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INTO THE EVERLAST
MARKUS WOLFE OF KING KARMA
TALKS TO ROCKWIRED ABOUT
GETTING THE MUSIC OUT THERE
GOIN' SOUTH (TO FIND A LEAD SINGER, THAT IS)
AND THE SOUND OF 5000 MOTORCYCLES GETTING REVVED UP
INTERVIEWED BY BRIAN LUSH
Just when
you thought that good old-fashioned balls-to-the-wall
blues-based hard rock was no more, along comes KING KARMA to
prove you wrong. They may be slightly under the radar but thats
got nothing to do with the raw power of this hard rock foursome.
Their self-titled debut( KING KARMA, CENTURION RECORDS),
produced by the legendary JIMMY JOHNSON (LYNYRD SKYNYRD, BOB
SEGER) is the perfect introduction. It's been a while since
we've heard rock n roll served up with this much gusto and
passion (vocals by SHAUN WILLIAMSON). Ax-man MARKUS WOLFE gives
us one of the great guitar performances in recent years while
TODD RONNING on bass and RICK FEDYK on drums provide us with
that never failing, thunderous, LED ZEPPELIN-ESQUE rhythm
section. KIN KARMA are definitely one of the tightest rock n
roll packages around (get it out of the gutter!!!). Just give
the tracks BREATHE, DEVIL'S ROAD, and I'M LISTENING a spin. This
stuff is addicting!
ROCKWIRED had a chance to talk with lead guitarist MARKUS WOLFE
over the phone. Here is how it went?
Are you guys on down time at the moment? What's up with the band
right now?
Well, there's never any down time with KING KARMA. We've been
writing for a new album and thats all that we've been
concentrating on for the past few months.
Since the KING KARMA CD is the one that I'm going to be
showcasing - How do you guys feel about it. Do you think that
it's the perfect introduction to you as a band?
The album was written over a period of a couple of months. In
fact, it wasn't the first bunch of songs written for that
particular album. We wrote a lot of songs in early 2002 and had
a change of singers. When we brought in the new singer (SHAUN
WILLIAMSON) we decided to write all new songs. I think thats a
collective works of all four guys. Everyone is involved with the
writing process so I think it's pretty good indication of what
KING KARMA is.
Why the name? What brought about the name?
Well, that's a TODD RONNING question. He came up with it. We'd
been searching for a name for some time. We wanted something
that was catchy and had a bit of meaning to it. KING KARMA is
nothing personal or close to us, but it could mean a whole bunch
of things to different people and that's why the name appeals to
everybody in the band. So, I can't give you a real definitive
answer on that.
You and TODD seem to go back quite a ways.
We do go back quite a ways. Actually we crossed paths in the mid
nineties in different bands that we had been playing in. We'd
see each other once in a while but we never had any ideas of
playing together or writing together. A mutual friend brought
us together and found that we both enjoyed the same kind of
music and had the same ideals.
I read that you guys had a songwriting partnership in the
beginning. Who did you write for? Yourselves or other people?
We wrote for ourselves but we did write for other people. There
were a few songs that went over to Europe that other bands had
picked up but the main idea was writing for ourselves. It wasn't
really a band project. It was more of a songwriting project.
Both of us had toured extensively at that point and we both
figured that we could use a break from that by hanging out,
writing some songs and seeing how that would go.
What drew you to playing guitar?
That's a great question. We're going back a few years now.
Probably JIMI HENDRIX, JIMMY PAGE, those kind of guys listening
to music in th earl days. There also bands like FREE and BAD
COMPANY. Things like that got the blood going for me to play
guitar.
WHAT is this GIT that I keep hearing about?
GIT is a guitar school in LA. People from all over the country
and all over the world come to LA to study at this school. It's
very exclusive and very technical and theory oriented. The
beautiful thing about this school is that you're going to school
with a thousand other guitar players, and that's where the real
learning is, not just sitting in a class room and taking notes
on theory.
How did you guys happen upon SHAUN WILLIAMSON as the lead
singer?
Actually me and TODD both moved to Nashville in 2000. We had
been looking for a rock-bluesy singer and we couldn't find one
on the west coast so we decided to move south to see if we could
pick up anybody there. We wanted someone with a natural blues
background and SHAUN came about through STEVE MELTON who was the
engineer and co-producer of the album along with JIM JOHNSON.
STEVE had worked with SHAUN in th e past and suggested him.
And you recorded this CD at MUSCLE SHOALS? What was that like?
