Gathered friends, welcome another post by the Le-Koro Band!

This week, we’ve got a real treat for you: someone from the outside.

While noodling on my flute one ‘mourn up in the Isles of Air, I heard a harsh, electric sound float by. Looking up, I saw a small airship stuck in one of the trees! And in it, some fleshy creature was plucking at some novel kind of guitar. It was Colin King!

He was playing the cover of a Led Zeppelin song “Friends” that we’d worked on together for the second Ide’s Journey album:

He said his ship had gotten stuck, probably the work of Makuta, so I took the time to interview him while he fixed it up.

Thus, without further ado, gathered friends, and honored guest…

When was your first introduction to the world of BIONICLE^®?

I used to look through LEGO^® catalogs non-stop as a kid. Admittedly, I never really paid much attention to the BIONICLE sections, since I was more of a fan of the Star Wars and City sets (sacrilege, I know!). A friend of mine gave me a BIONICLE set when I was about 9 years old, and my dad’s coworker gave me his son’s Lego collection (which included a few BIONICLE pieces) when they lost interest in it, but I never really got into it. This experience with the Le-Koro Band has definitely been the most I have ever gotten into that world!

What was your introduction to the world of music, and what has the story of your musical journey looked like over the years (first music listened to, picked up an instrument, lessons, bands played in, etc…)?

I think I really started to get into music when my parents got me Guitar Hero II when I was about 7 years old. It introduced me to a lot of bands and different styles of rock, and it inspired me to learn to play guitar. My dad also introduced me to a lot of great bands. He’s always listening to bands that he liked as a kid or bands he discovered more recently. Some of my earliest musical memories are of listening to bands like The Police, Wilco, The Jayhawks, U2, and the Pet Shop Boys. My dad also tried to introduce me to the music Tom Waits (one of his favorite musicians), but I was a little too young to appreciate it at the time. It wasn’t until high school when I really started to listen to his music. Needless to say, my dad was pretty impressed when I told him that I had started listening to his music again!     

What other instruments can you play? Is guitar your favorite, and if so, why do you think?

My first instrument was the alto saxophone. I started playing it in fourth grade, and I played through college. I haven’t played since I graduated, but I’ve been wanting to get back into it. My boss actually introduced me to a friend who happens to be a member of the Mummers in Philadelphia. I’ve been thinking about joining, but I’ll need to start practicing again. I started guitar about a year later. I also started playing bass when I was in high school. I was at a School of Rock camp one summer, and they needed a bassist for the song “Know Your Enemy” by Green Day. I thought it seemed easy enough, so I just decided to try it. Guitar is definitely my favorite instrument. It’s just fun to pick up and play. 

How do you get a good crunchy electric guitar tone?

I personally use a Sabbra Cadabra overdrive pedal by Catalinbread for most of my playing. Sometimes I use a Big Muff fuzz pedal instead if I want something a little less aggressive. I don’t have any particular settings that I like to use with these pedals, since it can sound pretty different depending on whether I’m playing alone vs. with a band. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve set things up and thought I had a really strong tone, only for it to fade into the background when playing with a full band. I usually just fool around with the settings until I find something I like, so my tone can be all over the place between songs. I’m sure there’s a way to be a little more precise with it, but I haven’t had the patience to look into it yet.

Who are your musical influences?

Black Sabbath is definitely the biggest influence on me, although I’ve also taken inspiration from The Misfits, Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, and The Sword. Over the past few years, I’ve also become a huge fan of Ghost, and I’ve adopted some elements of their playing as well. It’s a slight departure from the typical doom metal stuff that I listen to (or punk, in the case of the Misfits). I’ve also started getting into Motorhead a little bit over the past few months. I also like to delve into darkwave/goth styles from time to time. My biggest influences in that area would have to be Bauhaus and Sad Lovers and Giants.

Black Sabbath? What do you like about them? Can you tell us a bit about their influence in your style of playing?

