By Chris Rockwell

Since I can remember, I’ve experienced the world through a lens of extreme feelings, colors and sounds. Some people call it passion. Most experts call it manic. (My wife Beck, who works in the field of psychology, says I’m definitely both.) This band and album strikes deep chords with me in a very personal way. When “Alice in Chains” hit the scene I instantly connected with their sound, look and attitude. They were country boys from the Pacific Northwest playing this dark heavy groove oriented rock with lyrics that described feelings that I understood. At times I felt like this album was speaking to me. Read More »

By Chris Rockwell

I was up very early this morning with my head spinning on new ideas for King Duce that came to me in a dark dream.  After a few cups of coffee and a plate full of heavy music, I was brought back to life and ready to travel back down the rabbit hole. I figured I would share these bands with you in a series of articles to reignite your adrenaline for the New Year.

Black Sabbath War Pigs (Paris Live 1970)

We all laughed at Ozzy’s “Leave it To Beaver” father character in the MTV reality show sensation, “The Osbournes”.  Unfortunately, that low point for Ozzy clouds his amazing breakthrough work with Black Sabbath and why he and his fellow working class mates from Birmingham, England are known by their disciples as the founding fathers of metal music.  I hope to set Ozzy’s image straight with this live video from 1970.  Black Sabbath was formed in 1968, as the “Summer of Love” was fading into the Pacific Ocean with the death of Hendrix, Morrison and Joplin.  They hit the seventies with a heavy blues sound and attitude that would influence young heavy rock bands for the next forty years and beyond. Read More »

A lot of people that I talk with automatically assume King Duce is an urban based record label and lifestyle brand. Although that is a proud and powerful part of our early story, it is not the complete picture of King Duce, as a record label or a brand. There is much more to our musical roots and experiences than one genre of music. To understand King Duce it’s important to know some of the rock legends and early experiences that shaped my musical world. And these are the examples that I look to, now more than ever, as I begin developing rock bands for King Duce Records. Without them King Duce would have never happened.

And they deserve their due respect as we begin this chapter of our story.

I grew up in a small town in northern California listening to all kinds of music thanks to my parent’s appreciation for playing musical instruments and listening to various types of music. The defining memory for me, though, was in Kindergarten when my buddy Mike Christiansen introduced me to the emerging rock band KISS. He handed me the cassette tape and said, “This band will change your life!” I remember running home to tell my mom and dad about this amazing new discovery. And to their credit they embraced my passion and allowed me the freedom to explore this crazy looking band that wore make-up and spit blood and fire. I was six years old and totally mesmerized. And as crazy as it sounds, that was the defining moment my life was set on course to create what would eventually become known as King Duce.

As I entered junior high as a seventh grader I discovered Heavy Metal and a faster, older crowd. All the eighth grade guys I looked up to, and played football with, were listening to bands like Iron Maiden, Twisted Sister and Motley Crue. Interesting side note, this was also when I met my friend, Kevin “Duce” Kimble for the first time and was introduced to rap and hip hop. My musical universe was in full gear and I could hardly think of anything else, well except the eighth grade girls who showed me the other side of the universe.

When I got to high school it was all about Ozzy Osbourne, Guns & Roses, Tesla, Lynyrd Skynyrd and watching them in concert at the Cal Expo Amphitheater in Sacramento. That same summer “Duce” took me to the same venue to watch Run DMC and the Beastie Boys. It was a summer I will never forget. During that time I really got into playing the electric guitar, trying to emulate my guitar idol Zakk Wylde, the fiery young lead guitarist for Ozzy. I also started playing drums, and eventually put my little brother Dan behind the set so we could jam, along with my brother Nick on guitar as well.

Fast forward to my college football days, I’m sitting in a locker room suited up and ready to step out on the field to play against USC. One of my D-Line brothers that was sitting next to me took off his head set and told me to listen to this new band called Pantera. The track was “Cowboys From Hell”. I was completely blown away! Everything about them was unlike anything I had ever heard, but dreamed of hearing. They had a powerful sound and rhythm that crushed anything I had ever listened to. Nothing compared. Not even close. And to this day I still consider Pantera the best heavy rock band of all time. With that said, I give props to the new torch bearers like the group “Lamb of God”. But even they consider Pantera the greatest of all time.

Of course, over the years, I have discovered so many types of music like Sublime, Led Zeppelin, Dr Dre, Snoop, Janis Joplin, Johnny Cash, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, and many more. They were all instrumental in helping me shape the vision of what a record label should be. But for me, it always goes back to my rock roots and the band Pantera that helps me define the expectations for what rock music means to King Duce Records.

I just hope to make the bands I idolized proud of the rock music we present to the world.

Coming this fall…

Duce Up!!

