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Welcome to Kick Acts. Tell us a little about yourself and were you can be found online.
We are an LA based Indie Alternative Pop band new to the scene this year. You can find our music and photos and shows and life-long secrets, etc. on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reverbnation, Bandcamp, Soundcloud and ghostlitkingdom.com.
Who are your musical heroes and influences? Why?
Gotta go with bands/artists like Daughter, Ben Howard, Bon Iver, Matt Corby, etc. for the courage to do something outside of the box but still within the realm of soulful, humble, emotional artistic expression. Such talented players as well. If we can reach that threshold, the combination of respectable talent and music itself, we will be very grateful indeed.
Do you have any advice for someone just getting started in the music business?
Do not underestimate the amount of effort it will take just to get off the ground. Things like professionalism, passion, dedication, financial commitment, self awareness, patience, etc. are of the utmost importance. Do not be afraid of failure. There will be many of them along the way.
What piece of advice did you ignore that you wish you hadn’t?
Be wary of the Hollywood scams. We lost almost $1,000 once to a bogus PR scheme back when we were just starting in the LA scene. Things like that make it hard not to label Hollywood as the cesspool of all human waste.
Do you have a greatest gig story or worst gig horror story you’d like to share?
We played an acoustic show in Santa Barbara a while back and as Taylor went to take a breath right before the huge vocal outro of one of the songs he breathed in, mouth against the microphone, and inhaled a small mouthful of some mysterious fluid through the screen of the mic that had, apparently, accumulated in the microphone body over the course of time. Needless to say, he nearly puked on stage and we learned then what it truly means to fear the house equipment.
Do you have any other hobbies other than playing music? Collect stamps? Collect hats from off the side of the road? Draw pictures of peckers or boobs? Make sock puppets? Sit in the dark and eat Cheetos?
We thoroughly enjoy playing a select group of sports. Not that we are terribly good at them but it’s just fun to throw the football or play 21 (Andrew and Jason love a good basketball run around) before a show or on an off day on tour. Ela is pretty impressive on skates too, as are Michael and Taylor who grew up playing hockey.
What do you think about the current music scene or lack of? Care to address that?
It’s cool how little indie scenes are popping up here and there in LA and its surrounding areas now that the strip and it’s kitsch are starting to kind of fade out. On a grander scale, it seems like we are coming into a scene where the musicianship and songwriting is coming back into appreciation a little more than in recent years. Of course, with the technology age in full swing and the record companies trying to crank out pop hits left and right we are still bound to be fed the trash every once in awhile but things like Arcade Fire and Bon Iver winning Grammys certainly instill a sense of hope for the future of indie music itself.
Do you think reality shows like American Idol, X Factor and The Voice have helped or hurt the music industry as a whole?
It’s kind of a David Bowie thing in that it goes both ways. There are some seriously ridiculous things about them like the way it is all so governed by viewers so it’s often not even really about the art but there are some very real upsides as well. The music and artists that come out of it is the obvious point to make but there are subtleties as well. For instance, Andrew (our bass player) used to work on some of the reality shows when he was growing up in Melbourne and he always says one of the coolest things about it was that when he was working So You Think You Can Dance he was able to expose the viewers to some really good music that they may never have heard elsewhere by working the songs into the show and dances themselves. So these shows definitely have the capability to do wonderful things for music. It’s just a matter of whether they decide to do so.
What is your opinion of unauthorized music downloads?
In a perfect world it would not even be an issue but the parasitic nature of the human race is unavoidable. Overall, however, it’s pretty unfortunate that it happens. The internet gives people that little buffer of pseudo safety between themselves and the people that it affects. It is far less likely that thousands of people would steal from a mom and pop store that makes their living off the merchandise in the store but that’s basically the same idea with illegally downloading music, especially from up and coming bands.
Tell us something about you/each of your band members that we wouldn’t expect to hear.
Jason was in the Air Force for six years! Ela grew up in Turkey and, thus, speaks fluent Turkish. Andrew grew up in Australia and, thus, speaks fluent Australian. Mike studied classical acoustic guitar in college and performed in a touring quartet. Taylor went to Arizona State University out of high school on scholarship to study Kinesiology… and hated it.
