New Song Book

Year of Kings. Day 91. We lost two members and gained two members. Now we’re creating a new song book. One of the best parts of starting a band is those first weeks and months when songs are created and covers are tried and everyone figures out the sound. I thought we’d be just the same as our first version - but we’re in the creative phase and we’re creating a new song book. One of my favorite parts.
Year of Kings. Day 92. Thanks to WNC Original Music for promoting another DCK song “Ain’t No Place.” Our first three singles are on Bandcamp. We’ll have an album release show this fall and then distribute on all the major streaming platforms. This is also the time to dream and try things. Like finding a label. If we succeed it makes a good story. If we fail - well that also makes a good story.

Year of Kings. Day 93. Labels? Labels? I think it’s fun to explore every aspect of the music world. So why can’t DCK be on a record label? One of our previous bands - Egg Eaters - was on Kafadan Kontak Records from Turkey. It was basically a bunch of garage rock bands this promoter from Istanbul collected. He said if we ever got over to Turkey he could book us a bunch of shows… but we never got over to Turkey. Still, it was nice to be on a label.

Year of Kings. Day 94. No shows this week - so double practice. I don’t know how other bands do this - write a song as a collective? We show up at practice with a song 50% done. Chords. A bare melody. Some words. At least a verse and a chorus idea. Then we play this for 10 minutes, 15 minutes. If the band connects its working. If Merlin is feeling the spirit then a cool groove emerges. If Kyrie is feeling the magic - the fiddle will make us weep. Craig will start singing along in the choruses - loud and proud! Colleen is pulling and tugging at the melody. Then we play the song again and again - and we grow in confidence. Best songs from last night? Buckminster Fuller and Anxiety 7. Merlin gave Anxiety 7 a groove. A heartbreaking song with a groove - it’s just like The Cure.

Year of Kings. Day 95. Record labels. As long as this is a scientific exploration this should work. If something happens - that’s interesting. If nothing happens - that’s interesting. I know a lot of artists and it’s hard for them to put themselves out there. But I have zero expectations and a lot of curiosity. So I’m putting together a list of labels - Merge Records (who have Titus Andronicus), Fat Possum Records (check out The Weather Station and their version of “transmission”), Rough Trade (gave Lucinda Williams her first contract), Father and Daughter (Diet Cig), Gypsy Farm… what will happen?

Year of Kings. Day 96. Record labels. Fat Possum. Rough Trade. SubPop (why not?), 4AD, Domino, Father and Daughter, Gypsy Farm, Matador, Jagjiaguwar, Rum Bar. I keep the email short, thank them for all they do to support music, try to say something to make them listen to a DCK song…

Year of Kings. Day 97. Pop. Pop isn’t cool. It just isn’t. Kids like it. It’s easily accessible. You can dance to it. It’s simple. Pop is dorky. Pop just isn’t that cool. Rock is cool. Rock is tough. Rock is hard. If you had to choose - what would you choose - rock or pop? Dark City Kings chooses pop!

Year of Kings. Day 98. No BS. This is the story of Dark City Kings for one year - no BS. So I was sending of our songs to labels when I got a message on Instagram. From a producer/engineer who has worked with some of the biggest bands in the world. I was just listening to a bunch of songs he produced last week. No BS. He heard our music and liked it. He lives in Asheville and wants to see us play sometime. Now. Now - this may happen and it would be very cool and if it doesn’t happen for any reason - it was SO nice to get that note. No BS.

Year of Kings. Day 99. So - Musicians for Overdose Prevention and Holy Crap Records create compilation albums. Every band that submits a song gets a CD and naloxone sent to them (naloxone is an opioid blocker and overdose reverser). It’s a smart way to distribute naloxone to bands and music scenes. Each compilation has a different theme. This time it is DEVO - making songs that sound like DEVO. So, yeah, Dark City Kings is gonna do this - write a song like DEVO - head into the studio with Kevin Boggs on September 14. It’ll be a rush and we don’t know how to do this - but also - it’ll be a rush and we don’t know how to do this!

