The Rise of Kings of Leon
I’ve been listening to the new Kings of Leon album a lot lately. If you don’t already have a copy then you should go out right now and pick one up. Only By The Night is fucking awesome. Period.
Anyways, as I’ve been listening to KOL, I’ve been thinking about their current success. I mean how did a garage band from Tennessee go on to become Madison Square Garden headliners in five years?
Here are my three reasons why.
1. In 2003 KOL released their debut album Youth and Young Manhood. It probably wasn’t noticed but a lot of people, but someone was sure as hell was paying attention. Pretty soon KOL had songs pop up in everything from Volkswagen commercials to flicks like Stuck on You.
That’s exactly where I heard them. I kept hearing this band show up again and again in all sorts of places. And guess what? It worked. I was hooked and I went out and picked up Youth and Young Manhood. And, I guarantee that I wasn’t the only person doing this.
KOL followed this same formula with their 2004 sophomore release Aha Shake Heartbreak. The band allowed their music to show up in everything from movies like Disturbia to TV series like CSI: Miami.
While some would call this “selling out”, it makes sense for an up and coming band to get their music out there anyway that they can. Like I said, it worked on me in 2003. It also worked for people in Australia and the UK where the band was beginning to explode.
2. They toured their asses off, but with some high profile gigs.
KOL have been fortunate enough to support some heavyweights like U2 and Pearl Jam, as well, teaming up with younger bands like The Strokes and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. While it is a give in that an unknown band needs to tour, KOL scored some juicy gigs that have helped their fansbase grow. They hit the road and won people over.
3. They got some props from fellow musicians.
A lot of folks love KOL, who are more than willing to share the love. Bob Dylan, Noel Gallagher, Issac Brock (Modest Mouse), Pearl Jam and Radiohead have expressed how great KOL are. That’s not that shabby of a list.
In fact, let’s share a quote from Radiohead’s Ed O’ Brien from last November about KOL: “I don’t get jealous when I see other bands, but when I see them I think, ‘Man, I’d love to be in that band’. They’re young…they remind me of… the Bunnymen or something like that. They’re growing, they’re evolving… They’re amazing players, the drummer, he’s amazing. They’re all great but he’s really special.”…Now that’s a compliment.
While not everyone can receive kudos from artists like Radiohead, it’s really not that far fetched. Musicians, like a lot of music lovers, are looking for something fresh. If an artist discovers some new band, they’re sure as hell going to share their discovery. I mean if Eddie Vedder kept blabbing about some band that I didn’t know of, you can bet that I would check them out to hear what the hub bub is about.
While these reasons may seem a little vague and idealistic, it’s worked for not just Kings of Leon, but a lot of artists, like Cat Power.
So, if you want to be on SNL someday just remember to share your music with other media outlets, tour, tour, tour, and make some great music for people to bask in.
Image via Wikipedia
