"I've been waiting / Anticipating / For the likes of things to change / Look out my window / I see the moon glow / Looks like another night / Has ended just the same..."
As a music writer I am always reminded how small my view of the sonic arts is. I have reveled in the performance art that is King Khan (Arish Ahmad Khan) in his incarnations as King Khan and the Shrines and for being one half of The King Khan & BBQ Show (their performance at the iconic, infamous Fuck You Fest will be forever burned in my brain). His vast talent as a musician, producer, artist, writer, visionary never ceases to amaze me and learning about his work, his original score on the 'The Invaders' Documentary only adds to my admiration of his talents.
From Press Notes (bracketed):
[Documentary film The Invaders (2022) follows the rise and fall of a militant black power group based in Memphis, TN in the late 1960’s, from its creation, to their final negotiations with Martin Luther King Jr. minutes before his assassination. Filmmaker Prichard Smith’s striking documentary features all new music composed by the legendary King Khan, which is now being released as a beautiful 18-track double LP featuring contributions from Adan Jodorowsky, Saba Lou (Khan’s daughter), Ian Svenonius and more. From full throttle rock tracks to haunting string pieces and propulsive instrumental grooves, these songs also mark a return to the rock world after Khan’s adventurous and acclaimed pair of instrumental jazz/soul albums (2003's The Nature of Things and 2020's The Infinite Ones). A handful of these tracks have previously appeared on limited and now out of print 7”s during the filmmaking process, often in alternate versions, but this mark’s the first time all of Khan’s contributions to The Invaders will be available in one place (and many for the first time).]
On the blistering track "Never Hold Back" featuring Miranda & The Beat's Miranda Zipse in a stunning vocal performance, over Khan's instrumental version "Never Hold On" (from the soundtrack), she elevates the glorious time machine filtered orchestrated blend of blues, jazz, soul, funk, pop and R&B. The bass alone pushes you into a nostalgic place, the pearly guitar shapes, the psychedelic chamber pop string arrangements and Zipse's exquisitely blood and guts vocal countenance hits you squarely in the gut. Love this.
King Khan adds, “The greatest gift I could ever receive is having one of my daughters sing a song I wrote about the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The struggles he faced are still the same, and my family chooses music as our weapon. For this version, Miranda changed the chorus to Never Hold Back, which makes the song even more meaningful. so I dedicate this song to the struggle of our real Indian warriors, be it the Mohawks, Blackfoot or Anishinaabe, we will overcome and bring the bodies of our mothers, daughters or sisters…. we cannot be moved or filed away in some bullshit police office cabinet.”
King Khan releases the original score to The Invaders on Ernest Jenning Record Co. / Khannibalism (pre-order). Today King Khan is pleased to share singles "Never Hold Back / Never Hold On." The instrumental version of "Never Hold On" is the latest track to be released from the vinyl version of the soundtrack, while "Never Hold Back" featuring Miranda Zipse of Miranda and the Beat is a bonus track on the digital release. The songs are on all digital platforms now.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
http://www.hellbound.guru/
King Khan
My name is A. A. Khan (a.k.a. "King Khan" or "the artist formerly known as The Blacksnake"). Welcome to the Art of Khannibalism... featuring music I have recorded and produced from my Moon Studios in Berlin, Germany. Music is my religion and can heal all wounds.... Enjoy these sounds and share them with the ones you love.
Miranda and the Beat
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4gU5B9awyQfxX24z8MwErn
Miranda and The Beat are a Rock and Roll band, w/ all the term might entail. Drawing from traditional rock music (The Dirt Bombs, The B-52’s, MC5, and Ronnie Spector) Miranda and The Beat operate from a clear eyed appropriation of the greats and healthy disregard for blame. Garage, soul, punk, classic rock… pick your poison; the band has plenty to spare. Arriving in New York City in 2018, the band have, through songwriting & performance, proved themselves an essential spark and spearhead to a scene of new blood rockers, bringing a much needed renewal of energy to the New York City scene. Originally a duo of then 21 year old guitarist/vocalist Miranda Zipse and 21 year old drummer Kim “The Beat” Sollecito, the pair added a full band and quickly became known for their tireless, wheel-on-fire live sets driven by Miranda’s captivating stage presence, vocal prowess, and her pyrotechnic (but never indulgent!) melodically slashing guitar work. Their live reputation (and for being neither pushovers nor scumbags) led to collaborations with such childhood idols as The Mystery Lights and Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Soon there was the release of their 7” single Such A Fool, on Jack White’s Third Man Records. One pandemic later, between days/nights spent sweating out piss, vinegar, and track loads of tears in the studio, and a rigorous rehearsal schedule, Miranda and The Beat are monstrous in both sound and vision, and ready to meet the world.
Miranda and The Beat are a Rock and Roll band, w/ all the term might entail. Drawing from traditional rock music (The Dirt Bombs, The B-52’s, MC5, and Ronnie Spector) Miranda and The Beat operate from a clear eyed appropriation of the greats and healthy disregard for blame. Garage, soul, punk, classic rock… pick your poison; the band has plenty to spare. Arriving in New York City in 2018, the band have, through songwriting & performance, proved themselves an essential spark and spearhead to a scene of new blood rockers, bringing a much needed renewal of energy to the New York City scene. Originally a duo of then 21 year old guitarist/vocalist Miranda Zipse and 21 year old drummer Kim “The Beat” Sollecito, the pair added a full band and quickly became known for their tireless, wheel-on-fire live sets driven by Miranda’s captivating stage presence, vocal prowess, and her pyrotechnic (but never indulgent!) melodically slashing guitar work. Their live reputation (and for being neither pushovers nor scumbags) led to collaborations with such childhood idols as The Mystery Lights and Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Soon there was the release of their 7” single Such A Fool, on Jack White’s Third Man Records. One pandemic later, between days/nights spent sweating out piss, vinegar, and track loads of tears in the studio, and a rigorous rehearsal schedule, Miranda and The Beat are monstrous in both sound and vision, and ready to meet the world.
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