much time had gone by since their creation.  Happy to know that I had a good amount of material to now discover and that it was music that wasn't the same as everyone else was doing. I had barely enough time before discovering that their new album and tour were due and that they were headed my way to promote Ogre Tones which would make for their eleventh album released and featuring the song that I first saw upon dwelling into their site.

Wow, I do not feel like I can do this band justice with my poor journalism skills and enough praise and respect that they have earned is not going to be anything new to most.  I cannot begin to tell their story and complete it within just a column, so go to their website and any and all information is there, including links to all three of their individual projects as well as every fact and piece of information you would like to know about.  What a struggle it has been for them, and knowing how hard it is for any band to last as long as they have under any circumstance is rare and something to be proud of.  
So, I'll let the bands vast catalog of work done together and on their own speak for itself.  I may be the only person out there that is just now discovering one of the most influential bands of all time, but at least I'm losing my old train of thought and feelings on the music industry and what is out there being of virtually nothing I could appreciate, to being overjoyed at what I have found to be truth.  There are so many incredible, talented artists and bands out there that are just not getting the recognition or press that they deserve.  Young and new bands, as well as the bands of great and powerful existence, working harder and more determined then ever, to show us that music is still being produced and given to us if we just look and listen for it.  With many record labels lacking the funds to promote in the style and abundance of the old days, bands have turned to many private promotional companies and themselves for releasing the information and advertisements of a new album and tour.  

King's X for me was and will be a concert of memorable stature.  I love the way their fans were so connected with them and the way the band related to the fans with songs played as far back as the 1980's.  What stood out to me the most was not the usual first thing you notice of most bands in which one particular member stood out more then the others.  Instead I felt that each one of these highly talented musicians blended together so perfect and so solid that you forgot it was live and felt like a studio version so masterfully done and produced.  Impressive and intelligent are the words that come to me as I was standing among fans in attendance that were clearly unlike me.  These fans knew what song was to be played next before the second note was heard.   It was almost like the audience was part of the band and as close to these three members as they are obviously to each other.  At one point, the audience just started singing what was obviously a huge hit for King's X and I watched as Doug just stood back, mic out towards the mass of collective fans, and smiled as they sang in perfect harmony to the entire song.  It was such an amazing site to witness and I could not help but to gain even more respect for a band that obviously meant so much to so many people.   That is the feeling you are left with and this is amazingly powerful to anyone who has not experienced them.  

Recent work of King's X you should know about:

The new video for "If" (directed by famed hip-hop director, Dr. Teeth) will be out soon.  
Ty Tabor's new solo CD, "Rock Garden' will be out this summer, expected in August.
Jerry Gaskill's appearance and contribution on Black-N-Blues single of "The Sale" which is what brought me to this event is something deserving of a top hit and skillfully done.

Written and Photographs by Bren Alesch copyright 2006 to Angelwing Photograhy and NashvilleRock.net

Any and all material used without permission is subject to the laws of copyright infraction.