Year of Kings. Day 100. This is how it works. Someone has an idea for a song - like a DEVO-esque song. Then we all play it - and if there is something there, something happening, a melody line, a riff, the way the chords fit together, just something, then it will grow. People in the band will add to it and the energy in the song will grow. Then we have to listen again and start making decisions: what are the dynamics, who is taking the lead with a riff or solo, how do we end the song?

Year of Kings. Day 101. We started as an anti-band, opposite to everything a band should be doing. We’d show up an hour before our Sunday show and drink beer and figure out 8 songs we could all play for a first set. Then we’d drink more beer and figure out another 8 songs for the second set. Then drink more beer and figure out 8 songs for that last set. So - who knew that actually practicing would be so fun and beneficial? - like every band ever. Really excited about new songs: Love is Punk, Buckminster Fuller, All Boys Are Divas, Anxiety 7, Heart of Stone, Bad Way To Go, 17 Sisters…. What am I forgetting? If This Is Lost…

Year of Kings. Day 102. We’re about to start another run of shows. Something else is in the works. We booked our first out-of-town show. It’s punk clubs and art spaces that we booked this week. It’ll be interesting to see how we walk between the brewery world and the underground music world.

Year of Kings. Day 103. Show 10. Year of Kings. We’ll be playing at Black Mountain Brewing at 2pm - 4pm today. To be clear - dancers are welcome. If you know how to swing dance please reach out. Because… if you are dancing you are part of the show… and… if you are dancing you are co-creating a moment with us… and… dancing is fun.

Year of Kings. Day 104. Just started a run of 4 shows over the next two weeks. Aug 27 - Black Mountain Brewing, Aug 31 - The Railyard, Sept 4 - Black Mountain Brewing, Sept 7 - The Railyard. Then we’re into the recording studio on Sept 14.

Year of Kings. Day 105. You just have to play a new original for the first time. Then the band can build on it. We have a Devo-esque song called “Divas” and we’re recording it in two weeks - so it’s best to play it live over these next three shows. Except the nature of the song is - does anyone else write like this? - is that there are freestyle elements. What I mean by this is 1) Colleen sings “all boys are divas” - 2) I sing “all girls are divas” - and then - 3) we make up verses about why boys are divas and girls are divas. While playing with dynamics. While getting into the groove. Plus the violin riff is just excellent. Who else writes like this?

Year of Kings. Day 106. Kyrie just walked into practice one evening. She said - I play some violin and piano. We invited her to play with us - and she showed up the next Sunday and watched us. At the first break I asked if she’d brought her fiddle. She got it from her car and then played the next two hours with us - just from ear - never playing with us before. Well - all our minds were blown into a million pieces - and we had a fiddle player.

Year of Kings. Day 107. Show 11. The Railyard. 7pm. This is Craig. He’s the unofficial mayor of Black Mountain. He knows everyone in town. He’s also the door guy at White Horse - so if you’re playing there he’ll come over and chat and make you feel at home. Craig, banging on his box, looking happy as can be, that’s Dark City Kings.

Year of Kings. Day 108. Do you want to know what goes through my mind? Set 1. Beer 1. Are we speeding up this song? Everyone always says I make songs speed up? Am I messing everyone up? Set 2. Beer 2. There’s a drunk person coming up and requesting songs. We don’t know the songs but at least they’re engaged. Feeling better. I head butted Craig. Set 3. Beer 3. I think I’m going to head butt Craig again. Me and Colleen make Craig laugh and mess up his lyrics. Looking around at the other band members and they’re doing great. Set list has totally fallen apart. There’s a drunken wedding party here. Everything is alright. This is working.

Year of Kings. Day 109. I met Bayla at a harm reduction conference. I was the most boring person at the conference - and they weren’t so impressed - but I met Bayla there. We had coffee about a week later to talk about a project. Bayla was really really hungover. I asked them to join my band and they did.

