|
|
Post by bellestarr on Aug 20, 2005 0:33:09 GMT
Belfast Telegraph Home > Lifestyle > Music
Kings of Leon preach their brotherly gospel
Hugely successful, the Kings of Leon are keen to shed their party band image. Edwin McFee finds out why the brothers wouldn't want to be compared to the Gallaghers. . . and discovers their religious upbringing
19 August 2005
It must be a hard old life for Jared Followill, bassist with Tennessee rockers Kings of Leon. Even though he's still in his teens, he already has two smash hit records under his belt (2003's Youth and Young Manhood and 2004's follow-up Aha Shake Heartbreak), has sold out tours world-wide and has proven a big hit with the ladies into the bargain.
While most 19-year-olds are preparing to move out of their parents' house, Jared has recently supported U2 (at Bono's request) and graces magazine covers on a weekly basis.
"This is what I always wanted to do with my life," says Jared. "It's a blast being in a band with my brothers and cousin, making kickass records and playing music that I love," he says.
"Of course it can be hard being cooped up with your family every day on the road and, at times, it can be really suffocating seeing the same people all the time, but whenever we do have arguments they usually get forgotten about pretty quickly."
Anyone expecting the Kings of Leon to be the Southern States' answer to the Gallagher brothers is in for a surprise. Jared, his siblings Caleb (KOL's singer/guitarist) and Nathan (KOL's drummer) and his guitarist cousin Matthew's views on life are a million miles away from the world of Oasis' battling brothers.
For starters, the Kings of Leon's father is a preacher who always brought his sons along when he visited towns to spread the word. Instead of following their father into the family business, Jared decided to preach from a different song-book.
"I think because we're family we've got a much stronger bond than most bands," he says. "It also helps a great deal, because if one of us starts behaving like a stupid rock star, then the others will make sure they put his feet back on the ground quite quickly."
Just because the Followill's were brought up in the heart of the Bible Belt, it doesn't mean that they're all clean-living church-goers. In fact, the Kings' image in the Press portrays them as booze-hungry womanisers. It's a reputation that Jared is keen to shed.
"People always want to talk nonsense if you're successful," says Jared. "We're not a 'party' band like everyone says we are. People seem to think about us like that because after shows we like to go and hang out with our fans. We're not one of those bands that can't hold it together, that's not us at all."
While many people would forgive KOL for taking the easy option of milking the success of their mega-selling debut album, the Followill's took a different approach. They went straight back into the studio and recorded Aha Shake Heartbreak, a record that left critics stunned and proved to the world that their debut was no fluke.
"There's just something special about the chemistry between the four of us," says Jared. "We didn't want to sit around and wait years to put out another record - we want to stay as cutting-edge as we can," says Jared.
"So we all met up in the studio together and wrote and recorded the record in a few weeks. It didn't surprise me that the second record sounded more mature, because we've all grown up a lot since our first album. It made sense that it was going to sound better!"
Keen not to rest on his laurels, Jared also reveals that plans are underway for their third record.
"Oh, the third's gonna be even better man! I guarantee it!" he enthuses. "We've already got five or six songs written and they are absolute anthems! I want the Kings of Leon to be one of those classic bands.
"I want to go on forever," he says finally. "Every successful band has changed their style and their music as they progress and I want us to do that too. I want people to grow up with us and to have an effect in people's lives."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Terms & conditions | Privacy policy | Advertise online | Advertise in print | Contact us |
© 2005 Independent News and Media (NI)
a division of Independent News & media (UK) Ltd
|
|
|
|
Post by mickey o'neil on Aug 20, 2005 1:24:33 GMT
"I want to go on forever," he says finally. "Every successful band has changed their style and their music as they progress and I want us to do that too. I want people to grow up with us and to have an effect in people's lives." sel, that last sentence reminded me of you |
|
|
|
Post by cornflake on Aug 21, 2005 3:32:20 GMT
I got shivers reading that. I truly hope that prediction is true, because honstly they have had a positive effect on people lives and I hope they will continue to make records even if they are married to supermodels and have a mansion. I cannot wait for the third album...I am so anxious!
