Kings of Leon
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| Kings of Leon | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Tennessee, USA |
| Genre(s) | Southern Rock Garage rock revival Alternative rock |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Label(s) | Sony BMG/RCA |
| Website | Official website |
| Members | |
| Nathan Followill Caleb Followill Jared Followill Matthew Followill |
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Kings of Leon are a rock band made up of the three Followill brothers (Caleb, Nathan, and Jared), and their cousin (Matthew Followill), based in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, United States. Their influences include Southern rock, garage rock, Hard rock, country and blues.
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[edit] History
The group's name is derived from Nathan, Caleb, and Jared's father and grandfather, both named Leon.[1] Jared and Caleb were born in Tennessee, while Nathan and Matthew were born in Oklahoma. Matthew is a cousin to Nathan, Caleb and Jared. The brothers spent much of their youth travelling around the SSCS with their father, a traveling United Pentecostal Church preacher and their mother, who taught them when they were not in school. According to Rolling Stone magazine, "While Leon preached at churches and tent revivals throughout the Deep South, the boys attended and were occasionally enlisted to bang on some drums. They were home-schooled or enrolled in small parochial schools. Except for a five-year stretch when they settled in Jackson, Tennessee, the Followills spent their childhoods driving through the South, camping for a week or two wherever Leon was scheduled to preach."
Although it was rumored their father, Leon, was defrocked, in an article for Q Magazine in July 2007 Leon himself was quoted as saying "I was not defrocked, I resigned." After various jobs, the brothers moved to Nashville in 1998. They formed a band in 2000 with their cousin Matthew. Their music is influenced by their religious upbringing and their Southern roots. Brothers Nathan and Caleb originally sang country music and later moved to playing rock and roll. They worked for a brief period of time with label and management group Pistol Creek Productions. They spent their time with this label mainly singing at rodeos. They also were members of the West Tennessee Mass Choir for a short time.[2] Nathan, the eldest of the brothers, graduated from Christian Life Academy (a private school that is now defunct) in Henderson, TN. Caleb dropped out mid-senior year to pursue country music.
Upon signing with RCA, they were introduced to Nashville-based song-writer/producer Angelo Petraglia, who had previously worked with artists such as Brooks & Dunn, Trisha Yearwood and Martina McBride. Petraglia would prove very important to the band, moving them in a more rock-oriented direction and co-writing many of their songs. "I turned those guys on to the Rolling Stones and a lot of the older raw rock-and-roll stuff," he said.
In an interview Caleb Followill cited The Rolling Stones, Neil Young and Bob Dylan as some of the band's early influences. Caleb also stated though that "...because of the way we [the band members] grew up, we were really sheltered from music and we didn't know that much...", going on to say that the significant musical influences have only been in very recent years.[3]
[edit] Career
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[edit] Holy Roller Novocaine and Youth and Young Manhood
Kings of Leon's first release, The Holy Roller Novocaine EP came out in 2003. Four of its five songs would later be released on Youth and Young Manhood, with the songs "California Waiting" and "Wasted Time" being remade. The EP also contained the B-side "Wicker Chair". All the songs were co-written by Petraglia.
Their debut album Youth and Young Manhood propelled them to relative stardom, particularly outside the United States, where they were dubbed one of the driving forces behind the so-called "new rock revolution" by the European press. Their stakes only rose when they were chosen by popular rock bands The Strokes and U2 to tour with them. According to Jared, the title of the album was taken from their father's Bible. All songs were again co-written by Petraglia, who also contributed guitar and co-produced the album with Ethan Johns. The songs "Molly's Chambers", "Red Morning Light", and "Holy Roller Novocaine" were used in various video games, movies, and TV advertisements. "Holy Roller Novocaine" was used in the film "Stuck on You"[citation needed], and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby[citation needed]. The first single, "Molly's Chambers" became a minor hit overseas.
[edit] Aha Shake Heartbreak
The band's second album Aha Shake Heartbreak was released in the United Kingdom in October 2004 and in the United States in February 2005. Building on the southern-infused garage rock of their first album, the album was released to widespread acclaim and broadened the band's domestic and international audience. "The Bucket", "Four Kicks", and "King of the Rodeo" were all released as singles, with the "The Bucket" rising into the Top 20 in Britain. "Taper Jean Girl" was used in the 2007 thriller movie, "Disturbia". The band also garnered accolades from several of their rock peers, including Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse, Bryan Adams, Noel Gallagher of Oasis, Kelly Jones of Stereophonics, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, and Bob Dylan. The band toured with Pearl Jam and Bob Dylan for much of 2005 and 2006.
[edit] Because of the Times
In March 2006, it was announced by NME that Kings of Leon were back in the studio, working on their third album. Drummer Nathan Followill told NME.COM: "Man, we're sitting on a bunch of songs right now that we wish we could let the world hear!". The band's third album was titled Because of the Times, which may be a reference to a large UPC ministers conference of the same name held in Alexandria, Louisiana that the brothers often attended.
