KING FALCON – A COOL CONVERSATION WITH MICHAEL RUBIN

By Ralph Beauchamp

King Falcon is a dynamic three piece band based out of N.Y.C. They have just released a new single entitled “Cadillac” off their upcoming album via Mascot Records. King Falcon‘s sound is full of brazen signatures that are masterful and spicefully groove laden. Their songwriting is impressive. Their tracks capture the true essence of rock and roll and infuse them with modern day influences. In addition, King Falcon‘s tunes have charismatic vocals, strong melodies, ferocious guitar riffs and addictive hooks. The group recalls artists like Black Keys and Tame Impala.

King Falcon is comprised of Michael Rubin (Vocals/Guitar), James Terranova (Bass) and Tom Diognardi (Drums). “Cadillac” is an enjoyable romp that is truly infectious. It has a bold swagger and an insatiable beat. Rubin’s vocals are upfront and adventurous, The backbeat of Terranova and Diognardi is profoundly solid. The entire track screams summer fun. You will be blasting “Cadillac” driving down the highway with the top down. The song was produced by Marshall Altman (Citizen Cope, Kenny Wayne Shepherd) and mixed by Mark Needham (The Killers/Imagine Dragons).

Michael Rubin was kind enough to sit with AMP to discuss all things King Falcon.

AMP: Can you give our readers a little history of the band?

MICHAEL: James and I were in another band before King Falcon. It was called Inoculated Canaries. The music was a little more jammy. The entire band teaches at the School Of Rock and one day one of my students’ dad, who happens to be an A&R rep at a label, heard us. He said two things. One, you got to change the name and two, you need to add some beeps and boops to the music. We wondered what the fuck did that mean but after a bit of brainstorming, we figured it meant we needed a little more production.

I grew up a Zeppelin/Floyd guy. So all these new production values like 808s aren’t my thing. Analog rock&roll is more my style. Just turn up the amp and play. It was a bit of a learning curve but I believe King Falcon has meshed the two worlds quite well.

But I digress! King Falcon started out as a two piece. James originally was the drummer in both the Canaries and the first two King Falcon songs. Eventually we realized that we wanted to become a trio. It would be more fun on stage and it’s a bigger sound. Plus, you have a tiebreaker which is really good to have. The only thing was we couldn’t find a bass player but we had a buddy who is a great drummer. Better than James and he’ll admit that. He was in a killer band that disbanded. So he was a free agent. James says, “fuck it! I’ll learn the bass” and the new King Falcon was born!

AMP: Your new single “Cadillac” is quite engaging. Tell us about the release?

MICHAEL: I have this good friend Simon who I’ve have known for about 10 Years. For the whole time I’ve known about this 1957 Eldorado Cadillac he owned but I’ve never had the opportunity to see it. So, one day he gives me a call and tells me to come right over. The car is out of storage. I’m a car guy so to me this is truly exciting. I get there and there’s the Cadillac. After about 15 minutes we get it started.

I say, “Lets go for a ride”! Simons counters with a “no way”! There’s no plates, no registration and it hasn’t been serviced. But I’m an insistent bastard, so off we go. He even lets me drive this beauty. The best thing was all the people staring at us as we drove down the street. They looked at as as if we were the president. I was feeling all this joy when I began thinking what a shame that Simon hasn’t driven this car in 10 years. I knew I eventually would have to steal it from him. That was the impetus for the song. The funny thing is that it’s really Simon and his Cadillac in the video.

AMP: What is your creative process like?

MICHAEL: Me being the singer, I usually drive things. I have to say that the other two member of the band come from different musical backgrounds and they hack and chop at what I bring in. In a good way. It all starts with the melody. You know that band Dance Gavin Dance. We meet them in the studio and they’re super great guys. We talked songwriting and they mentioned that the musicians produce the entire track first and then send it off to the singers to finish.

I couldn’t get my mind around that because I need to get a grip on the vocalist/guitar interaction. For us, it has to follow that line. We want to lay down that melody that’s going to hook you in. Once you capture your audience with that melody, it gives you license to explore other things like where the bridge and guitar solos fit in. I’m a musician first. Singing came later in my career so where I can flourish on my guitar side, it’s a plus. To us, the song is everything!

AMP: You’ve recently added a new member. Do you feel that this has enhanced you sound?

MICHAEL: Yes! Totally! The thing about Tom is that he is somewhat new to the band. He’s been with us for about 2 years but we know him for about 7. As I mentioned before, we all work at the School Of Rock. We always saw Tom at the school and he was always hustling and grinding. The amount of music this guy makes is astounding. We knew he was the right fit for the band. He’s also an upbeat kind of guy. Probably the happiest member of King Falcon.

