King 810 - Memoirs of a Murderer

Growing up 45 minutes from the border gave me the opportunity to see the progression/digression one of USA's most prominent economic hubs...Detroit "Motor" city.  I recall many times driving/taking the bus across the border for baseball games, concerts, car shows, etc.  Most events turned out absolutely great while others were situations you would half expect in a city of peaking at around 1.2 million (approximate numbers for 1980).  Fast forward to today and we see Detroit at a mere 680,000.  The decline of the economy resonated to other neighbouring communities.

Sixty six miles north of Detroit stood one of these neighbouring communities called Flint, MI.  It reminded me of my hometown Chatham to some degree.  Both cities has major promise of big economic changes with auto manufacturers like GM and International setting up shop and giving people a lot of work.  And much like Chatham, that industry disappeared when companies pulled the plugs on major manufacturing lines and outsourced to other cities/countries.  My hometown's blow back was shitty, but ultimately was replaced with call centers, department stores, and fast food joints for work.  Flint's economic turmoil did not recover as well, giving the city the title of one of the "most dangerous city in America".

We've seen time and time again that hard times can still produce interesting outcomes.  Frustration and desperation can sometimes be turned into a positive and allow some creativity to merge through.  Now these guys that I am talking about have done just that.  While the group seems to be playing some sort of gimmick that makes them stand out from other bands (makes sense since they are signed to Roadrunner Records), I am truly interested in the message they are putting forth.  Enter Flint, Michigan's King 810.  2012 was the very first time I heard about them and it went something like this...

“Some band from Flint somehow ended up playing in between 7H7E. They over-ran by like 30 minutes, and when the sound guy tried to unplug them, a bunch of dudes threatened to kick the shit out of him. Some guys got beaten up, there were baseball bats (apparently) and barbed wire. Some kind of “gang” thing. Fuckin sketchy as hell.

So thanks to King for beating the shit out if everybody and making the contortionist and everybody leave. Go sell crack in flint and stay out of Lansing. You ruined a night that was supposed to top them all…” -Heavy Blog Is Heavy

I am all about having fun at shows and making sure no one gets hurt, it's kind of hard to avoid a lifestyle that these guys SEEM to live and breathe...especially when the band is from the regional area and they have a loyal following.  While I hear many bands come onto the scene preaching words of violence, frustration, and anarchy there are very few who I feel actually have the background where lyrics are more truth revelations rather than fabled stories.

"I grew up in the church on Sunday

Back again, bury friends on Monday

They don't just die

They are killed from the gun-play

Or the heroin

Or a prison stay"

Anyone can swear on an album and make it seem hardcore.  Any group can put some blood and weapons on their album cover and look violent.  What I am getting from King 810 is a history lesson in what this city deals with on a daily basis.  The band biography does seem a little sensationalized, but give it a read nonetheless to give you some background to these guys.  The one part that stuck with me was "Memoirs of a Murderer is an embodiment of KING 810’s life within this pressure cooker, a glimpse into the personal account of this disappearing metropolis where tree branches live longer than the children do".  The guys managed to jump on as an opening act for this year's Rockstar Mayhem Festival and from the looks of the music video they created from it, they had a decent amount of people interested in this message they were getting across.

I didn't live near these guys and cannot confirm the validity of their lifestyles, but the band portrays a bleak image to a town that has been ravaged by unemployment, crime, and vast military conscription.  Well, not so much forced service but one of the only routes to take for a paying job (see Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 for a description into that piece of info).  So through all this violence, crime and anarchy we see the product of King 810 in their debut record "Memoirs of a Murderer" being released on August 19th, 2014 via Roadrunner Records.

1. Killem All
2. Best Nite Of My Life
3. Murder Murder Murder
4. Take It
5. Fat Around The Heart
6. Treading And Trodden
7. Anatomy 1:2
8. Eyes
9. Desperate Lovers
10. Boogeyman
11. Devil Don't Cry
12. Anatomy 1:3
13. Carve My Name
14. War Outside
15. Write About Us
16. State Of Nature 

"David Gunn's vocal performance that makes 'Memoirs Of A Murderer' the modern classic it may well end up becoming. His harrowing, tortured screams during Desperate Lovers are just fucking horrible, leaving the listener in a state of disarray, and spoken-word passages Anatomy 1-2 and Anatomy 1-3 follow a stream of consciousness formula, inviting all to hear of his upbringing." -Stereoboard

So hopefully this gave you some insight into what's going on only a few hours drive away.  Below is a documentary video of King 810 called "Carve My Name", which gives some more visuals and insight into both the band and the city they grew up in.  More will be released in the near future.





So whether King 810 is being arrested by authorities, or having someone carve their logo into their body, or having armed men on stage, I am sure you will see more of them as RR Records will be pushing them as a fresh new act with something to say.  You can also get some previews of "Memoirs of a Murderer" as King 810 is streaming the debut album in full.