I’m sympathetic to Doug Pinnick’s complaints about the failure of King’s X to get enough exposure to draw in the fans that would make the 25-year-old band a profitable enterprise. Doug, Jerry, and Ty have put out lots of great music over the years, and I still listen to their stuff regularly. I also try to listen to and purchase a lot of their respective side projects’ material. I don’t get to see them all that often since they haven’t been booked closer to Harrisburg than Philly (to my knowledge) since I’ve been here. One of Doug’s complaints is that KX can’t profitably (or otherwise) book earlier/all-ages shows, which limits the availability of venues and of appeal. If I was going to travel an hour or two to a KX show, I’d much rather be driving back at 11:30PM vs 2:00AM. If you haven’t heard their stuff, definitely go over to Amazon and check out some samples of their songs. If you like what you hear, buy a CD or two. I think the guys still have a lot of music to make.
Blackfield (the collaboration between Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson and Aviv Geffen) now has a Myspace page and they’re sharing some music from the forthcoming second album. The full track “Once” is definitely the heaviest they’ve done to date, and the 30-second preview track reveals lush arrangements of the songs “Miss U” and “Epidemic” that they’ve played live. They’ve also re-done the previously non-album track “Where Is My Love?”. Everything sounds great and I can’t wait to get a copy. Check out their stuff.
Rush is well on their way to releasing another studio album near the beginning of 2007 and hope to tour next spring. They also have a DVD-repackaging of the “Exit… Stage Left”, “Grace Under Pressure Tour”, and “A Show Of Hands” videos coming out next month called Replay. It also includes a CD of the GUP Tour. Out of these works, I only own a VHS copy of ASOH, so I will definitely be picking this up. I can remember watching the GUP tour laserdisc in the media room at the UB Student Union. Cool!
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May 24, 2006 at 10:44 am
Xerxes Rens
Thanks for the news; interesting articles all, especially Doug’s comments; how does a guy who sells a million records consider himself a failure?
I still wish King’s X had kept the complex structure and harmonies of “Gretchen Goes To Nebraska”; the new stuff doesn’t come close, for me.
May 24, 2006 at 5:43 pm
aharden
Most artists don’t make money if a major label publishes their records; I think they trade off per-unit profits for more exposure. I think Doug’s frustrations about them not being able to tour effectively are the most relevant as to the band’s ability to make a living. They can make music and get their albums published, but if they can’t get in front of the fans, either physically or virtually, I don’t think they’ll get out of the hole Doug describes.
Here’s an idea: King’s X solicits fan requests for songs they want to hear played live. The catch is that to submit a request, one has to pay $20, which covers your right to view a live, streamed version (and possibly repeats) of a special, recorded show that you’ll be sent sometime after the event. I’d think that a band with KX’s following might be able to make something like that work.
I’m still digging Ogre Tones, especially tracks like “Open My Eyes” which totally remind me of the “Faith Hope Love” era.
May 25, 2006 at 2:13 pm
Xerxes Rens
Sounds like a viable business model, but I’d prefer something more personal.
What if I was to, for example, set up a website, kingsxbuffalo.org, which would collect pledges of $75 until we reach critical mass to bring King’s X to town for a private acoustic set in my backyard?
50 people ($3750, with $750 to fly the boys out here, and $1K each for a night of work), and it might be feasible!
Maybe we need to return to the old days when the arts were supported (and privately hoarded) by wealthy benefactors!