King Karma




1. When were King Karma formed as a band and how did you all get to know each other in the first place and tell us about the members of the band?

TR: The band was formed in August of 2002. Markus (Wolfe), our guitarist, and I decided to put a band together of our own after playing with legendary vocalist, Paul Rodgers of Free, Bad Company and now Queen. The experience of playing with Paul and feeling the energy between him and his fans from on stage gave us a clear vision of what we wanted out of music and what we had to do to make it happen. 

We started off with a world-wide search for a singer, preferably someone under the radar that had the attributes of great rock singers of the past and present. Our search lasted well over 2 years and ended up in Florida, where we found Shaun (Williamson). Both Markus and I were blown-away when we first heard his voice on the CD he sent us. We flew Shaun up to Vancouver, Canada where we were based and brought Rick (Fedyk) in as our drummer. Rick is an incredible talent who’s very well-known in Vancouver and for good reason. We had Rick in mind right from the beginning.


2. Who have been the bands main influence musically and where do the band get it's ideas for the lyrics, are they taken out of everyday and personal experience?

TR: Our main influences come from Rock music’s glory days, the days when you plugged in that Les Paul, cranked up that Marshall stack, turned down the lights and let go. Band’s like, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Humble Pie...

Our lyrics are based exclusively on personal experience. Our feeling is if you haven’t experienced it how can you honestly write about it.


3. The band are about to re-release it's debut album through Centurion Records, but already now the album are on sale via www.cdbaby.com wouldn't that in a way reflect on the sale of the re-issue or has the band added any special features to the re-issue with is not found on the already released version of thee album?

TR: I wouldn’t call it a re-release. The album was never commercially released the way we’ve come to expect through a label. We just wanted to get the word out early through CD Baby and I guess you could say we had no idea that this was going to create such a huge buzz. I don’t think it’s hurt us in anyway in fact I believe it’s what led to getting signed by Centurion.

When our label was preparing to release the album they contemplated changing the song order. They eventually came to the conclusion that they liked the album exactly as is, they felt it flowed from beginning to end the way albums used to, just the way we intended in the first place. They did suggest we change the cover, so that’s the only change.


4. Has there been any interest from any record labels for the band from Japan and Europe?

TR: Yes, we’ve had several labels from Europe and Asia express interest. We haven’t agreed to anything just yet but it’s very possible that a deal could be reached sometime in the near future.


5. The band shot a video on the rooftop of a building in Vancouver. How was it to shoot a video on an 8th storey building?

TR: It was a ton of fun and a lot of work. Getting the gear up on the roof was exhausting for us and the crew. It was a hot sunny August day in Vancouver and it was even hotter on the roof. I remember seeing people watching us from the windows of buildings across the street. From that distance they were probably wondering who we were.


6. Could the band tell us a little about the tracks featuring on debut album, and what's the bands personal favourite track to play live?

TR: It’s hard to pick a favourite from our perspective. We give each song just as much care and attention as the next. For me I get something out of each song, whether it’s the 7/8 time sigs in “Breathe”, the dynamics of “Twilight Child” or the brashness of “Devil’s Road”.


7. What's the bands personal point of view on today's music industry and the general music scene as it's seen on MTV and heard on the mainstream radio stations?

TR: We feel rock music has lost a lot of its integrity. Labels seem to sign artists more for the image they portray rather than the music they make. Let’s face it, the corporate world controls almost everything we see and hear these days and that’s not what rock is about for us. We want to bring a piece of that integrity back, as it was in rock music’s hey days.


8. How’s the local area where the band hails from when it comes to get gigs to play and get played on the local radio stations?

TR: There are some great places to play here in Vancouver. We’ve shared the bill with several local and international acts and the hometown crowd has been awesome every time.

Centurion is about to release our first single, “Into the Everlast” and I’m definitely looking forward to hearing it on local radio.


9. What's been the bands best moments in its short time of existence and so far do the band itself feel it's been a struggle to get to where the band is now and I guess with 15,000 sold units so far the fans most have played their part to?

TR: Every day we spent in Muscle Shoals, Alabama with Jimmy Johnson recording and mixing the album is something I’ll never forget. I didn’t want it to end. Another high point was opening for Paul (Rodgers) at the Massey Theatre. A lot of fans were there to see us too. It was a very inspirational night. There’s been many, but those two stick out for sure.

It has definitely been a struggle for us. Nothing has come easy, I guess it’s because from the start we decided to do this thing our way. I think our fans recognize this and give us even more support to help us succeed and we appreciate every bit of it. We wouldn’t have it any other way.


10. What does the future holds for the band at this moment in time, any plans of touring in the progress and what about new material?

TR: We’re making plans right now in regards to touring. Nothing confirmed just yet, but soon. Our label is working towards having us firmly on tour in the US by the summer.

We’ve never stopped writing and have accumulated a lot of new material that we’re very excited about. We hope to start recording our follow-up album by the fall.


11. Any last words to the fans/people out there here in the end?

TR: Yes, I’d like to thank you and everyone at Lions Pride Music for giving me the opportunity to share with you and your readers what KING KARMA is all about.  And come visit our web site, WWW.KINGKARMA.COM, we’ve got songs from our debut on streaming audio, videos and a whole lot more info on the band. Tusen Takk!