Interview: Catching Up With Little King (Written – 2025)
Little King, the dynamic rock band, have been busy since we last spoke, so in this interview we check back in with them and see what they’ve been up to.
1. Hello! Welcome back. It’s been a little while, so first things first, how are you and have there been any significant changes since we last spoke?
Good morning! Thanks for having me back, and as always, we appreciate your interest and the support of your readers. It’s a big part of why we do what we do.
As for significant changes, that’s a resounding “Yes!” As you know, the drummer and studio engineer for Little King since 2004 was Eddy Garcia, aka “Grandpa Eddy Razor.” We’ve made a ton of records together, and really, he’s more a brother than friend. But as we began preparations for a new album, it became abundantly clear that change was needed. Ed lives in El Paso, and I am in Tucson, which is a 4.5 hour drive west. I’ve made that drive so many times that I know every curve and rut in the road (my adult daughter lives there, too…and I have a ton of history there as well.)
We had rehearsed and even recorded some demos at Ed’s studio, but when I got home, I decided to scrap it and re-boot. Enter Tony Bojorquez of San Carlos, MX (and a frequent Tucson visitor, as he has family here.) Tony was online looking for something “interesting” and I thought we might be a good fit. So we met in like March of this year, and we just hit it off, both personally and musically. He’s so accomplished and diverse in his background and influences, and he does love prog rock and odd times. Perfect, right? So, Tony and I hit rehearsals hard with the intent to record a new album.
Dave Hamilton has played cello both live and on the last two Little King albums (Occam’s Foil in 2019 and Amuse De Q in 2021). He is also the world’s greatest bass player (maybe just the best in the US?) Dave and I have a friendship that extends beyond music, and even before Tony came on board, Dave was learning the songs and had recorded a couple demos at Eddy’s in El Paso. Of course, his parts changed a lot when he came to Tucson to rehearse with Tony and me, and definitely in a good way. Quite honestly, this is the most rehearsed Little King has ever been prior to entering the studio, and the results of that intense rehearsal are quite evident to our ears.
2. So, what’s new? What’s keeping you busy this time around? A new album/EP/single release? A new video? Playing live, or planning ahead?
The new record is called Lente Viviente. It is a collection of 7 “micro-epics,” which is a term we coined after rehearsing the new tunes. Essentially, it means that the songs are so dynamic and involved that they felt like 5 minute plus songs even when they come in at under 3:45! Seriously…they are so fun to play, but there’s an intensity to them that makes them feel “epic,” for lack of a better term. Having said that, though, on the surface these songs can definitely be enjoyed on a more relaxed listening level, and that’s always been the aim…complex little ditties that have depth and meaning without being too pretentious. I think we did it!
3. Describe what fans/listeners can expect.
I sold my prior team building business in 2024, and while I DEFINITELY did not get rich, it did give me some time to recalibrate both musically and in my outside life. I am a son, single dad, a partner, and an entrepreneur, and I approach each of those roles with the same passion that I bring to Little King.
The entrepreneurial itch came back in the middle of last year. I had filmed my mom for her 80th birthday here in Tucson with my son in an effort to document her life experiences for future generations to enjoy. My mom is a pretty private person, but she opened up and really let loose…it was amazing! So, the lightbulb went off, and I thought that it might make a wonderful and passionate business idea – to document the stories of our elders for posterity – and LivingLens Memoirs was born.
I had shot a video for the song “Bombs Away” at the Pima Air Museum here in Tucson with a couple ladies named Nicci and Arielle. We stayed friends and in touch, and when I finished editing my mom’s memoir, I called Arielle and told her what I was planning. Basically, she said “That is MY idea! Let’s do it together.” And so we did!
Over the last year, the stories I’ve heard really inspired the lyrics for Lente Viviente (which is Spanish for “Living Lens”). More than anything, it had me thinking about the juxtaposition of perception and reality. How we see our lives, our work, our legacies…all through filters and lenses that are colored by our experiences and DNA. It’s that old adage about how two people can witness the same event and have completely opposite recollections of it.
I was moved to write about my experiences in my studio in downtown Tucson, which is smack dab in the madness of homelessness, mental health issues, and addiction. I wanted to also examine immigration issues (we are very close to the border with Nogales, Mexico), the arc of youth and nostalgia, and ultimately how we choose to live our years out as we age and grow into different people. What are we choosing to do with our time? I choose to MAKE RECORDS, of course, but there’s so much to question on the day-to-day as to how we are conducting ourselves in the face of the immense gift we’ve all been given…precious time.
4. Tell me about the work that has gone into making it a reality and what it means to you to see it come to fruition?
The work with the band was fun and easy, because the guys were fully committed to the vision I set forth. And, above all, they are GREAT guys and incredible musicians. I have never made a record with such a seamless flow, and that’s directly attributed to the time we all put in and the demeanor of each person who made it happen.
Dave and Tony crushed it. We tracked at Cimamusic here in Tucson with Ricky Wascher, who is a great engineer and helluva nice guy, too. He and I clicked right away (same age…makes it easier for sure.) Because I was so used to Ed busting my balls in the studio (“do it again, Ryan…”), I was quite ready for Ricky’s gentle nurturing. Ha ha! Seriously, he respected the fact that I am ridiculously prepared and quite an old head, but I am NOT an engineer. As always, let the experts do their thing and provide guidance only when needed. Management 101, really.