Year of Kings. Day 110. Our usual Sunday show at Black Mountain Brewing is going to be on Monday because of Labor Day! 2-4 as usual. Get one more day out of the summer. This is Merlin. He’s shook hands with Kurt Cobain. He has the most encyclopedic knowledge of music - across genres and time. Yeah - he knows every punk indie and underground song from the 70’s and 80s, every pop gem from Prince and Queen, a catalogue of country, and also all the indie and underground stuff that Kyrie’s listening to from this millennium. Nice.

Year of Kings. Day 111. @zoneradio Zone Radio in South Africa has Dark City Kings back on rotation with “Ain’t No Place.” @belterradio7595 Belter Radio played in England played us on August 26. @103.3ashevillefm Asheville FM played us last week. We’re doing the full release party on October 28 @railyardblkmtn and releasing our album on all streaming platforms then. You can listen to the singles at: https://thedarkcitykings.bandcamp.com/track/aint-no-place and on our website www.TheDarkCityKings.com. Show today @blkmtnbrewing Black Mountain Brewing - 2pm!

Year of Kings. Day 112. We got a good thing going on here. The way the show collapses into a gentle warm generous chaos. Always poking and pulling at songs. The set list never is the songs we play, or the correct order of the songs we play. Old songs. Deep cuts. New stuff gets pulled out just to see what the new members do with it. But we are floating way more than we are sinking and everyone is looking around the circle happy and proud with the music and the energy conjured on stage. There is something going on.

Dark City Kings is leading off a special music series on Thursday nights at The Railyard in Black Mountain. This is flirtin’ and dancin’ music - or something like that. We promise a fun show! Start the weekend early!

Year of Kings. Day 113. 10 years ago we played our first show. It was in a barn at a farmer’s frost party and we brought a bubble machine and kids danced and played with the bubbles. For 10 years - every show Colleen has been 100% excited and ready to go, every practice 100% excited and ready to go, every recording session, every radio show… never giving less than 100%. Everyone needs a Colleen in their band.

Year of Kings. Day 114. Show 13. The Railyard, Black Mountain, 7pm. One of the most appealing parts of the Black Mountain College story is that they seemed to be having fun, having parties, drinking too much, putting on shows for each other - and doing art - but also having fun. Those historic photos look fun. Dark City Kings? We’re also just here to mix fun with art. That’s all we’re trying to do.

Year of Kings. Day 115. I have tried to be 100% honest with you in this story. We’ve been talking to this producer who helped create some of my favorite records - when I say “talking” I mean a couple Instagram messages. He came to our show last night. I was so nervous that it would go wrong - maybe he wouldn’t like our live show - that I didn’t mention it in yesterday’s post. This producer came to our show last night and we chatted - and he was kind and friendly and charming and he asked questions about us. It was wonderful.

Year of Kings. Day 116. It starts with one person - this kid. She danced for every song. We changed our set to move our faster more dance-y songs together so she could just keep going. A couple of other kids joined her. We were doing fine - but she was exceptional. She was having the best time out of everyone.

Year of Kings. Day 117. Going to the recording studio on Thursday night to record two songs. Gotta figure out how they work. This is definitely not how to do it - with 15 different directions. The general idea is much simpler - at the start each vocalist has two lines and then the other vocalist has two lines - and after the first instrumental break each vocalist trades one line back-and-forth. So it feels like it’s intensifying. Ahhh. That still makes it sound too complex, but it should work.

Year of Kings. Day 118. Yeah - all those directions about our new song we’re recording on Thursday - they didn’t work. It took too long to get to the good stuff. Pop music is like a shot of adrenalin. Of all the art forms - it’s the most immediate shot of gratification and connection. So we scrapped my plan and went back to the more manic and immediate version.

