Today I welcome you The King of Mars; an American band with a modern twist on the old school sound of rock n’ roll. This is definitely my favourite new music discovery of the year so far:
Band name: The King of Mars
Members: John Bruner (vocals/guitar) Matt Gordon (guitar/vocals), JJ Frale (bass), Randy Deadman (keys/vocals), Austin Deadman (drums), Jaime Ruiz (trumpet) & Gabby Bandera (saxophone)
Genre: Alt-rock/funk rock
Founded: April, 2016
Originated From: Chicago, IL, USA
Discography:
Cookie Cutter Dreams (Single), Cookie Cutter Dreams (EP), For a Ride (Single), Tigress (Single), Bleach and Aspirin (EP)
How would you describe your music?
Our music is best described as a sonic baby between Radiohead and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Our goal is to create music that showcases our musicianship and chops while also being competent songwriters. In today’s music, it seems like you can either be a talented musician or write catchy songs; we aim to do both.
How did the band form?
John: I met our guitar player, Matt, through a guitar class at Columbia College Chicago. I started showing him some songs I’d been working on and he started coming up with lead lines for them. Then he introduced me to our bass player, JJ, and from there we started adding more members until we could barely fit on a stage anymore. After a lot of time rehearsing and learning songs, we got on stage for the first time in September, 2016. Since then, the band’s been a main priority in all our lives.
Who influenced you within the music industry?
Our two biggest influences for this band are Father John Misty because his brilliant songwriting and lyricism and Stevie Wonder for his vocal chops and his horn arrangements. Our horn section is an important part of this band and it can be difficult to find other bands who have such a prominent horn section. So when we need more inspiration, we always turn to Stevie.
Have you performed live much and what was your favorite gig to play at?
We’ve been performing live since 2016. We’ve played all over Chicago, a lot in Michigan and in various cities on the east coast. So far, our favourite show has been when we played at Evanston SPACE. Evanston is a city just north of Chicago and we got an offer to play there to open up for one of our favourite bands, The Dip. SPACE is definitely the nicest venue we’ve gotten to play at and The Dip brought a huge crowd so we had a ton of fun that night and got to meet some of our musical idols.
What is the best thing about being in a band?
The best part about being in a band, especially one with seven members, is simply being able to play music with some of our favourite people.
John: I went a few years struggling to find anyone to play my songs with. Once I found Matt at school, everything just kind of clicked from there. Being able to jam with people who are as passionate about music as I am is one of the best feelings.
What plans have you got coming up this year?
This year we plan on expanding our fan base more outside of Chicago. We just played in Muskegon, MI with our good friends in Melophobix. We have some more connections in Michigan so we’ll definitely be heading back there this year. We’ll also be working on getting some live footage of us at shows so we can add more content to YouTube page.
To find out more about The King of Mars, find them on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. Plus check out their music on all streaming services.
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