Ricky is particularly good at vocal arrangement. He pushed me in directions with harmonies and note choices that I have never gone, and because I’ve been singing so much over the last 3 years, both live and in rehearsal, I felt ready to take some giant steps. I think that the vocals on this album stand out…I don’t even cringe when I hear myself sing. So harmonies plus an incredibly prepared and adroit rhythm section make Lente Viviente a standout in our 28-year history.
Honestly, I’m THRILLED. I haven’t ever made a record that sounded better than it did in my head! This is the one, though. These guys are the best teammates and there are so many moments that make me smile on playback. The hard work paid off.
5. Sum up what this latest development says about you and where you find yourself at this moment in time?
I’m mostly satisfied. This is the best work of my career, and while I don’t ever make music worried about what the audience will think, I am quite optimistic that this album is the payoff for all of our fans who’ve followed us throughout the decades.. This is what Little King is supposed to sound like. I can feel it, and the early feedback has been uniformly positive. I don’t send my music to colleagues and friends who BS; they take their roles as early critics quite seriously. The consistent feedback across the board has been that we nailed it.
As a son who takes care of his mother, as a single dad who takes care of a college freshman (I’ve been mom/dad for quite a few years, and it’s a beautiful role that is no joke), and as an entrepreneur and musician, I am in a good place. But there’s always a little nagging SOMETHING that I can’t put my finger on. Maybe it’s a desire to break through some barriers in the music business? I don’t know…like, we spent so many hundreds of hours making 26 minutes of music. I want people to hear it, acknowledge it, and tell us they loved it. But that is in contrast to how I usually feel, which is generally “If they don’t like it, F them.” I don’t feel that way so much anymore. It’s like, PLEASE LISTEN! It’s hard to self-promote…I always feel like THAT GUY, and I hate THAT GUY! But this is music that might help people, and I hope that somehow, somewhere, people will take it all in.
6. How about something that has challenged you since we last spoke? Has there been any particular thing that tested you, and if so, how did you overcome it?
Like millions (?) of other bands and musicians, I use CD Baby as my digital distributor. I was “friends” with the original founder, Derek Sivers, all the way back to their days of origin in Portland, Oregon. They were so great to work with, and I have done a ton of business with them.
Again, like so many artists, I have worked with independent promoters to get our music out there to the masses on Spotify. I never paid anyone to game the system, never conspired to do anything other than get the music out there and maybe to hit a few playlists. In fact, we had over 200,000 streams on our last single, “Amber Waves (GoodBye),” and I think it was because THE SONG IS REALLY GOOD! Seriously, I’m really proud of it and the response was amazing in 2023.
But CD Baby didn’t agree. In fact, without any apparent prompting from Spotify, they pulled about 60% of my music from Spotify for what they said were bot-related spins (note that our entire catalog remains on Apple Music, Pandora, Itunes, YouTube, etc. No appeal, no warning, no nothing…just a big “F YOU, Little King!” I am furious about it.
CD Baby also placed other bands named Little King on our YouTube and Apple Music pages, Spotify, too. So stupid. I mean, we have been Little King since 19-f’ing-96. Some of these idiots call themselves Little King and put out music under that name without even checking. Hip Hop, Crap Rock, etc…thanks for not doing your due diligence. And, to make it worse, CD Baby doesn’t even check to see if it’s the same Little King. So I have songs about phat asses and lonely douches and reggaeton artists under my profile. Thanks, CD Baby.
Finally, I have a release date for the new single on September 12 (“Dawn Villa,” the rocking-ist song on the album) and the album itself on September 26. I submitted the music on August 12, and the STILL HAVEN’T APPROVED IT. Nothing, nada, zip, zilch. Like, am I gonna miss my release date? They already blew it for August 22 for “Catch and Release,” the first single. The only way anyone can hear it is to go to our YouTube page and hear a crappy compressed lyric video. SO FRUSTRATING.
So…CD Baby…caveat emptor. I even emailed Derek and he’s like “I haven’t known anyone over there for years.” I don’t blame you, Derek. I may just have to fly to Portland and straighten some heads out, since they DO NOT EVEN HAVE LIVE CUSTOMER SUPPORT. Rant over.
7. What is a realistic goal you’d like to achieve over the next 12 months?
We are gonna play a few shows, but the most realistic-yet-far-reaching goal is to play festivals in the US, Canada, and mainly Europe next summer. If the album does well, and I think it will, we hope the demand is there. I can’t wait to play these songs live…they’re super-challenging! But I am in the woodshed as we speak, so after a month I will be ready to rehearse with a full band. We have a ton of visuals planned as well, and the 7 songs really do function as a conceptual piece, so it will be a thrill to pull it off live and then sprinkle in some material from the last 28 years. We played out a bit in the last few years, and I have some older songs that shall remain. They still speak to me and to the band, and they will be fun to mix in with the material from Lente Viviente.
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