|
|
|
|
Post by countrykicks on Aug 21, 2005 15:36:14 GMT
aww bless, thanks for that bellestar
|
|
|
|
Post by sel on Aug 21, 2005 19:57:08 GMT
"I want to go on forever," he says finally. "Every successful band has changed their style and their music as they progress and I want us to do that too. I want people to grow up with us and to have an effect in people's lives." sel, that last sentence reminded me of you aww thats coool  |
|
|
|
Post by mickey o'neil on Aug 22, 2005 6:16:00 GMT
sel, that last sentence reminded me of you aww thats coool you probably have no idea what i'm talking about. just reminded me of something you told me once about how you are growing up with the kings. |
|
|
|
Post by sel on Aug 22, 2005 17:49:56 GMT
aww thats coool you probably have no idea what i'm talking about. just reminded me of something you told me once about how you are growing up with the kings. ah i do know what youre talking about! and yeah i am definitely! |
|
|
|
Post by ILoveTheRazzleKid on Aug 23, 2005 22:06:18 GMT
i'm so glad to be growing up with the kings. I think it's a privilege.
|
|
|
|
Post by bellestarr on Aug 24, 2005 23:22:03 GMT
 Kings Of Leon Discuss Chilling With Bono, New LP Wednesday August 24, 2005 @ 04:00 PM By: ChartAttack.com Staff Kings Of Leon There's nothing like expecting a lecture from Bono and not receiving it. According to the Kings Of Leon, who opened for U2 on the beginning leg of their world tour, the supposed Bono Talk is a fable. "Yeah, there's no talk, really," says KOL guitarist Matthew Followill. "Well, there's supposed to be a talk," interjects his first cousin, bassist Jared Followill. "Everybody says it, but we didn't get it. I mean, they called us KFC instead of KOL 'cause we have chicken legs." Both men laugh. "But in a funny, cool way. They're the nicest guys." That may be, but U2 are Irish, have been playing music for decades and are all in their mid-40s. By contrast, the Kings are one cousin (Matthew) and three brothers (Jared, vocalist/rhythm guitarist Caleb and drummer Nathan) from the Southern U.S. who decided to form a band only five years ago. That's not much common ground to go by. As one would expect the band to say, though, the presence of girls made things easier. "Their daughters were around a lot and they were always hanging out, so they kept it cool 'cause they're around our age," Jared explains. "And anytime Bono would start talking about something, they'd be like, 'Tell them about Adam' and he'd be like, 'Yeah, Adam has this problem with farting' and it'd be like, 'Yes! We don't have to talk politics.' It was awesome." Though they've released two albums and have a dedicated fan base around the world, the Followills say opening for U2 showed them how to improve. "It definitely makes you a better band, having to play for a big crowd when you're nervous," Matthew says. "And it takes your songs to a different place," Jared adds. "You play your songs in a small club and it's a certain kind of style and you play it that way and you fucking go into a stadium and it's not like you can be falling over and interacting with the crowd — it's all focused on your fucking songs, so we'd have to play them perfect. "I think that was a big effect on our next record, touring with U2. I think that the songs are going to be a lot more tight, a lot more crisp, it's going to be a lot more anthemic and arena-ready." Touring with U2 also changed how the Kings perform their own songs live. To avoid heckling as the opening band, the Followills played 45 minutes of songs without stopping. Jared says they still don't give their audiences any breathing room. "But now we have to do it for like an hour and 20 minutes, so you get a little bit fucking tired so we'll take a little break and tune every once in awhile. Now we've set up so we have two slow songs in a row ["Milk" and "Rememo"] so you just get to fucking chill and smoke a cigarette, have a beer, write some text messages." After finishing a series of shows in the U.S. and U.K. later this month, the band hope to head into the studio to record their new material. "We don't have any song actually done, it's just tons of ideas," Matthew says. Song titles are still floating around. Jared explains that one in particular "was called 'Matthew' for a little bit" — "So stupid," his cousin interjects — "...because he came up with the guitar part," Jared finishes. "So stupid," Matthew mutters again. Regardless, the Followills agree on one thing – their sound will consistently evolve from their previous albums. "The songs may be longer, bigger arrangements and stuff like that," Jared says. "I hate bands that take it to a weird place just to be different. We're not gonna make it weird. I think the next one, the theme of it is just gonna be like fucking fist in the air." Kings Of Leon will play Pop Montreal in late September. —Angela Kozak
|
|
|
|
Post by mickey o'neil on Aug 24, 2005 23:51:04 GMT
"a fucking fist in the air"
i hope so!!
