Band Interview: The King of Mars
Games, Brrraaains and A Head-Banging Life are very pleased to bring you an interview with rock/funk/jazz band, The King of Mars!
1. How did you get started as a band?
I (John Bruner) had been writing songs since 2008 and had played in bands throughout high school. Once I got to college, I met Matt Gordon, our lead guitar player. I showed him some of my songs and we connected pretty fast musically. He then introduced me to our bass player and from there we kept adding members. Now we have a collective group of 10 members that rotate playing shows with us.
2. How would you describe your sound?
I like to describe our sound as a cross between Radiohead and Red Hot Chili Peppers with a horn section thrown in there. We put a lot of emphasis on technical ability and musicianship while not forgetting about creating memorable hooks and singable melodies. We glide through a lot of different genres including funk rock, classic rock, hip-hop and RnB.
3. What bands/artists would you say have influenced your style of music?
We definitely have a similar sound to that of Radiohead and Red Hot Chili Peppers, but I also take a lot of influence from bands like Stevie Wonder and Father John Misty. Since we have so many different members, our influences are all over the place, but to me, that’s what makes the music so interesting.
4. Has the rise of YouTube & music streaming helped or hindered you as a band?
The internet provides a great outlet for local bands nowadays. We’re working on creating more content for our YouTube channel as we’ve realized how important it is to a band’s career. We put all our music on Spotify and Apple Music and any other streaming sites. Those have definitely helped us reach new listeners we never would have before. We have listeners in the UK, Austria, China and even Africa so we’re starting to spread out through the world, which is a crazy feeling.
5. What do you enjoy doing when you’re not making music?
Since we’re all college students/recent graduates, we’re all pretty low on funds so we spend a lot of time busting our asses to make money. Otherwise, I’m a huge Chicago sports fan and love to spend time watching the Cubs and the Bulls.
6. What are your future plans musically? Tours?
Our newest album, Bleach and Aspirin, comes out on October 26th and our big release/Halloween show is on October 28th at Reggie’s Rock Club in Chicago, IL! After that, we’ll be headed to Muskegon, MI to play Unruly Brewing with our friends, Melophobix!
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We’d like to thank The King of Mars for taking the time to speak with us. Find out more by going to their website, Facebook Page, Twitter and Instagram.
