King of Anything - Driving Montage Music

King of Anything

an 80’s driving montage theme

King of Anything

Simple fact: Sonic Youth kicks ass. As the definition of the word fact states, this is not an opinion. It’s the reality of the how the world works and how things are. I have no shame in admitting I definitely had Sonic Youth in mind when I was first writing the song, King of Anything. This influence will most likely show up again.  As the song developed, David Bowie somehow worked his into the track as well - I think I was listening to Let’s Dance on repeat during this period. So I had this Sonic Youth/Bowie influenced song and originally wanted horns on the track, but due to lack of budget and a decent horn sample, I used a synth to place-hold some parts, which was really the beginning of my new found love for synthesizers. For years I hated them and fought against using them in any capacity. I guess this is how drug habits start as well…use them once and see how awesome they are, you don’t want to stop.

I had every intention to NOT use distortion guitar on this album. I wanted to focus on clean tone Jaguar with heavy reverb for a cohesive sound through out the album. The way this song came together, I realized there was no other solution, the ending needed to shred as this wall of sound came together. While recording, the guitar solo just screamed 1980’s driving montage scene, you know, like in Rock I, II, II and IV. Then I took a page from Black Sabbath, and thought, when one guitar solo is cool, two is better. So I layered two guitar solos on top of each other and really got something, I think, is fairly interesting. 

Speaking of the 80’s and driving montages, I really thought the solo really captured the final scene of the story I was trying to tell. King of Anything, is story about attending extremely formal events, and then doing the only logical thing, which is to get really, really drunk at them. As some point in the evening, some form of drama ensues, which can only lead to the next logical thing, a driving montage. I’m willing to bet (not actual money of course) If you’re the type of person to actually read this article, then the likelihood of this scenario playing out in your life is pretty high. And let’s be honest on one more point, at least the formal events I attend, people are pretty bombed at the end of  the night at these things. I watched enough 80’s movies to know that was a common occurrence back then as well so in my mind it all tied together.

Not sure how I got Sonic Youth, Davide Bowie and a Rocky montage to make sense for a song, but it does to me, so there you have it. So fire up your favorite 80’s sports car, pop on King of Anything and take a late night cruise. I think you’ll enjoy the vibe. Just try to be sober when you do it.

One last thing, check out this Spotify playlist I put together for your best montages and you can read my other rambling thoughts here. And finally a stripped down live performance here.

Best driving music for all of your 80's movie montages

Berkley Front

So, I really have three songs that stick out on this album, North Coast Electric, that I just love to listen to. Berkley Front is one of them. When I was finishing up music school in Detroit, I remember living in this super cheap house I rented with a couple of friends - it was such a piece of shit. Not to be cliche, but that didn’t matter. We had so much fun. We’d listen to records, (back then vinyl was cheap and an easy way to listen to older music), play guitar at the house, go see shows and I’d just daydream of what I was going to do with my life (even thought I was already 22 year old). Trying to make a living as a guitar player isn’t exactly the easiest or clearest path in life, at least not for me. It’s not like there’s a fast track internship program for mediocre guitar players in Detroit that’ll lead to get great gigs four days a week. Maybe that’s something the auto industry can work on for us. Berkley Front really is me look back on that period of my life and seeing how those daydreams did and didn’t come to fruition.

You’ll hear me say this a lot, while rambling thoughts is easy enough, I’m not a very wordy lyricist. I try to create visuals with the vibes of my songs to paint the story I’m attempting to tell - very much in a soundtrack or film music kinda of way. With this said, I’ve been able to travel a fair amount, and after a couple late night rides up the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) I really wanted to have a tune that would be great to listen to while cruising at night and remind of those great trips. I had a couple vibes in my head while working on Berkley Front. Part is Michael Jackson’s Billy Jean, which come through in the opening drum groove. Then, the strong, laid-back pocket found on those classic Barry White albums from the 70’s, and then tie it in with 60’s surf rock. Berkley Front Obviously isn’t a soul tune, but for my taste, I put this on a playlist with tunes like Smokey Robinson’s Cruisin', William DeVaughn’s be thankful for what you got and M83’s The Wizard. I think we did a good job just grooving on this tune. The shimmery sounds of the Fender Jaguar guitar, the quirky backing vocals and Takashi Iio on the bass (who just crushes it) really brings it all together.  There are a number of other nod’s in the production of this song such as the really low backing vocals ,a la Modest Mouse, the guitar solo is part tribute to the Grateful Dead and part Ventures and Dick Dale; and finally, David Bowies Dancing in the Streets.  As I’m sure you can tell, I’m really happy how this song turned out with it’s laid-back pocket. After the album was completed we filmed the live video, and as the song moved from the studio to the stage we flipped the groove a bit and gave it more of a boogaloo feel. 

There’s a Spotify playlist of cruising tunes to check out below, and the live video performance of Berkley Front featuring two of my favorite people and musicians. Takashi Iio on bass and Rick Beamon on drums kicking that boogaloo feel on this tune.

Thanks for reading and make sure to pick up a copy of the album on vinyl if you can.

Feel free to reach out for bookings or original music for your video projects

Chin-chin

A playlist featuring Ramones, Sergio Gaetani, William DeVaughn, and others