An Interview With The NYC-Based Duo KING FALCON On Their Newest Track, “Shake, Shake, Shake” and More!

Get to know the eclectic and genre defying, King Falcon! This NYC based duo are becoming a rock and roll force on the rise. The band is constantly pushing themselves to explore innovative sounds by blending musical styles, and they have released the video of their danceable new single “Shake, Shake, Shake.”

The infectious track – with an instantly funky, sticky chorus was composed by King Falcon’s Michael Rubin and James Terranova, along with music producers HEAVY (Lovely the Band, Dirty Heads, Saint Motel) at NRG studios in North Hollywood, CA.   The video for the song was directed by Dale “Rage” Resteghini of Raging Nation Films.

Rubin explains how the song came together: “James and I flew out to Los Angeles to work on “Shake! Shake! Shake!”. We had never been to LA, and only had 3 days to write and record the entire song. We didn’t have any prewritten ideas, we just kind of went with the flow of the moment and hoped for the best. The night before tracking, we found out that the studio didn’t have a snare drum or cymbals, or even an engineer available at the time. Luckily our hotel was right next to an instrument rental facility…   But unluckily that facility was closed due to a parade on Hollywood Blvd!  With a bunch of scrambling and many anxious phone calls, we scrounged up a drum set and James decided to engineer the song himself”.

He continues “The song is literally about a seduction that happens in a bar, but the song actually has a double meaning which, unfortunately, I cannot reveal due to privacy concerns. 😉  All I can really say is that it was kind of a crazy night on Cahuenga Blvd…”  

The members of King Falcon are Queens, New York natives (Rubin from Whitestone, Terranova from Howard Beach) who originally met 7 years ago when Rubin’s band (The Inoculated Canaries – aka TIC) drummer quit the band.  “James was the only guy who showed up to the audition, so we hired him” says Rubin, with a wry smile.  “We’ve been frenemies ever since and have developed a chemistry that works”.   The two have stuck together through various incarnations and two EP’s worth of material by TIC, and are now branching out as a duo with King Falcon.

The two have toured constantly in TIC throughout the northeast for the last few years.  They have opened for The Mowgli’s, Coin, and Living Colour among others, as well as lots of club shows and a showcase at SXSW and the 2020 NAMM convention in Anaheim, CA.  

King Falcon is currently working on a summer tour to support “Shake, Shake, Shake” and other songs from an EP to be released later this year.  

Connect With King Falcon Online Here:

Official website: https://kingfalconband.com/

Smart URL: http://smarturl.it/KingFalconShake

TikTok: @kingfalconband

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kingfalconband/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KingFalconBand/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/kingfalconband

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPIZOp-BXpo

Learn more about King Falcon in the following All Access interview with member, Michael Rubin:

Thanks for your time today. So how are you keeping busy and musical these days during this crazy Covid-19 pandemic? How are you staying connected to your fans?

We’ve started making some TikTok content, so you’ll definitely want to check that out. Other than that, I’ve been spending a lot of time driving. Not to any destination, just point A to point A. The only bright side to this pandemic is that the roads are empty.  And doing interviews, of course.   😉

What kind of music do you think is going to come out of these challenging times? Are you working on anything new right now?

I think we’re definitely going to see some big artists put out music specifically about the coronavirus. There’s a lot to be written about, especially for all of the brave people who are trying to put a stop to this. It’s really like fighting a war with medical staff instead of soldiers… I’ve been brainstorming a couple of ideas on just an acoustic guitar. That’s usually how I like to get my ideas out at first.

Can you recall the moment when you thought you could be make music together? What was it like coming up with your band name? Was it a stressful or difficult decision to make? What other names were you considering?

When James (Terranova) and I decided to start this project, I think King Falcon was the fourth or fifth name we came up with. After like, two hundred more we decided to go back to KF. It just stuck, I guess. We’ve got another project called “The Inoculated Canaries” and I think we just really wanted to continue the bird thing. Silverface was one name that we considered. Also “Lizard Birthday”. No, I’m not kidding…

How do you think your hometown has influenced the sound and how you both carry yourselves in this band?

I’m not sure if it has, to be honest! A lot of people from Queens either listen to Hip-Hop/R&B, or Heavy Metal. We’re definitely not either of those things.