By Chris Rockwell

It all started when I met the lead singer of “Eyes of Ruin”, Malcom Barrack at his place on St. Patrick’s Day in Chico. (And for all you folks out there who have never been to Chico, CA for St. Patrick’s then you may not appreciate the effort to make note of this insane day of debauchery, with the bars packed at 6 AM!). I walked up a dark corridor of stairs like the scene from Pulp Fiction where Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent Vega (John Travolta’s last good role) enter an apartment complex to put a hit on some punk thieves who try making off with their bosses briefcase of valuables. The difference is I wasn’t sure whether I was Vincent Vega or one of those poor bastards getting shot down in a few seconds. As we neared the light and the reckoning, a dude jumps out at me and shouts a statement that added a near overdose of uncertainty to my fate.

“Hey dude! You wanna car bomb?!”

The question immediately sent thoughts of confusion and intrigue. My eyes were glued to his next move as I watched him grab a half filled pint glass of Guinness and recklessly drop a shot of Irish whiskey into the coal black beer and immediately chugged it down in 2.3 seconds, ending the last gulp with a yell and started screaming the words from the new Lamb of God album and bouncing around like a crazy man in a padded cell.

I knew right there that I found the lead man with attitude and a well crafted scream that would earn the respect from real music fans. Since then we’ve had time to talk and I noticed that Malcom and I possess a similar obsession for music, particularly in heavy rock (he’s seen “Lamb of God” 12 times at various Ozzfests and solo tours.). And what made me take real notice was his attitude. He had a certain expectation that he would be a rock star. Not in an arrogant and child like fantasy way. He just knows what he wants and is going after it because he believes he can do it.

King Duce Records has begun producing an album and music video for “Eyes of Ruin”. Imagine Pantera + Lamb of God and a mix of southern rock and punk roots, and of course Led Zepplin to create a balanced attack. I’m stoked on these guys because they possess heart, determination and they work well as a team. They have a great sound that is still raw and full of intensity. Most importantly, they have the desire and ability to be great.

I recently watched them play this small dive bar and was impressed to watch them win over guys who came in there not sure who the band was. By the end of the show they had everyone in that bar amped and starting to develop an early stage mosh pit. One guy got out of hand and fell into the lead guitarist, Chris Harvey, spilling a half pint onto him. He never stopped smiling or playing his solo. I felt like I was at a memorable show that Rolling Stone music critic, David Fricke writes in poetic flow twenty years later about Guns & Roses or Iggy Pop. I forgot how exciting and spontaneous a great band performance can be in a small club. It’s pretty intense.

The other face and sound of this band is lead guitarist Chris Harvey. He’s bringing Dime Bag, Randy Rhoads, Eddie Van Halen and Zakk Wilde to the party. He has put in his time to showcase some complicated leads and a solid understanding of rhythm and timing. He knows when to light it up and he knows when to drop into a slow chugging riff that puts you into a tribal fire trance. Along with his technical skills he has a presence on the stage that’s exciting and unpredictable. He gives the crowd a show and a look like the baby of Malcom Young from AC/DC and James Hetfield of Metallica.
But the really cool thing is that “Eyes of Ruin” are intent on crafting their own sound from their unique mix of musical influences. The bottom line is that these guys bring it and will keep fans in a strangle hold until the song stops.

Register at www.kingduce.com to get all our photos, music, videos and a chance to win one of our limited edition King Duce hats coming Summer 2009

By Chris Rockwell

The cops stormed the room…again.  Rob and I were sunk into the beer-stained couch ready for a show when the door swung open. We slowly glanced over at each other, grinned and sat back waiting to see where this King Duce trip would take us.Ten minutes earlier, we were rolling up into the hills to watch this heavy metal band called “How Dare The Dawn”.  As we pulled up, Derrick the drummer was flying in on his street bike just in time for practice.  The guys were hanging outside finishing up a last smoke before heading in to work.  Ironically, Derrick’s grandma owned the place.  This sweet old lady let these crazy guys convert her one room guesthouse into a practice studio and rip it up every evening at 6.  It came complete with beer and cookies.   Now that’s a cool grandma!!

The first thing I noticed when I walked into the studio was the wall.  It was a disturbing tapestry of old blankets and musty egg-crates stapled and nailed up for soundproofing,
(the cops were there, so I think it’s safe to say that the egg crates didn’t do shit!).
And the room was finished off with tasty old school Maiden and Sabbath posters and a neon Olympia Beer sign from the old days.   The scene summoned the ghosts of Dime Bag, Sabbath and Skynyrd for sure, and once the guys laid into their first song; I knew they could bring it, they weren’t perfect, but they had an attitude and heavy riffs that kicked us in the teeth.
I loved it.

These guys are in-your-face the entire song.  They showed respect to the old school veterans like Sabbath and Pantera.  And they twist their own psycho hooks from a mix of heavy influences to create a sound that’s all their own.
They definitely pack a punch.
Be on the lookout for their first studio tracks coming this spring.
And make sure you catch “How Dare The Dawn” when they come through your town!