King Falcon – Ready Set Go

By starrymag | July 27, 2023

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) Hard hitting and concise. Alternative rock with pop sensibilities and way better guitar playing.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) Personally, my favorite band of all time is Steely Dan. I think they had some of the absolute smartest songwriting and guitar playing of all time. I tend not to talk about them too much because I catch a lot of flack for listening to “Dad Rock”…

As for more modern stuff, I was really taken by Tame Impala’s Currents much like absolutely everybody else in the entire world at that time.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Ready Set Go.”

 

A) We wanted to write a song that captured the energy and the speed of New York City. All three of us are from New York so the city is kind of interwoven with the identity of the band.

The best part is that we actually wrote the song while we were in Nashville!

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) When we play that song live you can sort of look out in the crowd and watch everybody start to get hyped. That drum intro sets the pace for the show that’s about to follow. It mimics the excitement of walking out from the underground subway for the first time and being met with the best city in the world – New York.

 

Q) The track has you guys running around your hometown of NYC! How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?

 

A) I will say that this was definitely one of the more physically demanding videos that we have filmed. We spent about eight hours running around the city at full speed while carrying gear. I was exhausted afterwards.

 

Q) What is your songwriting process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

A) Being that I sing and play guitar at the same time, the melody and the chords are sort of written in tandem with each other. The melody follows the chords and then if it’s not working the chords have to change. I tend to do all of this work before I bring the song to the guys in the band where it will be dissected and reimagined for the second time with the whole band. Nothing about the song is set in stone until we do the final recording; it’s a process of constantly listening back to stuff to make sure it works. 

 

Q) This song was produced by Marshall Altman, but how much of a say does King Falcon have in the production of your music?

 

A) The benefit of having a producer is that you have an objective set of ears that you know you can rely on. Everything you are hearing comes from the guys in the band, the riffs, the lyrics, the emotion in the songs…all of it. What a good producer does is listen to that raw emotion and help to give the band confidence about their decisions. If Marshall says it sounds good, I know I’m on to something. If Marshall wasn’t digging it, we would scrap it and start over. That’s sort of the relationship we have had with him as a producer and it was excellent to work with him. Plus, he is a big fan of guitar solos.

 

Q) “Ready Set Go” will be featured on your upcoming debut album, coming out later this year. What can you tease will be some themes you’ll be exploring on it?

 

A) Sure, I don’t think there is necessarily one central theme throughout the entire album, but I do think we touch upon a bunch of things. Like not fitting in for one. Wanting to do your own thing and sort of stand out from the crowd at any cost. We’ve also got a “love song” that’s about when your partner wants to have an open relationship but you don’t… Personally, that’s my favorite one of the bunch

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

A) We had a residency at The Bowery Electric in NYC for quite some time. That’s also where we had our first showcase as King Falcon so that place kind of feels like home for us. However, I think our favorite venue is probably Industry in Huntington. The owner is the absolute nicest guy in the world and they have a fantastic sound system. It’s a great venue and lots of fun!

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) I always get asked this question. I think the more different from us the better. I’d love to collaborate with a powerhouse female vocalist because it opens up a whole new world of melodic possibilities. Maybe Kate Bush? 

 

Q) What musician/artist are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

 

A) I’ve been listening to a lot of MF Doom since he passed. I think his use of samples is so smart, and I love that each of his personas has a completely unique sound and identity. The guy was just immensely talented and creative. He might have been so much more famous if he had condensed all of that work under one name but the art was so important that he didn’t care about any of that other stuff. I respect it.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) Because apart from coming to a show that’s the only way we can connect with fans! Plus, it helps us to tell you that we have new stuff coming out. We’ve got all of the usual ones, Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook… We’re also on Spotify/Apple Music/Amazon Music or wherever else you listen to music.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) From the bottom of my heart I would like to thank everybody who has been following along with us on this journey. We are super proud of the work that we have done on this record and with these songs, and we absolutely cannot wait for you all to hear it!

 

 

All Questions Answered By Michael Rubin

 

 

Watch The Video For “Ready Set Go”