|
|
|
|
Post by AccuratePassion on Aug 24, 2005 23:57:27 GMT
After finishing a series of shows in the U.S. and U.K. later this month, the band hope to head into the studio to record their new material. "We don't have any song actually done, it's just tons of ideas," Matthew says. Song titles are still floating around. Jared explains that one in particular "was called 'Matthew' for a little bit" — "So stupid," his cousin interjects — "...because he came up with the guitar part," Jared finishes. "So stupid," Matthew mutters again. Regardless, the Followills agree on one thing – their sound will consistently evolve from their previous albums. "The songs may be longer, bigger arrangements and stuff like that," Jared says. "I hate bands that take it to a weird place just to be different. We're not gonna make it weird. I think the next one, the theme of it is just gonna be like fucking fist in the air." Kings Of Leon will play Pop Montreal in late September. —Angela Kozak Haha.... A song called Matthew... do bad its gonna get changed. I can totally see how they were inspired to have a bigger sound from the U2 tour... It's exciting. He wants it to be "arena ready"... maybe to get to the level of playing areans ... thats a scary though. Fist in the air: That is a great way to picture the sound. This is a great article. |
|
|
|
Post by caroline, maybe on Aug 25, 2005 0:38:33 GMT
eeessh kol in an arena.....
I can't decide whether that's my dream come true, or my worst fear. I think it's a little bit of both.
|
|
|
|
Post by schooltardy on Aug 26, 2005 1:35:24 GMT
From Miami New Times:
The New South
The sober Kings of Leon recast Southern rock in a complex new light
By Jessica Sick
Published: Thursday, August 11, 2005
"It's okay to eat fish because they don't have feelings," quips Kurt Cobain on one of Nirvana's most hyperanalyzed tracks, "Something in the Way." The line is a potshot at hypocritical animal-rights activists, but don't tell that to the Kings of Leon. The four boys from Tennessee -- Caleb, Jared, Nathan, and Matthew Followill (three brothers and a cousin) -- are proud of their pescatarianism.
"All we eat is fish," says lead singer Caleb Followill, when he is asked if he has any guilty pleasures. "It's not a guilty pleasure, but it's something I'm proud of. We eat one meal a day, and it's usually a really big seafood meal. That's our guilty pleasure. That's what fuels us for the show." He pauses, perhaps contemplating the unrock star visual of four guys picking at pecan-crusted salmon, and quickly adds, "Of course the women and the coke and the heroin too."
Caleb might be a bit facetious, but really, when was the last time a band from the Bible Belt got any taste of the glamorous life? Though the term Southern rock may conjure up images of Confederate flag tattoos and Skoal, it's been a long time since anyone requested "Free Bird" (with a straight face). The new face of Southern rock isn't framed by a mullet, but rather a perfect mess of bed-head hair that has girls from LA to the UK practicing their best rebel yell. And while the Kings have inspired comparisons to Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers, their songs of the South lyrically rival those of any emo boy singer/songwriter and sonically are influenced as much by the Rolling Stones as by Interpol.
Their backstory -- three brothers raised by a Pentecostal minister father found rock and roll, and crossed over to the dark side -- is equally enticing as their sound, and one that has had music journalists clamoring to buy them rounds and throw them parties in hopes of capturing the Christian boys gone wild.
"You guys have to talk about something," Caleb says about the tendency for reporters to hone in on whatever debauchery the Kings partake in, "so why not blow things up a little bit and make them larger than life? We've always hated the rock star term and all the cliché bullshit that comes with it. You guys have to have people want to buy your papers or your magazines, so they're never going to just say, 'They played a good show'; they're going to say, 'They were whisked away by gorgeous women on the cocaine train.'"
But what about the gorgeous women? Do they simply take all that great hair and Southern charm back to the bus and watch HBO? Caleb comments, "As far as girls, yeah, we're young, so as long as they're looking at us, we're going to look back." Caleb doesn't deny the bandmates are enjoying the fruits of their success, and he credits that success as the inspiration behind their sophomore effort, Aha Shake Heartbreak, a collection of songs chronicling everything the band has experienced during the past year.
The album isn't, however, so much about life in the Champagne Room. It's about insecurity ("Soft"), underwhelming sex ("Slow Night, So Long"), and good old-fashioned ass-kicking ("Four Kicks"). It was important, Caleb says, to point out his flaws. "Half the time when you're writing songs, the things you're saying, you don't realize you're saying about yourself until you finish. Then you look back on an album you've written and put the pieces together, and you're pointing out your flaws. And that's the kind of stuff people want to hear. They want to know that it's normal to fuck up. That's a lot better than writing about purity."
Purity is definitely something the Followills kicked under the church pew a long time ago, not only when it comes to their lifestyle but also their music. What critics and fans alike love (or despise) about the Kings' sound is Caleb's muttered, unkempt delivery and indiscernible lyrics that invite constant analysis. "First I think it was just out of insecurity -- I didn't want everyone to understand what I was saying," Caleb says of his signature mumble. "But eventually it got to the point where I was proud of the way I was writing and admitting to it."
