All The King's Horses

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

THE STARPHOENIX ARTICLE by Silas Polkinghorne

MIXING ART WITH COMMERCE

by Silas Polkinghorne

Talk of art doesn't faze All the King's Horses – and then again, neither does talk of commerce.

In either case, music is serious business for the four member of the new local rock group. Just one year into the life of the band, they speak unpretentiously about their music as art – as a way to engage in a dialogue with an audience. But they also talk about the need to polish their live show and to produce a professional recording, and are forthright when discussing an interest in gaining label backing.

"Why not go for it?" said singer/guitarist Joel Christian in an interview this week.

"You have to believe that you have that chance, and you have that ability."

The band, which also includes bassist Justin Alm, guitarist Graham Emde and drummer Jed Sweigard, treads a fine line of self-assuredness. The members are confident, but not conceited. They're honest and eager to show what they can accomplish.

"You have to be a bit cocky about it," Christian added.
"We think we know what a good song sounds like."

With only five live performances under their belts, the members of All the King's Horses aren't entertaining offers from record labels just yet. But they are nearing completion of a seven-song, 30-minute EP, to be released in late May or early June and shopped to labels large and small.

During the interview with The StarPhoenix, there is a half-serious exchange about whether the would fit better with the roster at RCA or EMI.

"A little bit of fantasy," Alm explains, "and a little bit of confidence."

In any case, there is no reason to dismiss the band's burgeoning ambitions. The songs are catchy and danceable – with pulsating post-punk rhythms and piercing riffs – but are also dark and compelling. Frontman Christian's thin frame hides a robust, potent voice and a detached stage swagger.

His singing is sharp and arresting, a fierce touchstone that pulls together the band's urgent sound.

Sweigard says some band think the way to show energy is to to thrash and jump around on stage, but he disagrees.

"I think (energy is) in your face and your eyes, and the way you're playing the music," he said. "I'm just so inspired by bands who can stand there and captivate your attention."

The band has a growing local reputation and is also set on winning over fans across the country. The members plan to book tour dates right away for a spring, summer and fall touring schedule, which should include trips to the east and west. Christian says he hopes the band can build a following by gradually earning respect from passionate music fans.

From there, said Alm, "The sky's the limit."

Watch for an All the King's Horses CD release show in Saskatoon soon. - The Star Pheonix

MUSIC · NOV 09 2006

ALL THE KING’S HORSES BRING AN OMELETTE OF INFLUENCES TO FIRST FORAYS INTO SCENE
by Caitlin Ward

When I arrive at a house in the north end to interview Saskatoon band All the King’s Horses, the aura is distinctly domestic. Guitarist Graham Emde opens the door, dishtowel and half-dry ceramic bowl in hand, ushering me into the house. The band’s rhythm section sits on seventies-era couches while Emde and lead singer Joel Christian finish drying their dishes. Though I’d not yet met all the members of the band, my first introduction is not to the drummer Jed Sweigard, but to Christian’s cat.

“This is Bonny,” bassist Justin Alm says, patting the cat affectionately.

When we sit down to begin the interview, the conversation turns not immediately to music or gigging or equipment, but to the dangers of leaving one’s dishes too long. Christian holds his hand out for me to look at.

“I cut my hand on a perogy,” he says, laughing. “It was dried to the bottom of the pot.”
Culinary mishaps aside, the band is eager to discuss their short history—and their excitement for the future. All the King’s Horses is in many ways new to the local music scene, but it’s also the product of several previous collaborations between its members. Emde and Christian had been working on music together for several years, though not in a formal capacity. Sweigard, Emde, and Alm had all been in a band together previously, first called the Embers and later, My Dependency. Creative differences forced a split with their former lead singer, so the remaining members of the band invited Christian to step up to the mic in April of this year. The band notes that it was a fairly organic process.

“Yeah, we thought, ‘this guy’s a pretty good singer,’” Alm says. “It just sort of fell together.”

“And he’s got mad sex appeal,” Sweigard adds.

Mad sex appeal notwithstanding, Christian does have a distinctive voice, reminiscent of the Killers’ Brandon Flowers, or Steve Bays from Hot Hot Heat. It complements the band’s eclectic sound very well, a solid anchor against a flurry of interweaving musical lines. Musically, All the King’s Horses wears many of its influences on its sleeve, citing Death Cab For Cutie, the Strokes, the Flaming Lips, Radiohead, and Sufjan Stevens as major inspirations. However, less obvious is Emde’s fascination with Chopin and Shania Twain (“a little guilt there,” he laughs), Alms’ love of Kanye West and Jay-Z (Alms DJ’d for years before picking up the bass), and—perhaps most interestingly—Sweigard’s affection for the Ninja Turtles theme song.

These more unique influences do shine through subtly, however—perhaps most clearly in the diverse array of instruments the band employs. Watching them perform seems like watching a loosely-choreographed dance as much as a regular gig, with Emde switching from electric to acoustic guitar and back again, occasionally picking up his alto saxophone mid-song, Alms running across the stage to play keyboards for certain songs, throwing a wind chime around at (seemingly) irregular intervals, and Christian picking up and putting down guitars and, inexplicably, crouching on the ground to sing particular songs.

The band obviously has a deep affection for its craft which overrides ego. When I asked Christian if he’s the primary lyricist for the band, Christian’s immediate answer is, “for now.” He’s also quick to note that the other members of the band have strong talent in writing, and that, with time, each member will be contributing lyrics to the songs.

“It’s usually consensus, anyway,” Emde adds. “None of us has a monopoly on the music, no matter who wrote the song.”

“We want to make the songs as good as possible,” Alm adds. “It’s important to see what you can do, how far it can go. It gets boring to play the same thing over and over. We like to change it up.”

As a band that’s essentially brand new to the Saskatoon music scene, the opportunity to gain a reputation for diversity is clearly available for All the King’s Horses, as they’ve yet to be pigeon-holed or defined. As to what the end result will be, the scene waits with baited breath. - Planet S Magazine