The Median Man spoke with Little King.
The Median Man spoke with Little King.
GAELIC
What inspired the name of the band and what are your influences?
Good morning from the pits of Virus and Crash Hell! Just re-arranging the deck chairs here, don’t mind me.
My first name is Ryan, and that translates loosely to “Little King” in Gaelic. It was always my project, so I figured I’d make a joke of it and name it after myself. I always make fun of people who name their bands after themselves, so maybe I was poking a little fun at myself. My mom asked me this last year, and I’m like, “Jesus Christ, Mom! You haven’t read my bio?”
I am influenced by the usual suspects in classic rock, metal, reggae, hip hop and R&B. Classical music, too. Rush, Zepplin, Floyd, Steely Dan, Talking Heads, Tool, Radiohead, all the way to Iron Maiden, Tupac, Peter Tosh, and Barry White. I’m old, so everything after 2005 or so doesn’t exist. Okay, that’s not entirely true, but I think we connect most deeply with the music that raised us.
How do you approach songwriting? Are there any themes that you are keen to explore when you start off?
I always write the music first. I like complexity and diversity in the time signatures, keys, modes, etc. That keeps it fresh for the listener and the players, especially in the context of a 3 piece band. I loathe to sound like myself over and over again on an album, so a good example is the new record, Occam’s Foil (2019). There are 5 songs on there, and they are all pretty different while still sounding like Little King. I am proud of that! I am not sure if that is the way to gain a ton of fans…but I don’t really give a fuck about that. The ones who “get it” will stick around, and that’s what matters to me.
Once the music is done, I make sure that I write words that I can sing and play at the same time. As I just mentioned, Little King music can be challenging to play WITHOUT having to sing, so achieving that drummer-like independence is key if we are gonna pull it off live.
I write about current events, the past and the present and the future, my kids, my life experience, and more. Life is so interesting on so many levels, that writer’s block is real but it’s also just an excuse. I don’t have the “advantage” of doing drugs to open my third eye up, so I have to discipline myself to get after it. But after about 50 songs, I think I’ve got my process down. I just have to be careful not to repeat myself, like any old person should do!
DIVERSITY
DIVERSITY
How do you approach songwriting? Are there any themes that you are keen to explore when you start off?
I always write the music first. I like complexity and diversity in the time signatures, keys, modes, etc. That keeps it fresh for the listener and the players, especially in the context of a 3 piece band. I loathe to sound like myself over and over again on an album, so a good example is the new record, Occam’s Foil (2019). There are 5 songs on there, and they are all pretty different while still sounding like Little King. I am proud of that! I am not sure if that is the way to gain a ton of fans…but I don’t really give a fuck about that. The ones who “get it” will stick around, and that’s what matters to me.
Once the music is done, I make sure that I write words that I can sing and play at the same time. As I just mentioned, Little King music can be challenging to play WITHOUT having to sing, so achieving that drummer-like independence is key if we are gonna pull it off live.
I write about current events, the past and the present and the future, my kids, my life experience, and more. Life is so interesting on so many levels, that writer’s block is real but it’s also just an excuse. I don’t have the “advantage” of doing drugs to open my third eye up, so I have to discipline myself to get after it. But after about 50 songs, I think I’ve got my process down. I just have to be careful not to repeat myself, like any old person should do!
STAY CHALLENGED
Why do you write the sort of music that you do?
You know, I REALLY appreciate that question! I do a lot of interviews, and no one has asked me that yet. I get asked a lot what kind of music it is, and I really like to think that they can listen to it and form their own opinions…why ask me?
I think part of this answer lies in the last answer. I write in this style to stay challenged and to also continue to challenge the listener. I want to strike a balance between thoughtful and intellectual content with listenability and enjoyment. Sometimes I achieve that, sometimes maybe a bit less so. But that is the goal, and I think it is a goal that I can be proud of down the road. My legacy is important to me. When I throw on my music from 20+ years ago, it doesn’t always please my ears. But I NEVER listen to the old me and get the impression that I was just going through the motion. If I was TRYING HARD, I can forgive some of the less awesome stuff.
How do you decide what songs to perform live and how do you transpose them into that live setting?
Yeah, so we haven’t toured in a long time, but that changes this year. Or at least it will once the panic from the pandemic chills out…hopefully soon. All plans are on hold until we have a better grasp of the touring world and what is going to make sense this summer.
We have narrowed our setlist down to songs from all of the last 5 albums, at least 2 songs from each. The set is about 70 minutes long. I choose songs that are fun to play, that are still in my vocal range (changed from 25 to 47, for sure), and where the lyrics still resonate with me. Life has changed a lot half of a life ago, so I want to make sure I’m in touch with what I’m saying.
Little King has ALWAYS been a Power Trio live. That may or may not change, but if it does, it will only be with guest performers on a few songs (maybe a female vocalist who also plays violin…this makes more sense if you listen to Occam’s Foil.) When we record, I always try and keep that ethos of a 3 piece band in mind. The arrangements and overdubs must be conducive to being reproduced somewhat faithfully live. So I have to make sure that if a song has some parts that are on the record that are key to the core of the song that we can pull that off live without bringing more members on stage. Again, that may change this time around. Time will tell!
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TIME WILL TELL
TIME WILL TELL
How do you decide what songs to perform live and how do you transpose them into that live setting?
Yeah, so we haven’t toured in a long time, but that changes this year. Or at least it will once the panic from the pandemic chills out…hopefully soon. All plans are on hold until we have a better grasp of the touring world and what is going to make sense this summer.
We have narrowed our setlist down to songs from all of the last 5 albums, at least 2 songs from each. The set is about 70 minutes long. I choose songs that are fun to play, that are still in my vocal range (changed from 25 to 47, for sure), and where the lyrics still resonate with me. Life has changed a lot half of a life ago, so I want to make sure I’m in touch with what I’m saying.
Little King has ALWAYS been a Power Trio live. That may or may not change, but if it does, it will only be with guest performers on a few songs (maybe a female vocalist who also plays violin…this makes more sense if you listen to Occam’s Foil.) When we record, I always try and keep that ethos of a 3 piece band in mind. The arrangements and overdubs must be conducive to being reproduced somewhat faithfully live. So I have to make sure that if a song has some parts that are on the record that are key to the core of the song that we can pull that off live without bringing more members on stage. Again, that may change this time around. Time will tell!
4 Attachments
WHAT WORKS
MORE MUSIC
What plans do you have for the future?
More music, man! Always! Occam’s Foil is my 6th release, and I will get to 10 somehow, some day. I have a couple new songs written musically and I am obsessed with them. One is really long and trippy and a total departure. I may break that aforementioned ethos of the 3-piece for that song and make it fully orchestrated and throw caution to the wind.
Also, once the air has cleared and we know how travel and shows and festivals will be affected, Little King WILL be on the road. I want so badly to play in Europe this time around, so I will be actively looking for a booking agent who can help in that regard.