A Q&A with The Rockit King

Michigan Quintet steeped in all things Rock n’ Roll…

What’s the title of your latest release, and what does it mean to you?
The new single ‘So Long Goodbye’ is essentially a love letter to the sunsetting Boomer.  Born after the War into a golden era, raised on television series like Howdy Doody, the Lone Ranger and Ed Sullivan, the Boomer was forever changed by the arrival of Elvis, came of age with The Beatles, Cream and Hendrix, encountered adulthood during an age of plenty and now, as they enter elderhood, are unable to avoid the struggles associated with interesting times which we currently inhabit.  Kind of a “cheers” to the funnest Generation.

What was the hardest part about putting this release together, and why?
It was fun.  We keep things pretty simple.  We still make records on tape.  No funny business.  As a song it felt very “Rockit King”.  Catchy, lots of guitar harmonies.  It felt good.

Who produced the release – what did they bring to it? 
Anthony Mannino (Guitars) and I wrote and produced the track.  Andre Rodrigues out of Portugal mixed it.  It was fun.  We laid all the basic tracks down for this tune and our previous single ‘Dark Black Heart Attack’ over the course of a weekend.  I later sang it on lunch breaks, which I prefer and Anthony played the guitar solos for both tunes on a subsequent Saturday.

What do you want the listener to take away from listening to your music?
We always hope that the listener understands what we’re saying.  That we’re conveying a thought or an emotion.  Also that they find it enjoyable in some manner.  We’re entertainers.

How does a track normally come together? Can you tell us something about the process?
We typically write a bunch of music, then record tunes after I finish lyrics which allows us to nail down the final arrangement.

What band/artists have influenced you the most since you started this project, and why?
I’ve always had a thing for 70’s Rock ‘N’ Roll music.  Things went a lot of directions but everyone played with personality.  It is exciting music.

What countries would you like to tour? Are there any standout venues you’d like to play in?
We would love to play in the UK & Europe.  European music fans always seem more serious to us Americans.  I’m sure it’s a grass is greener situation…but you asked.

If you could pick one track for our readers to listen to in order to get a taste of your music, what would you pick, and why?
‘So Long Goodbye’, ‘Bridge To Burn‘, ‘Do You Really Wanna Be With Me’, ‘Saddle Up’, ‘Who R U’, ‘Take My Hand’.  We have a pretty deep catalogue after 22 years.  The choices are many.

What ambitions do you have for the band/your career?
We want to record more music and play more shows.  It’s what we do!

Finally, as you leave the stage, what are your parting words?
Thank you very much for your time!

For more information about Rockit King, check out facebook.com/rockitking and therockitking.com