Year of Kings. Day 119. The thing about momentum is… well... things start moving faster. We finished recording our album late spring and decided to release three singles this summer - and then set a release show on October 28. That seemed like a good pace but everything is picking up speed. We’re heading back into the studio to record a single for a Holy Crap Records and Musicians for Overdose Prevention compilation on Thursday. And we want to head back into the studio again this winter. It feels like we’re moving fast - but we are still going to have maximum fun on October 28. A group is also using The Railyard for a Halloween costume party on the 28th. So there will be at least 50 people running around in costumes. We’ll have to bring out the smoke machines and bubble machines…

Year of Kings. Day 120. Tomorrow we’re going into the studio to record “Divas” - and Bayla insists that we also record “Heart of Stone.” I was up at Big Stone Gap in Virginia at their music festival. Big Stone Gap is in the coal mining region where the Carter Family and Ralph Stanley came from. The music festival was held in two large tents - one for super traditional country music (family bands and flat foot dancing) and the other for today’s interpretation of country music. At the end of the afternoon I sat in the grass away from the tents and mumbled some words and a bare melody into my phone. I brought it back to Black Mountain and shared it with DCK.

Hey - Dark City Kings are helping to manage music on Thursday nights at The Railyard in Black Mountain. This Thursday our friends Miami Gold are playing - 7-9pm. Best musicians in all of WNC. Thursday nights at The Railyard = dancing and flirting music.

Year of Kings. Day 121. My first single? “Hungry Like The Wolf” by Duran Duran. I was 12 years old and still living in England. My first album? Queen’s “Greatest Hits.” Big Grandma bought me that. I had a Little Grandma, a tiny bird-like woman, and a Big Grandma. She was probably only 5’6” but she was loud and boisterous and filled up the room with her personality. I stand by those choices of first single and first album.

Year of Kings. Day 122. For the Dark City Kings recording is way more about energy than precision. Did we record a multi-layered whistling intro by Craig at the start of our “Divas” song? Yes we did! See!

Year of Kings. Day 123. Recording - how does it work? We went to Kevin Boggs’ basement. We recorded everything live, in the same room, everything going directly in, except Merlin’s guitar so he could play different guitars and amps. We drank a beer. Took a shot of Jamesons. Then we played “Heart of Stone” three times and liked the third take. We played “Buckminster Fuller” for Kevin because he’s a Black Mountain College geek too - but not for recording. Then we played “Divas” four times. Everyone liked the third take best - except for me and Colleen - so we kept the third take. Then we had another beer and started playing around with the songs, listening, trying things out…

Year of Kings. Day 124. Give credit where credit is due: Kevin Boggs. Sitting there to the right of Merlin. You want to know the cheat code for good recordings in the local underground music scene? Kevin Boggs. Honky-tonk piano and slide guitar on DCK recordings? Kevin Boggs. Sweet and talented human being? Kevin Boggs.

Year of Kings. Day 125. Foreshadowing. In literature it’s a technique of dropping in some innocuous description or event which foretells the future of the story. This is the old Citizen Times building in Asheville which now houses Citizen Vinyl. On the third floor is “Studio B” - do you know Studio B? The radio station WWNC owned the building before Citizen Times. Because of the altitude in Asheville WWNC reached all over the southeast - all the way to east Texas. The most important country/folk/blue grass musicians played there. In 1927 Jimmy Rodgers played the first country song ever at WWNC. And Studio B is still in its original state, unchanged from its days as a radio studio, with all its original fixtures and lighting and design. Now it’s a recording studio. Foreshadowing.

Year of Kings. Day 126. We practice in Craig’s old family house, on a dirt road, up in the mountains of Swannanoa. He lives across the street now, but we practice in his old bedroom, with his BB guns on the walls, low ceilings, wood stove… and it works. We’re all crammed into one small room, we laugh a lot, and feel the history of the mountains in that space…

Year of Kings. Day 127. Our next show is with our friends YAWNi at Fleetwoods for the Musicians for Overdose Prevention Benefit on October 5. It’s a triple combo of goodness: MOP distributes naloxone to music venues and musicians, Fleetwoods is such a fun punk club. And YAWNi are the sweetest band ever. We’ll lean into our louder more raucous songs, only play a couple of true heartbreakers…

Year of Kings. Day 128. We went into the studio early in the year and we’re heading back again this winter. We didn’t record all our originals. We left off songs like Divine and Chemistry, which is our closer. I guess the idea metaphorically and energetically was to have solid ground that we could step forward from and into the unknown. I don’t know where songs come from. Looking back I can see influences and meaning. But songs really come from the unknown.

