King Ropes - Go Back Where They Came From
KING ROPES DROP ‘GO BACK WHERE THEY CAME FROM’
Bozeman, Montana alt-country-rock outfit King Ropes releases their new LP, called Go Back Where They Came From, a collection of covers from artists such as Ray Charles, Roger Miller, Willie Nelson, and the Beastie Boys.
King Ropes
According to vocalist/guitarist Dave Hollier, “Most of what I know about songwriting I’ve learned by covering other people’s songs,” Hollier reflects. “But I’ve never been interested in copying the original version of a song. The covers I love to hear are when someone takes a great song, and makes it into something new.”
He goes on to explain, “On this album, we’ve tried to strip the songs down to the bare bones, and then build them back up again and take them pretty far from their original context. I’ve been thinking about cover songs for a long time, and I thought it would be fun to try a covers album with a bunch of songs from all over the map and take those songs in a bunch of directions.”
The name of the band – King Ropes – comes from a tack store in Wyoming. The band’s genesis took place in Brooklyn, the result of a live music club, the Brooklyn Rod and Gun Club, started by Hollier and a bunch of friends. Initially, the band was called Home for Wayward Drummers, but when Hollier found himself in L.A., he changed the name to King Ropes. He then moved to his hometown of Bozeman, where he put together a band encompassing a fluid lineup of musicians.
On 'Go Back Where They Came' From, King Ropes bestows their singular alt-country sound on traditional, popular songs with innovative creativity.
“There’s a core group of about eight of us,” Hollier says. “Those eight people have never been in the same room together, much less all played together at the same time. But at this point, each has gotten to know the others pretty well. Before moving back to Montana, I’d been living in L.A. and touring and recording with musicians who lived all over the country, so I just figured why not do that from Montana? But then I started playing with local people, and now at least half of the core players are based in Bozeman.”
Embracing 12-tracks, the album begins with Matt Mays’ “Tall Trees,” opening on thumping drums rolling into an alt-rock melody flavored with SoCal alt-country flavors, with a tasty jangly guitar solo. Highlights include Al Green’s “Take Me to the River,” delivering psychedelic country savors traveling on oozing sensual coloration.
A personal favorite is King Ropes’ version of Elton John’s “Rocket Man,” featuring a low-slung country-laced psychedelic prog-rock sensibility. Hollier’s twangy, drawling tones give the lyrics a tantalizing nasal quality.
On Roger Miller’s “King of the Road,” King Ropes infuses the familiar song with a thumping, crunching rhythm topped by strident guitars, imbuing the tune with psychedelic country-hip-hop relish. The track, a slow, treacly version of Ray Charles’ “The Danger Zone” drips with Mississippi swamp-flavored blues and jazz washes of sound.
On Go Back Where They Came From, King Ropes bestows their singular alt-country sound on traditional, popular songs with innovative creativity.
