Canadian rockers Texas King buried themselves in work during the challenging times of Covid and the end result is that the found themselves in a more creative place. Formed in 2012 by front man and lead-singer, Jordan MacDonald, Texas King soon grew to be a four person collective with Colin Gray as lead guitar and back-up vocals, Phil Spina on bass, and Rob Shipway on drums. Their EP Changes is a lush, southern-esque experience from one of Canada’s most charming bands.
Modern Frequency sat down with the band to talk influences, making music remotely during covid, and criss crossing from Canada into the United States.
Where did you get the band’s name from?
Jordan McDonald: It’s a play on words. When I was a young kid, before I was adopted, my name was Austin James. I just took Austin Texas King James and if you read between the lines it’s just Texas King.
I hear a range of Southern influences in your music.
JM: We, as band, listen to a lot of different stuff. I listen to a lot of Kings of Leon. We were talking about Lifehouse the other day. I like the Black Keys.
Do you prefer old school or new school Kings of Leon?
JM: When we were becoming a band around 2012, I was obsessed with Kings of Leon. My favorite album from them is Come Around Sundown.
What are your goals with your new EP Changes?
JM: I think it came around at a time when there’s a big change in the world, especially with Covid. I was trying to convey that with our listeners. Change is good. The theme is to hang in there, that you’re not alone, and to see yourself on the other side. Covid can be looked on as a negative, but there’s always a silver lining.
Changes was worked on during Covid, then?
JM: A lot of the pre pro was done on zoom. It was very weird.
Phil Spina: The songs were kind of a mixture. Some of the songs that ended up on the EP were formed during pre-covid.Then some of it was written during covid as well. We sat down with the producer, there were a pile of demos that we went through and then we chose the songs that we kept for the EP. The actual track listing were a mix.
How does one record over zoom?
PS: Mostly we sent tracks back and forth. When we met on a zoom call, we talked with the producers.
JM: We recorded ideas in our homes and sent them to the rest of the band. I would demo suggestions. Then we had to fly to Toronto to produce it. In a sense, zoom was held as a coach time. We took notes at the time. When it was time to record, we pulled them out.
Your current tour sees you criss crossing from Canada into the U.S. How is the touring experience?
PS: We just did Detroit. That tour is up the air right now. That tour was officially cancelled.
JM: There are dates in Philly, Buffalo, etc. but we will be back. We get to wake up in a new city everyday. We try to keep a high energy show. I like dancing on the stage.
PS: It’s great to see the audience sing back the lyrics to our songs.
Is it a goal to break into the States?
JM: It’s been a goal for a few years now. We switched management companies a bit ago. We want to venture into the States and maker a splash. We are still indie.
Melvin Murray: Finding a record label in the U.S. will take some time, but it will definitely be something that we want.
What is your single “You” about?
JM: That’s a song that’s a message in disguise. It’s a self dialogue. I believe in several selves. It’s a conversation between our several selves. It’s an inner conversation. It’s quite scattered, but we are really happy about how the song and video turned out.
Who are your favorite Canadian artist or rock band?
MM: Devon Townsend. He’s not just Canadian artist, though. He’s a very melodic artist and has an established career.
JM: Our producer, Peter van Helvoort, from Teenage Kicks. He has a band called Darling Congress now. Its his sensibilities around writing and lyrics. As soon as he starts a verse, I know exactly what he’s talking about.
PS: The Honest Heart Collective.
Is it easier to promote yourself as band nowadays via social media?
PS: You have to be more creative. You can’t rely on radio breaking you. You have to be more creative as a band because it’s much more competitive. It’s all how you run your social media and pages.
JM: Most of the bands that we look up to have been doing it for years. This a mental fortitude that is required in this game.
What’s up for the rest of the year?
JM: Continuing writing, producing acoustic songs, and making a full length.