Year of Kings. Day 129. There was a very early version of this band, like 5 years ago, with Bayla on washboard, Colleen on keyboard, and me on guitar. But there was another embryonic line-up with Craig on his box, Bayla on washboard, and Colleen on keyboard and singing. Today I’m grateful to all their friends who have gathered around for this musical project.

Year of Kings. Day 130. Release plans can sometimes feel overly ornate. Our release party/date/costume party is on October 28 at The Railyard in Black Mountain. The album will be available on all streaming platforms. This gives us time to release one more single: “Come Away.” Come Away was written chords and rhythm first, trying to create something with as much swing and groove as Iggy Pop’s “The Passenger.” The words and melody came tumbling out. So it’s the original punk inspiring a mountain song. This is Bayla’s favorite. We’re gonna release it on September 28 - a month before the album release.

Year of Kings. Day 131. If we just behave are we really living? If we always do what you’re supposed to do are we really alive? When we’re up on stage it feels like being the naughtiest kids in class, the teacher has stepped out to talk with someone, and we’re up on our desks and putting on a show. Like I’m standing with my gang and pushing back against the ordinary and the accepted.

Year of Kings. Day 132. Booking for winter now. There are a couple of our regular venues who have reached out as they’re putting together their November and December calendars. The goal is always to play every week, maybe play twice a week, and get a good practice in at Craig’s place. The goal is to grab one person at each show. One person has a great time and follows us and comes back to the next show and brings a friend with them.

Year of Kings. Day 133. Collaborating is like a cheat code on a video game. It makes everything easier and better. I don’t have a voice that will make a pop hit. I don’t have a lot of groove in my guitar playing. I definitely don’t have a violin riff. Getting the first mixes back on the songs we recorded last week. Divas. Heart of Stone. These are good collaborations.

Year of Kings. Day 134. I’m older now and I rarely sleep through the night. It creates this interesting time between 4-5 am. Everything is quiet and dark. Lyrics that have have been just floating around the air slip into my head - and I write them down. Ideas about chords and hooks swim into my mind and I get up and write them down too. I trust these 5 am ideas.

Year of Kings. Day 135. The fourth and final single from our album is out today. (To be released on October 28.) https://thedarkcitykings.bandcamp.com/track/come-away. This is Bayla’s favorite. Please check it out. It started with the idea of wanting more swing and movement in our songs, inspired by "The Passenger" by Iggy Pop. We took that groove and partnered it with more traditional mountain lyrics, attempting to take the two musical worlds - mountain music and underground indie music - and weld them together. The Iggy Pop influence is now just referenced in the background. The harp and violin and words and vocals are layered over it until the song becomes a true invitation to walk into the wilds - which Iggy Pop would still agree with.

Year of Kings. Day 136. This is the porch by the old station by the rail line in Black Mountain. I love that we’re from Black Mountain in the Southern Appalachians. There’s magic floating in the air around us, just waiting for us to reach up and grab and make into songs.

Year of Kings. Day 137. Life. We try things. We put ourselves out there. We try to be brave and true. And strange things happen. Kevin Moloney is a music producer, for Sinead O’Connor’s first two albums, engineer for U2’s first 5 albums, Kate Bush, Van Morrison… This is real. He became the in-house producer for Citizen Vinyl and Studio B this summer. A friend of a friend mentioned he should check out DCK - and he came along to a show. We’ve had a couple of beers and he’s shown us around Studio B and he’s gonna be a character in this story… a wonderful kindhearted gentlemen who looks a bit like a wizard and wants to dive into the local music scene.

Year of Kings. Day 138. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again - a band is formed by a group of people who show up, continue to show up, practice, perform shows, stand next to each other on stage. That’s it.

