interview with Iron Kingdom

How is it that you started playing music?We all came into music at different times, however Chris (Lead Guitar/Lead Vocals) and Leighton (Bass Guitar) started playing together in high school.

Did you make music even when you were young?Yes, music has always been a passion.

Where are you from? We hail from Vancouver, BC, Canada

What year did the band form?Iron Kingdom was formed on June 6th 2011

What's your style of genre?We play Traditional Heavy Metal with a hint of Power,

What inspires you?Heavy Metal, puppies, and glow sticks

How often and where do you rehearse?We usually rehearse 2-4 times a week, at Chris’ place.

How have you developed since you started with the music?We’ve all improved musically over the last few years, you know, as a natural progression of playing.  However we feel that it’s the touring that has really pushed us to the next level, and I think you can hear that progression across the albums we’ve released.

Do you have other interests of work outside the band?All of us have day jobs, but I wouldn’t exactly call them interesting, haha.  We long for the freedom of the road, and writing music, that’s what life’s all about for us.

Are you looking for a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that?Yes, we’re always willing to make new contacts and expand our network.  We love being independent, but in this day and age there’s only so much we can do on our own. 

Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that?Again, we’re open to outside help, however it really depends on what shape that help takes.  Labels can and do help acts move forward, but that’s not the only option these days.  The Internet along with the advancements in recording technology has made it possible to be more independent.  So far we have found that the benefits of being independent have outweighed the potential gains offered by the labels.  That being said, we do consider any offers presented to us.

What made you decide to make this music?This style of metal is what we fell in love with at a young age, we’ve always felt like we missed out on the 80’s, and so we want to bring about a new golden age of metal!

What are your songs about?Death, fire, dying in fire, a singular dwarf. You know, the usual

Who does the composing and writes the lyrics?Chris usually does the majority of the composing, however we all work through each song together, and Leighton usually takes on the lyrics, but again the process is a collaboration.

Do you start with the music or the lyrics?Really depends on the song, sometimes we have a strong lyrical concept, like ‘At Home In The Dark’ and other times we start with a progression of riffs, as in the song ‘Voodoo Queen’.

Do you compose in a certain environment?Usually we compose in a temperate costal rainforest.

Have you done any covers live?Yea, we usually play one by the end of the night.  It’s always fun to play a classic!

What language do you sing in?English

What are the least and most people to attend one of your gigs?On the low end of things, we’ve played a gig in Sacramento, CA where only 2 people showed up.  On the high end, we’ve played a festival in Germany in front of about 2000.

What ages are most of your concert attendants?We see a wide variety of different age groups, from the old rockers who where there back in the day, all the way down to elementary school children at the odd all ager.  That being said, most people seem to be close to our age (25 – 35).

Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary?We do try to change things up tour to tour, however there are a couple songs that have become mainstays.

What was your first gig like?We actually played an old Blue’s club in Vancouver, called the Yale.  It was an interesting gig to say the least.

What was your latest gig?We actually just played a gig in Vancouver opening up for Sweden’s HammerFall. This particular show meant a lot to us as HammerFall has had a large impact on our musical trajectory.

Have you had to cancel a gig?Sadly, yes we have.  We actually got into a bad accident on a tour in North America, the van was totaled and we had to cancel the show that night.  We really had no choice in the matter as our equipment and vehicle were lying in a ditch.  Thankfully we received help and were able to continue the rest of the Canadian dates on the tour.  Just as we were starting to feel as though we had recovered, the tour took a turn for the worst.  As we worked our way towards the US leg of the tour, we found out that we probably weren’t going to receive our US work permits on time.  Due to a delay in the US Government’s Visa department we did not receive our work permits until 1 month after the tour was supposed to end.  All in all we were forced to cancel about 20 shows on that tour.  It’s hard to sit at home, thinking about how you should be on the road.

When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale?We started selling merchandise immediately, as it is the lifeblood of any band.  We sell a wide variety of products including Shirts, CD’s, Vinyl, Patches, Stickers as well as many other things!

Where can people buy your merchandise?You can purchase anything we have in stock at our official merchandise store on our website, and yes we do ship worldwide.

Here is a direct link:

www.iron-kingdom.com/shop/

What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days?

Well without fans purchasing physical copies, bands struggle financially and we are bound to hit a point where new music will be a rare commodity.  The struggling artist stereotype is real, and there are only so many people who can make the necessary sacrifices to chase their dreams.

How do you think the music industry have changed because of this?There is certainly less money!  However, in the words of Steve Harris “You can’t download a live show”

What do you think of my work?The fact that you want to help spread the word is awesome!  Without people like you providing another platform to reach out to new fans, there are people who may never hear about us.

How do you think and know that this interview will help you in the music business?Any and all channels that we can use to promote ourselves, is an oppourtunity worth taking.  There is no way for us to know exactly how this specific interview will help us, but even if one new fan discovers us through this, that’s one more person who will help us spread the word to their friends.

Do you have any role models or idols?Everybody has role models, and people that inspire them for different reasons.  Two of the strongest figures that we look up to are Steve Harris and Ronnie James Dio.

Steve Harris is an inspiration for his work ethic and business sense; he understood at a very early stage exactly what his band was and what they had to offer.  He’s used that drive and ambition to grow Iron Maiden into one of the biggest metal acts in the world.Ronnie James Dio is an important role model for his message.  He had an incredibly genuine air about him, no matter what life threw at him, he always understood that as an entertainer he had somewhat of a responsibility for his fans.  One of the best Ronnie James Dio quotes (Paraphrased slightly), was “I may not remember meeting these people 5 seconds after, but they will remember this for the rest of their lives.”  He said this as he was at the venue signing autographs 3 hours after the gig had ended.

Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today?It’s important to find inspiration from both, newer bands, particularly in our style of music, are forced to take something old and attempt to make it new.  This is necessary for the genre to advance.  At the same time you can’t lose sight of the classics, this is where we come from and it’s important to never forget that.  By blending the two together we can stay relevant but also keep it real.  It’s cool to think that our generation has put its own stamp on something that happened before we were even born.

What have been your biggest obstacles?Walls.

What advice would you give other bands or artists?Build a savings account before you start a band… trust us you’ll be digging into it in no time. Haha

How do you get psyched for a gig?For the nights that we need a little help, an energy drink or three will do the trick.

Do you have any new material?Yes, we’re actually in the process of writing a new album, but details on that will have to wait.

How can people reach you?

Anyone is welcome to reach us through our contact page on our website:

www.iron-kingdom.com

Or send us an email at: [email protected]

What are your plans for the future? World Domination

Do you have something to add? TOTAL World Domination

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