A few aspects on how Tom enhanced our music. First, Tom is a totally different drummer than James. James is straight forward and a hard hitter. Tom is like a nerd on drums. As an example, our new song is very drum driven and that wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t have Tom. Secondly, James and I are analog people while Tom is all about the digital. It adds another dimension to our sound. Lastly, Tom is the perfect middle ground between James and I. He’s an awesome intermediary. Tom assumes many roles in the band.

AMP: How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard you before?

MICHAEL: That’s tough! The usual comparisons we are given are The Strokes, White Stripes and Black Keys because we are in that neighborhood. But a few people who really follow music have told us that we are hard to pigeonhole because we really don’t sound like anyone else. We tend to mix different feels in our music in order to create our own identity. Basically, it’s all rock&roll.

AMP: How did Covid effect the band?

MICHAEL: At first we thought it was game over because it hit us when we first started out. Our first show at the Bowery Electric in 2020 just didn’t happen. We were devastated because we felt our momentum was cut off before we even got our feet wet. Once we figured out that this was going to be a long event, we decided to use this period to hone our creativity. It gave us time to find our space.

There was no worrying about gigs or marketing. It was just us locked up in a room writing new songs. We ended up writing about 43 songs which we chopped down to 11 for our new album. I’m very confident about the 11 we picked cause we discarded all the others that sucked.

AMP: You got signed to Mascot Records. How did that happen?

MICHAEL: The guy I mentioned before, his name is Irwin, whose daughter was my student, was an A&R rep. The first song we released was “Shake! Shake! Shake!. He heard it and really dug it. So, he recommended we write a song about the heroin epidemic on Long Island (NY). He had lost several close friends and I also lost a 15 year old student. That’s when I wrote “When The Party Is Over”. It came out super dark and our producer wanted us to roll it back a bit.

Then Covid hit and the new lyrics took on a whole new meaning. It felt right for the crazy moment the world was in. That’s the song that made waves for us. We shopped it around to different labels. Mascot sent us a contract within 24 hours. It just felt right.

AMP: Speaking about you producer, how was your experience with Marshall Altman?

MICHAEL: The best way I can describe Altman is that he’s a “No Bullshit” kind of dude. He’s based out of Nashville but he’s originally from New York. He tells you everything straight up without mincing words. We had a few creative differences but that’s important to the process. In addition, Marshall is wicked fast with his ability to come up with great ideas. Not only did he produce our whole album, we also wrote a few songs with him. He’s such a talented producer. Another thing I like about him is the fact that he’s a guitar guy. Not one of my solos got cut. Got to love it!

AMP: On a personal note, what inspired you to become a musician?

MICHAEL: I’m not sure this is the answer you are looking for but I used to play Guitar Hero for hours with my dad. He eventually told me “don’t be a loser” and learn how to play a real one. I got my first guitar for my 10th birthday. It was a Korean Telecaster that was the heaviest guitar ever made. I started taking lesson at the School Of Rock and now I’m here. It all started with my dad and Guitar Hero. You figure.

AMP: What’s the one question you’ve alway wanted an interviewer to ask and why?

MICHAEL: The nerd in me always wants to talk about guitars. I have about 65 and I probably have owned around 100. I’ve owned more guitars than anyone should or needs. There’s this long story about my 1957 Stratocaster that I love to tell. When I was around 14, we played at this Italian fair. That was 10 years ago. After the show an old Italian man comes over. His name is Filippo and he tells me about this Stratocaster he’s looking to sell. I check it out and it is beautiful. I definitely wanted it but he was asking $10,000 and at 14 I didn’t have that kind of money. So I had to pass.

Fast forward to a few years ago. A friend starts talking to me about a guitar he saw on Ebay and sure enough it’s the same guitar. I call the guy up and lo and behold, it’s Filippo. I go over to his house and we discuss guitars for about three hours. He then tells me that instead of $10,000, he’s willing to accept $4,000. I run over and drain my bank account and I buy the Strat.

Here’s the crazy part. A few weeks go by and my grandfather comes over. Immediately he says he recognizes the strat. He comments, “that’s Filippo’s guitar”. It turns out he played in a band with Filippo back in Italy in the 60s and proceeds to show me a CD with a photo him and Filippo with Filippo holding my guitar. Totally blew me away. I’ve already been offered $20,000 for it but this one has to much history. This one is with me to the end.

AMP: What’s next for the band?

MICHAEL: We are currently working on a tour. We have a couple of dates booked in August. There’s a date in Philly and one in Louisville. Our next big show is June 10th at Industry in Huntington, Long Island. Also, the release date for our album is around late Sept. or early Oct. Moreover, our next single will be out soon. It’s called “Ready Set Go”. The rest of 2023 is going to be nuts.

To learn more about King Falcon, check out their website

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Stream music:  Spotify / Apple Music

Purchase:  Amazon

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