Though Caleb tries to hide as much about himself as he can, "I'm just entirely too honest to hide it completely. I try to do plays on words; I try to say things that sound like I'm saying one thing but change the words a little bit. I try to use different terminology that I hear. I'm not scared to use the wrong kind of English. That's normally a hook to me. If you listen to a lot of older songs, if the English wasn't correct, that's normally how you get a hook in a song."
Those grammatically loose artists Caleb credits as influences include the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Lynyrd Skynyrd's Ronnie Van Zant, and Dolly Parton. "I love old country songs too, so a lot of them are old songwriters nobody's heard of. I also like old songs with collaboration, where it's more than one writer. A lot of times you can hear the different styles of songwriters. Like the Beatles. I love [the punk rock group] Television. I love the lyrics in every Television song. I don't know if it's just one guy writing those or what."
They've just finished touring with U2 and have everyone from author Dave Eggers to Eddie Vedder to Chrissie Hynde singing their praises, so the Kings will have no problem summoning collaborators. "I don't want to jinx anything by saying too much, but I will say we're writing songs now that we've never imagined," Caleb comments. "We already have songs that could be the biggest songs we've ever been a part of. We're not scared of any other records coming out. Sorry if that sounds cocky -- God forgive me -- but if it's up to us, we'll go record it right now. I know at some point we need to rest, but I don't want to." Must be all that fish.
|
|
|
|
Post by vintagechic1251 on Aug 26, 2005 1:41:38 GMT
"All we eat is fish," says lead singer Caleb Followill, when he is asked if he has any guilty pleasures. "It's not a guilty pleasure, but it's something I'm proud of. We eat one meal a day, and it's usually a really big seafood meal. That's our guilty pleasure. That's what fuels us for the show." He pauses, perhaps contemplating the unrock star visual of four guys picking at pecan-crusted salmon, and quickly adds, "Of course the women and the coke and the heroin too." hehe, that part made me laugh |
|
|
|
Post by ILoveTheRazzleKid on Aug 26, 2005 12:10:57 GMT
Ah that's sweet! But erm.. since when were kings slightly emo??!!
|
|
|
|
Post by mickey o'neil on Aug 26, 2005 16:35:09 GMT
one meal a day! no wonder they are so tiny.
|
|
|
|
Post by bellestarr on Aug 28, 2005 13:39:23 GMT
KINGS OF LEON TRIUMPH
KINGS OF LEON have played the first half of their only UK festival appearances tonight (August 27).
The band who have toured the country this summer, but finally played a main stage tonight, at the Carling Weekend: Reading Festival.
Drawing from their two albums ‘Aha Shake Heartbreak’ and ‘Youth And Young Manhood’ the band played a solid set, ending with frontman Caleb Followill paying tribute to the packed crowd.
”Thank all very, very much,” he told the audience. “We really appreciate your support. God bless you all.”
The band played the following songs:
‘Molly's Chambers’
‘Taper Jean Girl’
‘Pistol Of Fire’
‘Wasted Time‘
‘Razz’
‘Bucket’
‘Soft’
‘Milk’
‘Rememo’
‘4 Kicks’
‘Velvet Snow’
‘King of the Rodeo’
’Red Morning Light’
‘California Waiting’
‘Spiral Staircase’
‘Holy Roller Novocaine’
‘Slow Night, So Long’
Stay tuned to NME.COM for more coverage from the Carling Weekend: Reading and Leeds Festivals.
|
|
|
|
Post by bellestarr on Sept 16, 2005 22:17:48 GMT
Kings Of Leon: U2 Officially Their Seventh Or Eighth Most Favourite Band
Friday September 16, 2005 @ 09:00 AM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff
by Angela Kozak
Whether it's because of their nomadic upbringing, their willingness to yodel through deeply personal songs, or their tendency to name said songs after dental anesthetics, dairy products and buckets, one never knows what to expect from the Kings Of Leon – ChartAttack included. Surprisingly, interview-shy Matthew Followill joined bassist Jared Followill for a chat during a tour stop in Toronto.
Though reserved for most of the interview, the guitarist made an unexpected claim when it ended. "I probably said more in this interview than..."
"...He's ever said..." reported Jared.
"Ever. In any interview."
Kings Of Leon
The last time ChartAttack spoke to you, you said you'd never been to a U2 concert and didn't know what to expect as the opening act. What have you discovered?
