Kings of Leon love the life of rock
October 4, 2007
BY BEN EDMONDS
FREE PRESS SPECIAL WRITER
From the Wilson family of the Beach Boys to the battling Gallagher brothers of Oasis, rock 'n' roll has a rich fraternal history. This is especially true of Southern rock. Beginning with the brothers Burnette (Johnny and Dorsey) and Everly (Phil and Don), extending through the Allman Brothers and the bands of the Van Zandt clan (of which Ronnie's Lynyrd Skynyrd was only the first) and down to Chris and Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes.
The latest in this lineage are the three brothers (and, like the Beach Boys, a cousin) from Tennessee who call themselves Kings of Leon. Already chart-toppers in England, their steady march toward the same destination Stateside arrives at the Fillmore Detroit on Thursday, where they'll headline a bill that also includes Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Manchester Orchestra.
The quartet's rootsy, passionate Americana, infused with enough punkish energy to mark them as a modern extension of the Southern rock tradition, attracted critical hosannas in Europe when the debut Kings of Leon album was released in 2003. The band soon found itself opening arena and stadium shows for U2, Oasis and the Strokes. This would have been a daunting proposition for most young bands, but the Kings (as they're known in fan shorthand) embraced it.
"It was a little scary at first," admits bassist Jared Followill, at almost-21 the youngest King. (The others are brothers singer-guitarist Caleb and drummer Nathan, plus cousin Matthew Followill on lead guitar.) "You start out and the coolest thing you can possibly imagine is playing in front of a hundred sweaty kids in some tiny club. That's really cool; we still like doing that. But there's something about playing in front of thousands and thousands of people that can be incredibly inspiring. You should be in it to grow, and reach more and more people."
Like so many Southern rockers before them, Kings of Leon come from a church background where secular music was forbidden. Perhaps
escaped that background would be a better description, according to Jared.
"It was so strict it was almost Amish," he says of the United Pentecostal Church, in which their father was a traveling preacher.
"It was ridiculous. You couldn't listen to anything but gospel music. No TV, no movies, no pants or makeup for women. Everything changed when our parents divorced and I started going to public school. We went from a completely sheltered world to a completely un-sheltered world. I loved it! It was like coming up for air."
This helps explain the Kings' already legendary fondness for post-show socializing. "We figured it out the other day," the bassist confides, "and the alcohol that's been consumed on this tour would probably fill eight or nine swimming pools. We learned about partying when we toured with the Strokes. We'd show up for sound check and they'd be there with cups of vodka. I'd seen people drink beer at a football game, but this was the middle of the day! We were basically corrupted by the Strokes. Then they stopped drinking, so the joke's on us."
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...710040328/1039
Linear Mode