Hypothetical situation. You’re on Gilligan’s Island and you get to hook up with only one of the survivors… Which one and why?
Mary Ann and Ginger would be the obvious top candidates but they both seem like they’d be expecting and, thus, unappreciative. Gilligan would stumble through the whole experience so he is out. Mr. Howell… multi millionaire(former billionaire…what a tragedy) and Republican. Pass. There are probably few things that could produce more self worth dilemmas than a casual sexual experience with a PHD while marooned on an island so Hinkley is out as well. Captain would playfully refer to your genitals as “Little Buddy” so that leaves Mrs. Howell as the most suitable choice. Probably in need of a good kiss anyway. (Editor’s note: someone did their homework on this one! BRAVO! 🙂
Do you know what a vinyl album is and have your ever purchased one? If so, what was it?
Ela and her family collect them! The last one she bought was Daughter Live at Air Studios. Such an incredible record.
You’re marooned on an island with Justin Bieber. Do you choke him out the first night in his sleep or what?
No. Would be such a waste. He gets to live if he promises us a home cooked dinner party with Usher.
What is your opinion of Miley Cyrus?
She’s growing on us as the years go on. She’s no longer the encapsulating body for the metaphoric death to all things music but there is still a good distance yet to go. Wrecking Ball is definitely a guilty pleasure for Taylor, though. If every GLK chorus hit as hard as that one he would be satisfied.
Which would you rather hear in concert? Lip-synching or real vocals?
Real vocals every day of the week. Unless it’s John Krasinski on Jimmy Fallon’s lip sync battle. Flawless performance.
Who, or what, is the next big thing?
Still holding out for Tupac to come back for real. That hologram was way too life-like for it to just be “made in his likeness.” It was foreshadowing for sure.
One artist you can’t get enough of and can’t live without is… Why?
Captain Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters. They are a musical revelation that will live through the ages.
Confession time. Share a secret about yourself.
None of us can read or write.
Favorite movie of all time and why?
Dünyayi Kurtaran Adam (1982). Turkish dollar store Star Wars illegally using unlicensed scores and scenes from other movies. An instant classic.
Our last question is called “Shout It Out Loud”. It’s where you get to talk about whatever you want to talk about. So go ahead and “SHOUT IT OUT LOUD”!
Since we are a young band, that most people are yet to be acquainted with, it seems prudent to talk about what music means to us. Without getting to soapy on the subject, we just want to express our appreciation for its existence as a whole. We are trying to write songs that can reach an emotional recognition with the people who listen to them and then perform them in such a way that reflects that sentiment. Music has done wonderful things for the preservation of our sanity through that type of connection that we have experienced with artists and songs that are dear to us and we would be eternally fulfilled if we were able to give that back so thank you for letting us share Ghost Lit Kingdom with you guys. You have no idea what it means to us.
I have a few heroes. One of them would be Corey Taylor. I have followed Corey since the first time that I had heard Slipknot. I was blown away at the the way this crazy dude in a mask could scream. I use to listen to Slipknot and think how is it humanly possible for a person to make that kind of brutality happen with their voice. I would study it trying to find his tricks. I would even seek out live performances in order to hear his true voice without all the production. He was just killer to me, but where he became one of my musical heroes was when I heard “Bother” on the radio by Stone Sour. Once I heard that dude sing I was completely floored. He became one of my heroes! Another one of my heroes that actually popped up on my radar around the same time was Chris Volz of Flaw. Volz was the dude that made me realize I could sing and scream and make it badass! I spent a lot of time listening to his choruses. I just loved how big they could get and the intensity that would follow in the throw downs. I actually modeled a lot of my music that I wrote at that time very specific to a Volz type style. So you can imagine how exciting it was for me 14 years later to find myself touring with Flaw. Another reason Volz is one of my heroes is because he’s actually a cool dude. Its always nice to put someone on a pedestal and leave them there for all the right reasons.
