KIRBY KRACKLE Month Starts...NOW! Issue #84

Hey Everybody! Before we get into the new stuff, I just want to remind everyone about my first Seattle show of the year next Tuesday, January 20th @ TOST in Fremont. On top of that, Tuesday is Inauguration day so come out and celebrate the day we've been waiting on for four years now! TJ SHERILL opens the night, followed by myself and UNCLE DOODAD closing out the night. Doors open at 8:00 with the show getting under way at 9:00. $5 gets you in...

So now what? Oh, yeah...



KIRBY KRACKLE month starts...NOW!


A year ago a challenge was set to create an entire album of songs dedicated to the life-long love of comic books and video games. Battle plans were drawn up, nervous breakdowns were had, and on January 27th Jim Demonakos and I get to show the fruits of our labor and hopefully excite fans of the genre in the process. As previously said, the album will drop locally and digitally on January 27th followed by the CD Release show on Saturday January 31st @ THE COMIC STOP Lynnwood location. The performance will be the closing to a signing day that afternoon by superstar artist MICHAEL AVON OEMING (Powers/Mice Templar). Mike will be signing from 1-4pm and KK gets it going at 4:00. We'll have the album and posters on hand, and hope to see you there!

Since artwork is a BIG part of what drives the comic industry, I thought over the next couple of weeks I'd share the evolution of the album art by all-around badass Jim Mahfood from our original concept design to the final beautiful piece. I'll also give a preview of the songs before they're posted in a few weeks...


Does it look like a bunch of scribbles? Well, it is! You gotta start somewhere, and that's what Jim and I did as we brainstormed on how the cover should look. We wanted the visual content to be based around what we were singing about, and at the same time wanted caricatures of he and I. If you look closely, you can see two figures holding guitars standing in-front of huge amps. Rock! You can also see some game controllers, people flying around, a secret code, and other paraphernalia surrounding us that will be much clearer next week when you see what Jim Mahfood did by taking a sketch into full graphic reality. Next week? Black and White inks!


Like I said, I thought it would be fun to give a quick description of the first 5 tracks on the self-titled disc so you can get a glimpse to what the spirit of the album is and what the hell I've been talking about for months now...


Track #1 "BACK TO THE BEGINNING (Mario Kart Song)"

If you're somebody between the ages of 20-35 (or younger really with the new Wii game release), chances are you've played your share of Nintendo's classic Italian plumber racing game...MARIO KART. This song is a raucous rocker that sounds like Bowser and Koopa Troopa are hot on your tail as you race across the rainbow bridge to victory. Our declaration of love to hours spent hiding from the summer heat in basements across Seattle playing a game that is first and foremost a whole helluva lot of fun! The first song we wrote for the album, BTTB sets the pace for the disc with big guitars and some 64-bit psychoanalysis thrown in for kicks.


Track #2 "ONE OF THE GUYS"

BEN GRIMM is the strongest member of Marvel Comics super-team THE FANTASTIC FOUR and has the most attitude to boot. Why? Well, if you were a hulking mass of big orange rocks that broke every chair you sat in you'd be pissy too. The song title comes from the desire to just be "one of the guys" while also acknowledging that it's nice to be able to kick ass.
Equal parts THIN LIZZY/ELTON JOHN/WEEZER, this song is probably one of our favorites as it goes from a chill and vibey verse to a chorus that we hope kicks your teeth in. Not that we think your teeth are fugly, but you know what I'm saying...


Track #3 "UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN"

"Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Select, Start"...the video game secret code that spawned an infinite of lives and taught kids in the 80's every cuss word there was if you couldn't enter it quick enough. In this song we used the code as a metaphor for breaking the "code" to a girl's heart...only this girl ends up seducing the guy into her apartment and cutting him up. I never said this album was for kids...


Track #4 "NAKED Wii"

Just so it's out of the way...no I never have. There...now it's not weird. But, I can imagine what it would be like. Jim and I wrote a song based around a couple who just want to play Wii...like that. The first version ended with the girlfriend breaking the TV cause she wasn't wearing the "Wiimote" wrist-strap and having to go buy a new one from BEST BUY, but we decided it was more lovings than that. The quietest I've put my voice to tape and simultaneously the weirdest subject I've sung about...


Track #5 "VILLAIN SONG"

This is the song on the album that went through the most changes over the course of the recording sessions. Originally titled "VILLAIN SCHOOL", it told the story of a generic comic/movie-villain that graduated from the Community College of Evil (Shoreline?) ready to get down to brass-tacks with the superhero community. To those who are now asking themselves how I got someone to marry me, your guess is as good as mine...
It seemed a little ridiculous (even for us) and instead took on the moniker it goes by now and deals with the life decisions of a retired middle-aged villain contemplating getting back into the game. At one point dangling beautiful girls from rooftops and the other sitting on the beach "eating crunch berries and FRITO-LAYS"; this guy has some issues...but don't we all?


So there you go, the first five songs off of the KK album out on January 27th! Next week I'll run down the 2nd half of the album as well as some other cool KK and non-KK news.

Thanks for reading and be well!

Kyle