NYC alt-rock trio King Falcon have been building something relentlessly — 150+ shows, 1.5M streams, and a growing reputation for live shows that don’t ask permission. Ahead of their May 12 Mercury Lounge show, frontman Michael Rubin talks about the weight of past choices, a 1959 Corvette in the middle of the LA wildfires, and why Steely Dan matters more than The Strokes.
I’ve never made any mistakes in my life. And I have zero regrets. Every single choice I have ever made has been perfect…
In all seriousness, though — I think it’s impossible to get this far in life without having moments like that in your past. The things that keep me up at night are the things I couldn’t fix. Sometimes, you just have to live with that. Some nights I sleep better than others, and on the nights I don’t, I write songs.
“The things that keep me up at night are the things I couldn’t fix. Some nights I sleep better than others, and on the nights I don’t, I write songs.“
It was nuts actually. The fires were spreading and the sky was full of ash. You couldn’t see the flames but there was a constant sense of impending danger from every single person in LA. The crew was worried about their families but luckily our team was among the fortunate ones to avoid disaster. Scary stuff.
On a lighter note — the car was wonderful. It’s like a go-kart with horrible brakes. I did a few donuts in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard. That was probably my favorite part. When we gave it back I parked it in the lot and just stared at it for a while. I still miss it sometimes.
Not at all. I think that once you start writing based on charts, you’ve doomed yourself. Obviously, I’m happy that people like the song, but even if they didn’t, that would be fine.
If you don’t treat every single moment on stage like it’s your last moment alive then you’re missing the point. There are no “do-overs” and there are no second first impressions. Every second has to be special and you have to be completely engaged for the entirety of it. It doesn’t matter how many miles you’ve driven, how sick you are, or the type of day you had. You have to go up there and amaze people and that’s not an easy thing to do.
“There are no do-overs and there are no second first impressions. You have to go up there and amaze people and that’s not an easy thing to do.“
We actually formed in Queens!
I think the truth is that we just had to make-do with the situation at hand. We couldn’t book shows and we also couldn’t afford to waste time, so I just wrote and wrote and wrote and learned how to be a better songwriter than what I was going into the band. Covid gave me the time to do that.
The funny thing is that I don’t really listen to any of those bands besides maybe a handful of Foo Fighters songs.
I think the truth is that our influences would be closer to the ones that those guys had. Zeppelin and Floyd and all the classic rock stuff… for me personally, the king of the hill is Steely Dan which is sort of in a slightly different time period and genre. With them specifically, I admire their perfection and musicianship. I think we strive for that same level of perfection in our live show, although the sound is very different.
It’s tough to listen to other bands in the same genre as King Falcon. It’s like — when you work in a pizzeria, you don’t go out to eat pizza for dinner, you know?
“When you work in a pizzeria, you don’t go out to eat pizza for dinner.” — Michael Rubin on listening to bands in the same genre
Our goal is of course to put forth the same level of quality and musicianship every single night, but the audience is really what dictates the show’s energy. The way a show feels makes so much more of an impact than whether or not I play 100% of the notes right. That’s what makes live music special.
I think the only thing that really changes for me is the prep work I have to do for myself — for example, Denver is tough to sing in because of the altitude.
I have to fight the urge to include cars in a lot of things. My first instinct with album and single art is to throw a car on it — look at Cadillac.
A few of our songs are about cars. Ride is about my car. The chorus is: “Even though I know I should (sell it) / I don’t think I really could.”
My goal with the next releases is to increase the overall sonic richness of the band. Some people call it “ear candy.”
I don’t want the recordings to be bound by what is technically possible in a live setting. The record versions and the live versions will just end up being different things and that’s okay — it’s two interpretations of a mood and an idea.
I’m planning to experiment with more instruments and sounds that you may not see in our live show. Pianos and organs and maybe brass instruments. Unexpected flavors that broaden the King Falcon universe but with phrasing that is still fundamentally us.
Depends on what they like and their mood. If they like indie stuff I’d say “Holding Out.” But if they prefer harder rock I’d say “Plastic Crown.”