Why would you say that you two work so well together? Where is one of you weak where the other is strong and vice-versa? Why does this duo work?

I often say this but it’s true, James and I actually really hate each other most of the time. We’re completely different people. James is very pragmatic, and I’m a wildcard most of the time. He likes to plan, and I like to just wing it. Somewhere in the middle we strike a balance that works, at least most of the time.

Let’s talk about your newest single, “Shake! Shake! Shake!” What was the inspiration for this track? I understand that you worked on your first ever trip to LA and only had 3 days to write and record it. What was that experience like for you two? Did you find that the LA energy influenced you and your creativity those days?

I absolutely love Los Angeles! The energy of that city is like New York – but just a little more relaxed. We drove up and down the interstate listening to California classics: Sublime, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snoop Dogg… Just a whole bunch of stuff. I think we were really moved by the city and that manifested itself in the track. Truly, LA is one of my favorite cities in the whole world!

What was it like making the music video for “Shake! Shake! Shake!”? How creatively involved with the overall process were you two?

It was an absolute blast. We loved working with the dancers and everybody else behind the camera. James and I knew we wanted dancers for the video and I think that was about it, at first. The whole concept kind of came together by everybody bouncing ideas off of each other. I’m pretty proud of what we came up with and I think going forward they’ll be even better.

Do you have plans on releasing more new music and a full collection of songs soon?

James and I actually have an entire EP recorded… We’re just waiting for Big Coronapocalypse to pass so we can get to filming some more videos, get back to playing live shows, etc.

Where do you think you are both happiest- in the studio recording new music, on stage performing or elsewhere?

Absolutely in the studio. James and I are both secretly huge nerds, so we love to spend a lot of time on all of the little details of the track. Another good thing about working in the studio is your kind of not limited by the laws of reality and what is possible. I couldn’t sing a 12-part harmony by myself live, but in the studio anything is possible. It’s fun to let your creative mind wander and see what happens.

What has been a favorite show of yours to date? What do you think makes an ideal performance for this band?

James and I went to see Streetlight Manifesto at The Playstation Theatre about two years ago. That was by far the best concert we’ve ever been to. Everybody in the crowd went absolutely ballistic, people crowd surfing, people moshing, just absolute pandemonium.

I think for King Falcon, we’d love to play in a festival setting. I know you guys have only heard one song, but I’ve heard all of em’ and I think we’ve got some “singalong-able” choruses!

With everyone’s tour dates being cancelled due to the Covid-19 virus, do you plan on doing any live streaming for your fans? Have any of your tour dates had to be rescheduled yet? 

Our very first King Falcon show ever was supposed to happen last week but got canceled for obvious reasons – which was a huge disappointment for us. Unfortunately, because of the social distancing at the moment – James and I can’t be in the same room together. We’re figuring out exactly what we’re going to do, and we definitely want to do something. The biggest issue is it’s tricky when you have computer lag and buffering to deal with.  But we’ll get that figured out asap.

How do you think being musicians and in this band gives you all the most joy in life today?

I think that if we were doing anything else it would feel wrong. We’re not carpenters, we’re not painters, we’re not physicists… We’re musicians and if we can’t keep making music we’re not really doing what we’re supposed to be doing.

Who would you love to work with in the future? Who are some of your favorite artists right now? What do you think would be a dream collaboration for this duo?

I would love to work with Kevin Parker from Tame Impala. Tame Impala is one of my absolute favorite bands of all time. “Currents” is one of my top 5 records for sure.

Where would you love to hear your music being played? A TV show, a movie, in your favorite store, etc…?

Definitely a movie! I hope to one day have a song that is as prolific in movies as “Fortunate Son” by CCR.

What do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope people continue to take away from your songs?

I’m not sure King Falcon is about a specific message. I think King Falcon music is just about taking you into our groovy space for a few minutes to make you forget about all the stuff that’s bothering you.  We want to make you feel good and move!

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers about your music?

We so appreciate all the early support we’ve gotten, especially for the “Shake! Shake! Shake!” video – keep an eye out for a special TIKTOK campaign that will be going live soon – you’re gonna want to dance with us!