Matthew Followill: That it's amazing.
Jared Followill: Yeah, they're fucking awesome, they're one of the best bands ever. Absolutely. They definitely made their way into, at least, my top seven favourite bands, maybe top eight.
So was it a lot of pressure for you, to be opening for them?
JF: It was, I mean, nobody pressured us except for ourselves. Just getting up there in front of 10 or 12,000 people and it only being half-full, but it was still a shitload of people. And we just had to learn how to not give them one second to be able to say something. We'd play a song and then immediately start another one, then immediately start another one. It was like 45 minutes of music and so we barely had a chance to listen to them cheer because we'd just keep playing. Because we didn't want fucking hecklers or anything like that. When we first started, people would be like, "Yeah, whatever" and by the next one they'd be like, "All right" and you'd just keep on and keep on. And somebody would hear a song that they really like and by the end I think we won over a lot of the crowds.
Does it bother you to be less popular in your home country than in the U.K.?
JF: Not necessarily, it's alright. It seems to work itself out. We go over there and play really big shows. It's like we cover all spectrums. We go to the U.K. and it's this huge thing, we go to America and it's just kinda big, we go to places like Australia and Japan and it's kind of in-between, so it evens itself out.
In a previous interview, you said you didn't want to play new songs during U.K. shows because your fans would probably post them on the internet right away. What makes you think your North American fans wouldn't?
MF: There's not as many. We're not as big. Over there, it's pretty huge.
JF: It's weird because we'll play b-sides from singles and stuff like that over here and people will be like, "Man, I love your new song" and we'll be like, "Yeah, we recorded that a long time ago."
A lot of critics said that your first record had a very Southern feel to it, but you've always said that Southern rock is the one type of music that didn't influence you. Your next record had a much different sound. Was it a conscious decision for you to try and shed the "Southern" label?
JF: Not really, it's just that our style has changed. We were just growing and I think Southern rock is a really easy type of music to play, truthfully, just ‘cause country music is really easy to play. And all that is is bringing country into rock 'n' roll and you listen to some of those bass lines and it's really easy. We were really young musicians and the way Caleb sings has a lot to do with it. And I think on the next one we just kinda figured stuff out and got a little more technical.
MF: We started listening to more music. We just found a lot of music that we'd never heard before and that inspired us a lot too.
JF: Yeah, totally. And the next one will sound completely different from the other two. I think it'll always be that way.
MF: The new one will definitely sound a lot different.
If what you're listening to impacts the kind of music you're making, what are some of the bands you were listening to in the process?
JF: A lot of The Pixies, Joy Division...
MF: ...we love New Order a lot.
JF: Television, a little bit of The Cure...
MF: Adam Sandler. [they both laugh]
Jared, you've been credited with introducing the band to a lot of music when you were just beginning and you've always listed The Velvet Underground as a huge influence. Brian Eno, of Roxy Music, said that everyone who listens to The Velvets starts a band. Why do you think they're so influential?
JF: I have no idea, maybe it's because they were really bad at their instruments.
MF: Definitely.
JF: You just hear it and you're like, "Fuck, I could do that!"
MF: And the first time you hear it, you've never heard anything like it before. It's so different and weird.
JF: Yeah, totally, it's so different. It's really dumbed down. It was the first songs that I heard where they embraced their fuck-ups. Somebody would mess up on the guitar or the bass and it would be a really stand-out mess-up and that would make it even cooler. They would even mess up on violins and stuff like that and it would be like, fuckin' A. I think that it makes people believe in themselves, that it's not necessarily about playing and talent and stuff like that, as much as it is being original and having your own style and being different.
|
|
|
|
Post by Sanguine on Sept 16, 2005 22:36:30 GMT
Thanks for posting that, it was really good.
|
|
|
|
Post by daisy on Sept 21, 2005 17:49:54 GMT
don't think anyone's posted this  from meanfiddler.com: THE LEON KINGS ROAR INTO READING Carling Weekend: Reading Festival Main Stage Saturday 27th August 8.30pm Kings Of Leon frontman Caleb Followill screeched his way through the band’s hour-long set at Reading on Saturday night. An audience that seemed to stretch forever looked on eagerly as the band played the cream of their two albums just before the Foo Fighters played their headline set. With a warm reception that has become a standard at Reading 2005, the audience clapped along to Red Morning Light, and sang at the top of their lungs when the band played California Waiting. The Nashville band of brothers, who have just completed a US tour, hit Reading for the second time this year, following a Rivermead appearance last month. Daniel Robson |
|