Year of Kings. Day 139. The Rolling Stones started as a cover band. Bruce Springsteen too. And when they wrote an original that was better than a cover - they put it in the set. We started as brewery cover band. Then we started making up stories - that we were outlaws in an outlaw mountain town - and wrote songs about this mythology. The latest songs have changed again: what are the real stories, from here and now, in Black Mountain, our stories…

Year of Kings. Day 140. So we haven’t done this before. On Thursday evening we have two shows in two different towns. We have an early show at The Railyard and in Black Mountain and then a late night show at the Musicians for Overdose Prevention fundraiser at Fleetwoods in Asheville. Throw everything in the van, throw everything out of the van, play a show, throw everything in the van, hit the road, throw everything out of the van, play another show.

Day 141. Benefits. We’re playing the @musiciansforoverdoseprevention benefit on Thursday night at @fleetwoodsavl and we’re playing at this benefit on Sunday night at @whitehorseblackmtn for breast cancer awareness. All amazing causes - please think about coming out and supporting these benefits.

Year of Kings. Day 142. Shows 14 & 15. 6:30 start at The Railyard in Black Mountain. Joining the lineup for the Musicians for Overdose Prevention fundraiser at Fleetwoods - bands start at 8pm. We’ll be going on at the end of the night. Missing our bass player Bayla for these shows - and yes - we will cry into our beers.

Year of Kings. Day 143. Thanks to YAWNi and Fleetwoods and The Railyard for being part of our one evening whirlwind tour of Black Mountain and Asheville. Running all over town. Splashes of color and light everywhere. And carry naloxone - it will save a life.

Year of Kings. Day 144. I’m trying to do a better job of telling the story - about letting you all know about things we’re trying to do and then seeing if they work or not. Trying to be brave and a little vulnerable. We’ve been having a conversation about playing the most fun stage in Asheville. It’s not the biggest stage - but it is a big stage - and the atmosphere and sound is incredible. We’re hoping it does happen and we can share more information soon…

Year of Kings. Day 145. Show 16. We’re playing tonight at the Breast Cancer Awareness fundraiser at @whitehorseblackmtn White Horse in Black Mountain. The event is starting at 7pm. We’ll play anywhere and any time - but it’s just great to be asked to play for a good cause. You guys aren’t doing anything tonight - it’s Sunday night - so come on out.

Year of Kings. Day 146. We have our album release show on October 28 at The Railyard. We just recorded a double single with Kevin Boggs. We’re sitting on about 13 songs - and we want to get back in the recording studio late fall or winter. So it feels like a time to focus and see what’s working in practice, what’s working in shows, what people are responding too. Songs either grow or shrink. The band gets excited every time we play a song, or they fall away…

Year of Kings. Day 147. Album release party on October 28 at @railyardblkmtn The Railyard. It feels like the final stretch. We wrote these songs back in 2021 and 2022, played these songs, recorded these songs this spring, put out some singles. Now is the final stretch. Posters. Try to get some live radio shows. Send out to music publications and radio stations. Get the music up on all the streaming platforms. Get on Spotify play lists - how do you get on Spotify play lists? Time to investigate…

Year of Kings. Day 148. I remember the first time I heard one of my songs on the radio. Gonna be on a radio show this Saturday afternoon. This is Ernesto’s show - and he’s one of the local DJs who’s a big supporter of the scene and always playing area bands. He’s also a good friend and it’s fun to hang out with him and play some songs on the radio for an hour.

Year of Kings. Day 149. Somehow this happened - a twist of fate and alignment of stars: that’s Kevin Moloney, producer of Sinead O’Connor’s first two albums, engineer and producer of U2’s first five albums, at our practice space last night. For two hours we played through our unrecorded songs, some very rough, hung out and chatted - and Kevin seemed to be having a good time. An incredibly sweet and kind and supportive person - who likes to laugh and be part of the gang. I don’t know how this happened but I am grateful.