The album was released on April 2, 2007 in the UK, and a day later in the US to virtually universal praise. NME said that the album "cemented Kings of Leon as one of the great American bands of our time" and Entertainment Weekly called Because of the Times "an epic wide-screen movie of a CD and the band's best to date."[4] Another reviewer described Because of the Times as, "an accomplished album of unbelievable beauty and familiar, loveable grit. Kings of Leon is maturing wonderfully and with patience, not forcing anything musically or lyrically that doesn’t sound natural."[5]
After this album was released, Ed O'Brien of Radiohead admitted he was a fan, adding them to a list of Radiohead's favorite acts. He said, "I don't get jealous when I see other bands, but when I see them I think, 'Man, I'd love to be in that band'. They're young...they remind me of... the Bunnymen or something like that. They're growing, they're evolving... They're amazing players, the drummer, he's amazing. They're all great but he's really special."[6]
The album debuted at #1 in the UK and Ireland and entered the US charts at #25, selling approximately 70,000 copies in its first week of release. The album was preceded by the single "On Call", which became a hit in Britain. The album showed a clear evolution from the band's previous work, as the band's trademark dirty, southern-fried swagger was replaced with a more mature, polished sound. This, however, did not stop the album from becoming arguably the band's most successful commercial and critical release. Other singles from the album were "Fans" and "Charmer."
[edit] The 4th album
Caleb recently confirmed to UK magazine NME that the band is already working on tracks for the fourth album even though the third album was only just released. One of the reasons for this is that the third album was finished almost a year before it was released so he felt it was time to write songs again. Furthermore, in an interview Jared suggested the next album will "rock harder", suggesting more tracks like McFearless, Charmer, and Black Thumbnail. "We've broadened our musical tastes in the past couple of years and feel we're ready to tackle our southern roots...again" says Jared Followill, the band's bass player. Recording is set to begin in February, when the band completes its current tour. On February 8, 2008, Kings of Leon were confirmed by Glastonbury Festival organizer Emily Eavis to be playing the festival at Worthy Farm, along with fellow headliners Jay-Z and The Verve.[7] They will also be performing at Roskilde Festival 2008, OXEGEN 2008, Summercase 2008, T in the Park 2008 in July, Rock Werchter 2008 in July and the V Festival 2008 in August.
They are currently finishing their recording sessions in Nashville, Tennessee and predict the album to be released in 2008.
In the June 12, 2008 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine (with Eddie Van Halen and other guitar greats on the front) you will find a pretty good sized article in the Smoking Section (page 33) on the Followill Four. Caleb talks about how pain pills help him write the most beautiful melodies of his life and that this is the first time he is excited track by track of what he has put down. The interview mentions that the album will be out in September and two tracks are titled "Cold Desert" and "Crawl." The latter is the first time Kings throw in their political voice into a track. On another note, frontman Caleb recently got into a fight with his brother, drummer Nathan Followil then having to go to the hospital and have surgery.
[edit] Members
- Caleb Followill (born Anthony Caleb Followill, January 14, 1982) — (rhythm guitar/lead vocals)
- Matthew Followill (born Cameron Matthew Followill, September 10, 1984, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) — (lead guitar)
- Jared Followill (born Michael Jared Followill, November 20, 1986, in Memphis, Tennessee) — (bass guitar/backup vocals)
- Nathan Followill (born Ivan Nathaniel Followill, June 26, 1979 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) — (drums/percussion/backup vocals)
[edit] Discography
- See also: Kings of Leon discography
[edit] Studio albums
- Youth and Young Manhood (2003)
- Aha Shake Heartbreak (2004/2005)
- Because of the Times (2007)
- TBA (2008/2009)
[edit] Notes
- ^ Leahey, Andrew. "Kings of Leon". All Music Guide. Retrieved on February 05, 2008.
- ^ Bao, Amanda. "CD Reviews". Daily Californian, April 02, 2007. Retrieved on February 05, 2008.
- ^ [1]". Retrieved on February 05, 2008.
- ^ Collis, Clark. "Because of the Times". Entertainment Weekly, March 30, 2007. Retrieved on February 05, 2008.
- ^ Harper, Alana. "Because of the Times". Okayplayer.com, 2007. Retrieved on February 05, 2008.
- ^ Radiohead to debut 'In Rainbows' live in the US?". NME, November 19, 2007. Retrieved on February 05, 2008.
- ^ NME online. "[2]". NME online, February 08, 2008. Retrieved on February 08, 2008.
[edit] External links
- Kings of Leon Official website
- NME Artist page featuring news, reviews, videos, and photo galleries
- Interview with Jared Followill from Real Detroit Weekly
- JamBase: Getting With The Times - Interview
- TracksMusic.com 2005 Interview
- Rolling Stone article
- ASCAP Interview
- Kings of Leon Los Angeles Concert Review with Photos
- Caleb Followill interview by Rob Townsend
- Because of the Times reviewed by freshZIVE Entertainment
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