I think I admire the simplicity of a lot of their early stuff. The riffs are just so easy to learn, yet they sound so powerful. I was able to figure out a lot of those riffs and solos on my own, which made me eager to keep playing. I usually stick to a similar type of style – simple riffs that can really stick with you. As I’ve improved, I’ve tried to get a little more complex with my playing, similar to how Black Sabbath’s riffs got more complex in the later, post-Ozzy years. 

Focusing on the song, “Friends,” I notice it has this really eerie tri-tone throughout most of the song. Can you tell us a little bit about that chord? 

Well I’m no music theory expert, but I do know a little bit about the tri-tone. It’s a musical interval which has a sort of dissonant quality. Back in the middle ages, it was sometimes referred to as “the devil in music”, and was highly discouraged because of this. The song Black Sabbath from the album Black Sabbath by the band Black Sabbath uses a riff that consists of an inverted tri-tone. It’s pretty fitting that the song that most people consider to be the first true heavy metal song is based entirely on “the devil in music”. 

There are a couple other allusions to songs within “Friends.” I was able to pick out Gustav Holst’s “Mars” in the beginning, and The Beatles’ “Within You Without You” before the last chorus. What makes transitioning between songs, in a medley for example, work in your opinion (like Black Sabbath’s)?

I think it mostly has to do with the keys that the songs are in. If they have the same key, you can usually blend the songs together pretty well. Sometimes you have to get a little creative with the tempo, but that’s usually not an issue. 

Can you talk a bit about recording? What is the most challenging aspect of recording a song live (as opposed to programming it through MIDI)? What is the most fun aspect?

Recording live has always been a challenge for me. I think I get nervous and start messing up over and over again, and that can be a problem when you’re recording because you want to make sure everything is perfect. I always get it right eventually, but there’s a lot of trial and error. You just have to be really patient with that kind of thing. MIDI is a great tool for getting an understanding of how a song is supposed to sound, but a live recording obviously has a much better sound. The most fun aspect of recording live is probably when you make a mistake that actually sounds better than what you were trying to play, or leads to an idea that you can use for another project. That type of thing just doesn’t happen with MIDI.

What do you think about when soloing? What makes a good guitar solo, in your mind?

I try to focus on staying within the scale, and I usually make that simple for myself by staying in a minor pentatonic scale. I guess that’s another Black Sabbath influence. A good guitar solo should by dynamic. I often make the mistake of staying in one particular octave for too long, which can get boring pretty quickly. It’s also important to know when to speed up and slow down. The best guitar solos will sometimes hold on a note, then speed back up. Basically just try not to repeat anything too many times and instead focus on creating variations. 

What do you do aside from making music? What are some of your other hobbies?

I’ve always been a huge model train fan. I’ve been interested in trains since before I even got into music. I have a pretty good O scale model train collection, and lately I’ve been working on modifying my locomotives to be more detailed or have better control systems. I also got into building scale model kits during the covid lockdowns. I usually build models of cars, but I also do figures, sci-fi vehicles, aircraft, and tanks. I’ve been thinking about starting an Instagram account for my hobbies, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.

Do you think you’d collaborate with the Le-Koro Band again?

Absolutely!

Thanks again for sharing your creativity with us! What’s next for you, individually?

I’m definitely going to try to get a band going again. I really miss playing shows. I just have to focus on practicing again, since I’ve gotten pretty rusty. I’ve spent too much time on my other hobbies, so I’m really looking to get back out there!

Colin doesn’t have any social media where he posts his music, but one of his old bands does have a bandcamp (https://spitfirevu.bandcamp.com), and you might hear him on a future song with the Le-Koro Band!

Until then, keep the music alive!

If you’d like to join the band, follow the linktree below (https://linktr.ee/lekoroband), and feel free to reach out to chat in the comments, or wherever you find us!

Tune in next time for another single release and the next episode of “Tree Talks!”

–Sanso