KING BROWN "KING BROWN EP" REVIEW
Ostensibly named after a deadly Australian Outback snake, Minneapolis two-piece King Brown loose a fevered hunger with the unhinged attack to match. In the vein of many notable blues based duos, Alex Ashmun pulls double duty, singing and riffing over drummer Aaron Esnough's propulsion. Although the immediate reference points of similarly composed blues rock titans such as The Black Keys and The White Stripes do offer some insight into the sounds being produced here, King Brown engage in a rougher, more fearless pummeling than their predecessors. Like a beast driven mad by thirst and heat, these three tracks show what this sort of band configuration looks like when they let the riffs and grooves flail out to the edges of their control.
On opener "Strange," Ashmun's voice calls to mind the whip-smart urgency of The Dandy Warhols, and it’s this sharpness that sets the tone for the next 8 minutes. “Maybe you’re so strange,” the track leads off, just as likely speaking to and about the band as it is to the listener. Although the basis of this music is undeniably of an ordinary caste, Esnough and Ashmun relish letting their freak flag fly high enough to cut above the masses. To be clear, King Brown is for the oddballs, oddities, weirdos, and outcasts who still dial up the blues.
"Freak Town" - the EP’s middle third - slinks back in tempo, limbering along unsuspectingly. A late track explosion springs the band into classic desert rock highway-drag-race territory. It’s this melding of the traditionally arid and Delta centered rock species that makes this scuzz-fuzz rip through the eardrums so effectively.
Closer "Black Mass" is, for my money, the standout on this project. After lurching along the previous two tracks, the band finds themselves here locked into an indisputable groove. Ashmun's dosed out equal amounts of venom from the mouth and from the guitar, finally allowing King Brown to kick out a full force attack with zero reservations. Esnough keeps up, guiding the battering with the relentless pulse of his skins. It culminates in a sound that’s simply badass.
Having just this and two other singles to their name - all released within the last year - King Brown are only just getting revved up. With the King Brown EP, they’re off to a frighteningly great start. Rarely is a duo in this form of rock so quickly able to shake the dust of the sub-genre’s collected history, but King Brown have taken blues rock by the throat and shaken the life back into it.
King Brown
Alex Ashmun - Guitar/Vocals
Aaron Esnough - Drums
(Melodic Noise) How’s your day going?
(King Brown) Couldn’t be better, thanks for asking!
(MN) What is your formed/origin story?
(KB) I was up too late one night and poking around online for a possible side project when I stumbled across a drummer wanted ad that Alex had posted.
The songs were groovy and had a different vibe to them. I thought our styles might mesh well together, so I reached out to him and a few months later - here we are.
(MN) Genre?
(KB) Not sure. Alternative rock? We don't concern ourselves with that too much.
(MN) Do you have a label?
(KB) No labels. Just good old fashioned DIY.
(MN) Album name?
(KB) Self titled EP.
(MN) Lyrically what stands out on the album?
(KB) Alex’s awkward imagination. The lyrics I’d come up with would be better suited for death metal music and I’m not sure he’d appreciate that very much, so I let him do the heavy lifting in that area. He seems to enjoy it.
(MN) What was the inspiration behind the album?
(KB) Capturing what happens when we got into a room, played off of one another and then just let nature take its course. It truly was that simple (and still is).
(MN) What do you hope people take away from the album?
(KB) A good time, a celebration of life and multiple sweaty body parts.
(MN) Is there something that connects the songs together?
(KB) We like to think of each song as being its own unique duck.
(MN) Are you locals or transplants?
(KB) I’ve lived here my entire life. Alex made the trek up to the Twin Cities from Austin, TX a few years back so we could one day meet up and make sweet, sweet music together. At least that’s what my vision board told me just prior to filling out these answers.
(MN) What are some of your influences and Minnesota influences?
(KB) Led Zeppelin, Melvins, Queens of The Stone Age, The White Stripes.
Locally? I’d have to go with Houston and The Dames.
(MN) Who are some of your favorite current Twin Cities artists?
(KB) Rhombs, Weather Check, Gully Boys, The Key Kids and Porcupine are a few that come to mind.
(MN) What is your favorite venue to play and see shows at in Twin Cities?
(KB) I’d have to say 7th St. Entry and The Hexagon. 331 Club has a really nice sounding room too. What can top a dive bar with sticky floors, overly disgusting bathrooms and extra stiff drinks? I also enjoyed The Triple Rock & Grumpy’s downtown but capitalism went and ruined it for everyone by getting rid of those venues. We can't have nice things.
(MN) What can fans expect when they come to your shows?
(KB) Music to nod your head, tap your toes and shake your hips to.
(MN) Do you have a favorite or crazy memory of playing a show?
(KB) We had a random saxophone player jump up on stage during one of our shows and actually play along with us. That was, dare I say, different? We usually wouldn’t condone such behavior but deep down I think we all have a little bit of Kenny G. inside each of us.
(MN) Who are your dream tour-mates?
(KB) Motorhead, Elvis Presley and Motley Crue (80’s era).
(MN) Other hobbies?
(KB) Art, cooking, hiking, video games, playing in our other bands, going to shows, etc. Your typical mid-life crisis activities. Wait a minute… this isn’t for a dating site is it?
(MN) What do you like about living in the Twin Cities?
(KB) Any season not called winter. No, but seriously, the people here are great, the food is fantastic and there’s a ton of shit to do if you can manage to get of your ass and step away from Netflix and the couch every once in a while. After all, the world IS your oyster and it's up to you to take life by the horns.
(MN) Is there anything that sets the Twin Cities scene apart from places you’ve toured?
(KB) We’re still a pretty young band so we haven’t made that leap quite yet. Maybe in the near future.
(MN) What are your favorite places to grab food or drink in the Twin Cities?
(KB) It’s pretty random and depends on the mood, although Flagsmash does have the best tacos in town. Just/Us re-opened recently and we like that place a lot too. I’m a big fan of any place that serves chicken strips and yagermeister.
(MN) Day jobs?
(KB) I do graphic design and digital production type stuff and Alex will soon be saving lives as an EMT.
(MN) What are the band’s plans for the future?
(KB) Gigging as much as possible and continuing to write songs for a full length release, which we plan on recording and releasing sometime over the summer. Meeting new people, spreading love, developing ourselves further as songwriters, bandmates and human beings in general.
Follow King Brown on Facebook and Instagram.
Make sure to catch them live at their upcoming shows:
3/25 - @ Honey
3/26 - @ Palmers Bar
3/27 - @ 331 Club
5/2 - @ Hexagon Bar
5/23 - @ Blush (Duluth)
Review by: Eric Martin, Writer @eamartin95
Interview and edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner @PlaylistTC
© 2020 Melodic Noise Media. All Rights Reserved.