Well, the majority of the album was recorded in Vancouver at
MUSHROOM STUDIOS which also has a lot of history. We did record
at the original MUSCLE SHOALS SOUND and that was a fantastic
experience. They still had pictures of every one who recorded
there on the walls. We're talking LYNYRD SKYNYRD, BOB SEGER,
ARETHA FRANKLIN, ROD STEWART, and THE ROLLING STONES. These were
the people that JIM JOHNSON had actually worked with over his
career. The vibe was tremendous.
How did you guys get JIMMY JOHNSON to produce?
We were in Nashville working with our first singer. The were a
few people that were diggin what we were doing. Our demo got
passed on to JOHN BRIGGS, the VP of ASCAP, and JOHN in turn sent
our CD over to JIMMY in Alabama. He called us and said "Hey
guys, I really like your stuff. Come down to my studio and lets
have a meeting." It goes without saying that this was huge deal
for us.
Who is KING KARMA now and who brings what to the band?
We've got SHAUN WILLIAMSON as the lead singer. He's really got a
rock n roll soul as far as we're concerned. You can play all of
the heavy riffs that you have but if you don;t have some soulful
vocals behind it, it goes nowhere. TODD RONNING on bass and RICK
FEDYK on drums create a thunderous rhythm section. They're great
players and a real tight group. Everybody brings a lot to the
band. It's not just one or two people. Everybody's got an input
and that's why I think it works.
Explain if it's explainable the creative process. How do the
songs come about?
Usually I'll come up with a guitar riff or TODD will come up
with a riff and we'll play it to each other first and then we
bring it to the band and. It's me TODD and RICK who will get
together first. If it works right a way we'll bring SHAUN in on
it. Everybody is really proficient on their instruments and
things come together quickly as far as parts and stuff like
that. Once we've got the basics down, SHAUN will just start
writing lyrics and melodies and we all work on it from there.
What's life on the road like for the band?
It's all about getting the music out to the people. I think
we're all really low key. We're not big partiers. We like to
have a good time - don't get me wrong- but it's all about the
music. We play our show, pack up our gear and we're gone tot he
next town and we're on the bus talking about the show and how we
can make it better. There is some writing that happens on the
road.
You've opened for quite a few people, who was your favorite
person to open up for.
That's a difficult one. I would have to say PAUL RODGERS. It
think he's the greatest rock vocalist./ He and I have become
quite good friends over the years. In fact, the way I met PAUL -
I got a call one night to come down to a local bar and bring my
guitar. I had no idea what was going on. I was asked if I
remembered any of the old BAD COMPANY/FREE songs and I was like
Of course. I grew up on this stuff. I walk into he bar and in
walks PAUL RODGERS. He hands me a set list and says "you know
these songs?" and I said absolutely. That was how we first met.
We played a gig together.
Is there anyone that you'd like work with?
LED ZEPPELIN. Not gonna happen. I enjoy all things music. It
doesn;t have to be a certain style. We're based around this
seventies bluesy-rock style but I don't mind playing with just
about anybody.
You guys are pretty much the only blue based hard rock out
there. How does it feel? Do you feel isolated by it or do you
find it advantageous because it makes you stick out?
Oddly enough, we get that question quite often- maybe not in
those exact words- for us it was never a style or genre to
chase. This is who we are. It's the kind of music that was grew
up on. When we all came together we realized that we all had
that in common. We never tried to be that. We are that. It feels
natural. If it puts us in a category different from everyone
else, then that's a bonus too.
How hard or easy is it to get the music out there?
These days it's a little easier cause there are more forms of
media as opposed to ten years ago. You've got playing live which
is number one but now you've got the internet, internet radio
stations.
Your label CENTURION RECORDS really seems to have you back
there. How is that bands relationship with the label?
It's great CENTURION is an Indie label but they spend more time
developing their acts. They're all very involved in what we are
doing and more importantly, we're all on the same page.
Everything that we do, they always seem to wan to work with us,
so I think that it's a really good relationship.
How is the new CD coming along?
As you know, these things can take some time. It's gonna be a
KING KARMA CD no doubt but I think people will be surprised by
the growth of some of the writing. I'm kind of excited about it.
You played STURGIS a few times.
Playing STURGIS is an experience. They don't cheer or clap.
Instead they rev up their motorcycles. So you've got to imagine
5000 motorcycles being revved up after every song. That's your
applause. It's great.
How much is a KING KARMA T-shirt?
For you?
Yeah
I think we can send you one
Okay
What's your size?
XL. Oh by the way, are you touring this summer?
I hope that we'll be doing a good string of shows. Check the
website (www.kingkarma.com)
for dates that are coming up.
http://www.rockwired.com
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