Our new single 'Plastic Crown' is live. Enjoy đ¤đ¸
King Falconâs Michael Rubin and James Terranova began their journey in music as hatchling birdsâ12 and 15 years old, respectivelyâplaying in a band called The Inoculated Canaries. Weaned on classic rock and pop from studying at School of Rock, the teens fledged around New York City for years. But today, the Queens, New York natives spread their wings and soar as seasoned musicians with an exhilarating self-titled debut on Mascot Records.
âWe were little birds when we started out,â King Falconâs primary singer-songwriter and guitarist Michael Rubin says with a good-natured laugh. âWeâve been doing this for a lot of our lives, but weâre not canaries anymoreâweâre full grown. The songs on this album speak to being little weird outcasts finding your way.â
King Falconâs ultra-catchy songwriting sensibility melds classic rock swagger with indie-rock adventurousness, recalling artists such as the Black Keys, Cage The Elephant, The Strokes, The Killers, Royal Blood, and Beck. The album brims with bluesy guitar riffage, sticky-sweet pop-punk choruses, soulfully melodic lead vocals, and vibrant indie-rock atmospherics. King Falcon is produced by Marshall Altman (Matt Nathanson, Marc Broussard, Kate Voegele, Frankie Ballard); mixed by 12-time Grammy-nominated mixing engineer and producer Mark Needham (The Killers, Imagine Dragons, Fleetwood Mac); and represents a powerful story of friendship, self-growth, and the bravery to go after a rock nâ roll fantasy.
Michael is the creative driving force behind King Falcon, but drummer and sometimes recording engineer James Terranova is essential to the bandâs spirit. His fastidious, plan-ahead persona is the perfect counterpoint to Michaelâs freewheeling personality, and the pair have an old-married-couple kind of connection. âI would take a bullet for him, but I may also be that person to shoot him,â Michael jokes. Up until now, King Falcon has been a guitar and drums duo, but the twosome is welcoming an additional drummer and moving James to bass.
Michaelâs fascination with music began through Guitar Hero, but his father kept poking fun at his steely determination to master the game. âMy dad would say, âyou spend so much time in front of the TV with that thing, why not learn real guitar?!â,â Michael recalls, chuckling. Michael eventually took his popâs words to heart, got a guitar, and enrolled in School of Rock. He studied there from the ages of 10-16, and immersed himself in the institutionâs âreal bandâ performance philosophy.
Hungry for more music opportunities outside the program, Michael put together a cover band with some of his buddies, but romances with the female vocalists caused Fleetwood Mac-style drama. This forced Michael, then a dedicated guitarist, into becoming a lead singer. That band morphed into The Inoculated Canaries. TIC toured consistently throughout the northeast, and showcased at the SXSW conference in Austin and the 2020 NAMM convention in Anaheim, CA.
When that band called it quits, Michael and James bounced back as King Falcon. In 2020, the duo released the funky and infectiously catchy single, âShake! Shake! Shake!.â However, the pandemic cleared King Falconâs calendar before it even got a chance to play a show. The guys made the most of the situation by sending its single, âWhen The Party Is Over,â out to labels. âThat song represented me trying to convince my parents, and myself, that I could get somewhere playing guitar,â Michael says. The song turned out to be aces for the band. King Falcon emailed the song to Mascot, and the next day was awarded with a recording contract.
âWhen The Party Is Overâ is an irresistible, moody mid-tempo rocker teeming with ear worm melodies. The song explores lonely New York late-night living with gritty candor, and it comes alive via a darkly alluring video. âWe got chased through the park by a crazed man with a knife while making the songâs video,â Michael remembers.
The 11-song King Falcon bursts open with, âEverybodyâs Down,â a sugar rush of punk pop anthemics and strutting riff-based indie rock. The songâs catchy, feel-good vibes speak to its empowering lyrics. One standout passage is: I was an outcast long as I remember/On every chain, yea, the weakest link/You get your ass kicked and learn not to surrender/Donât give a damn what the people think. âThat songâs message is sort of the foundation for the album of being this outcast person always looking for somewhere to be comfortable,â Michael says.
The supercharged indie blues-rocking âReady Set Goâ has a Black Keys sense of blues-punk dirt, and captures the frenetic urban sprawl of New York City. âCadillacâ snapshots an actual Ferris Bueller-like joyride with a buddyâs red, rare bird 1957 Eldorado Cadillac. âLong story short, I got to drive this beauty with no brakes, no plates, and a flat tireâeverybody, including the cops, waved as I cruised this spaceship around the neighborhood,â Michael says. The songâs engrossing narrative comes to life via a vibrant animated video. The empowering âRabbit Gets The Gunâ boasts a deliriously fun sing along chorus, colorful electro-pop textures, and driving bass and drums-dominated verse passages. âThat song is about an inversion of powerâthe outcasts and weirdos rising up,â Michael says.
Now, King Falcon will resume its pre-pandemic plans of playing its first live shows and touring. âIt took two and a half years to get here,â Michael says, pausing thoughtfully. âIf you asked me when I first got my guitar if we would get a label and be where we are today, I would have said, âoh yeah, no problem,â but Iâve learned the reality of it all isnât that simple. It is amazing to be where we are today, but it was definitely a challenging journey.â
