The King's English

Derek Brambles and Eric Johnson know their way around a song — the duo have been paying some bills penning commercial music around L.A. for a while now. The new project that singer-guitarist Brambles and bassist-keyboardist-vocalist Johnson have with guitarist Nick Setter and drummer Ryan Silver is called the King’s English. And it’s simply an advertisement for a good time. The quartet’s musical cocktail includes some grooving, bouncy doo-wop mixed with tropical-flavored pop, with the light-hearted fare on the quartet’s new “Feel Me” EP (available on Bandcamp going down easy. The video for “Watercolors” was directed by Ianna Vasale and the band. And they have a song titled “Tecate and a Sun Tan,” because, you know, product placement never hurts. - See more at: http://www.buzzbands.la/2014/07/28/ears-wide-open-kings-english/#sthash.5Sr84dxv.dpuf - Buzzbands.LA

In this feature we have the brilliant The king's English. This hippy indie pop band from Los Angeles, CA bring all sorts of influences together to make their blend of upbeat, culturally rich and beautiful sounding music. We had a little chat with front man Derek Brambeles back in march about who they are and what they are about, as well as what we can expect from them, read the interview below. We would like to thank The King's English for being apart of Our Love.


MEET OUR LOVE | MIXTAPE #3

The King's English

Tell us a little about the band and your music?

The King's English has been active for about 3 years now, and has recently undertaken a serious evolution. At the heart of the band has always been myself and my co-writer Eric Johnson. We have been pioneering this project through different members and mistakes along the way, but I feel we finally found our own original sound that encompasses our influences and ideas. What we realized is, what we've been searching for has always been right in front of us. We are both California natives, so lets do our take on the California sound. Then everything made sense to us; we hit the studio six months ago, and The King's English solidified it's identity.

What age did you first start playing music and writing your own songs and what was your early inspiration?

I was a late bloomer when it came to music. I had messed around on a guitar when I was young, but didn't get serious until I was 17-18. That's probably because I was teaching myself through trial and error and it took some serious time and commitment. I picked up a guitar for the purpose of writing songs, and that coincides with my early inspiration. I was obsessed with Elliott Smith, and The Beatles, and that's all I listened to for a good three years. What would normally happen is I would try to learn a Beatles song on guitar and get stuck at some certain point; then re-arrange the chords of that song and make my own. That always forced me to be singing and playing. That's probably how I wrote my first batch of 15-20 songs to be honest.

What are your current inspirations?

For this last record we just made, we were really inspired by Paul Simon's "Graceland" record, and revisited a lot of Devendra Banhart's material.

Who are you listening to now?

I've been listening to a lot of French je-je pop from the 60's, like France Gall and Francois Hardy. It's got such a good vibe.

Is independent music important to you?

Independent music is very important to me, I guess I ultimately fall into that category. Independent music always establishes the new sound, and once everyone catches on; the majors play catch-up and throw money at it. It's the never ending cycle. Independent music always reinvents something and pushes boundaries; I guess that's why it appeals to me.

Do you take inspiration from your surroundings?

I get a lot of inspiration from the people around me. I write a lot about my friends or the people I encounter on those weird Hollywood nights. Like our song "Mary Jane", It's basically a collage of the Hollywood Harlot: jaded,delusional and most likely a part time actress.

What is the music scene like in California like right now?

I'm a little confused about the scene right now. It looks like garage punk is making a resurgence, or all the bands are putting large amounts of reverb on everything and calling it a day.

Do you feel the music industry would have such a variety of music if there were just the major labels and no independent labels?

I think the variety of music will always be there, but independent labels definitely nurture it to the masses.

What can we expect from you in the future?

This summer is going to be busy for The King's English; we have a new E.P. out, along with a new music video. Then we will most likely be touring up and down the west coast as much as possible to promote the new record. I'm really excited about it's potential, I'm really happy how it turned out.

Do you feel people still take musicians seriously when they are independent or on a small indie label as opposed to being on a major?

I guess that ultimately depends on the person, but unless they are lying to themselves, they need to take it seriously. "Indie" music has taken over. Look at artist of the year for the last couple years; Arcade Fire, Gotye, even Macklemore. It seems like being on an independent label now is a virtue rather than holding you back.

If there was one artist you could support who would it be?

I think this new record would go really well with Vampire Weekend. I think our bands would compliment each other well. For selfish reasons though, I would want to support Devendra Banhart, since he's been a big influence.

If you could collaborate with any artist, dead or alive who would it be?

man... that's a tough one. Im going to have to say John Lennon, and I know that's an obvious answer. But there's this dimension in his song writing that is so special. It's something that even If I deliberately go after, I still can't reach. Like a song like Strawberry Fields, thats in another dimension: the changes, the vocal melody, everything. It's Perfect.

What artists do you recommend we should listen to that you feel is making a difference in the independent music scene?

hmm... that's another tough one. I'd have to say Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, the last record they released in my opinion is their best. I listened to their song "If I were Free" for weeks straight, its really good. This last record really won me over. Other than that, I've been pretty bored with what i've been hearing lately. Good stuff is out there, but I haven't heard something that hits you like a ton of bricks in a while. Maybe the last time was Arcade Fire's first record, that was a serious game changer.

If you had one message that would change the way people live their day to day lives in a positive way what would that message be?

If you're not doing what you love, stop what you're doing immediately and make a change. The best decisions I ever made was committing my live to what I love doing. Once that happens, everything else falls into place. Bukowski kind of popped into my head with this question, I love his quote, "find what you love and let it kill you", thats what it is, thats the answer to the question, at least that's a positive message to me. - Meet Our Love, Online Magazine

The King's English won the Fan's and Reader's Poll, The Deli Magazine - The Deli Magazine

Los Angeles is a hive of entertainment activity, full of creative professionals collaborating on TV, film, and the visual arts. Aside from the alcohol-free experimental venue, the Smell, what is this city like for independent musicians?

Artists featured in this episode:

Black English, "Eleven Eleven"
http://blackenglishofficial.com

The King's English, "Calypso"
http://bit.ly/TheKingsEnglish

Kevin Shima, "Jupiter"
http://bit.ly/ShimaSolar

Everyday Animals (Shima's current band)
http://www.everydayanimals.com

Homunculus (Shima's former band)
http://www.homunculture.com

Mister Squinter (Artist who created the cover art for Solar System)
https://soundcloud.com/mistersquinter

The Seal Sessions: As a nod to the late John Peel's insatiable appetite for new sounds, this series celebrates local music cultures. Following the credo of "eat locally, act locally, listen locally," the series promotes the idea of the musical Locavore: an active listener who seeks out creative work in his or her immediate surroundings.

We hope you continue to follow along as Kevin wanders the country looking for something new to serve up. - Bonfire Labs