JK- My name is Jason "King" Kendall from the Amazing Royal Crowns, well actually from the Amazing Crowns now. I sing for them, and we've been together for about five years, 4 and a half, five years now. We're based out of Providence, Rhode Island. We play sort of a mix between punk and rockabilly, it's energetic. That's about it.

TLA- I know you're musical stylings have been classified as punkabilly. Now, are you guys happy with that? Do you like being pigeonholed into one thing?

JK- I don't think we...it's gonna happen to a lot of bands. They get pigeonholed no matter what you do, but we're just rock and roll really, when you really boil it down. People call us that, we don't mind it, I think we transcend that, if you listen to the album it's not just one sound. What are you gonna do, y'know? Hopefully you will end up climbing out of that hole people always tend to put you in.

TLA- Absolutely. Now, I was able to catch your show at South By Southwest. Yeah, it was a wild show. The crowd seemed really, really responsive. Is that something you guys are used to? Or is this a new kind of thing with the amount of people that are showing up to your shows now?

JK- No, no it's something we strive for. Actually, we do very well in Austin, we've been there a few times. Our type of music, it has to have some, well it doesn't have to, but man, if we get an audience that doesn't know us, it's a challenge, it's great. The other night we played State College, PA and it was a radio show, so the kids that were there didn't know a lot about us. A few kids did, but most of them didn't. But, we turned them around into what we do. Which is great, it's what we live off of, getting an audience into it. We're not the kind of band that would just sit there and look at their shoes. TLA-Now, how did you guys all come together?

JK- Jack and I knew each other in Providence and we all formed around in Providence. We went through a few drummers, unfortunately, but our drummer Judd we have now is the powerhouse. He was there, you saw him there, at South by Southwest. Just for our mutual love of rockabilly and the punk rock scene, y'know where everybody obviously came into the punk scene then got into the rockabilly scene. To us it's, our fathers, our mothers were into it. It's something that's very natural for us. It's a very American kinda...y'know what I mean? A working class form of music that it just feels completely natural. Ir's funny my father is like 'wow, I can't believe you're into this stuff y'know? This is so funny. I remember sneaking into a theater and seeing the Big Bopper and (Screaming Tree?) Hawkins. He'd tell me these stories, Hawkins is one of my favorite...one of my idols. Not one of my idols, but a great, great musician that I really dig. So it's just natural for us to listen to this.

TLA- Speaking of lineup change, I understand that someone has recently left the band?

JK- Yep. The Colonel. He has a two-year old son that he just can't bear to be away from anymore. Y'know, touring's hard. We tour an awful lot. Pretty much everybody has foregone apartments, girlfriends, jobs everything just to be on the road. I think we did about 270 dates last year, we're looking pretty good this year to. So, yeah, he stayed home, he wants to be with his son and that's cool. He helped us find a guitarist, and actually we're real excited about our new guitarist. His name's Greg Burgess and Johnny, our ol guitarist, actaully helped us find him. So, it was an amicable departure. Something that he needed to do, and we support it completely. If that's what he has to do, I mean you can't argue with a kid, y'know?

TLA- So your new guitarist comes from...

JK- He comes from Boston.

TLA- Ok, what other kinds of bands has he been in?

JK- Well, he was in a rockabilly band called the Speed Devils and he was also in a surf band called the Fathoms. He's just always...he comes from the same background that we do. Punk rock, rock and roll, and rockabilly.

TLA- Touring seems to be a big topic with a lot of the bands I talk with. A lot fo people really like touring, they'd rather be ouring than at home with their families. What is it for you?

JK- It's pretty much the same in a way. It seems weird. When I'm at home, it seems like I'm disconnected now. I couch surf when I'm home now. I don't need an apartment when I'm home because we tour so much. So yeah, I'd much rather be touring. It's something you spend your lifetime...when you form a band and start thinking all the early years about touring, like I can't wait until this I can't wait until that. Then you do it and two years later you've been on the road constantly, and then you have to ask yourself do you like this or not? We've all asked ourselves that and the answer is yes that we love it. There's no better feeling than getting to an audience or going someplace you've been before and have people waiting to see you.

TLA- Ok, let's talk personal here. Again, I was on your website, and the amount of women and girls who come on there with the cup overfloweth of love for you is amazing.

JK- I don't know what to say about that.

TLA- I can tell it hasn't gone to your head then.

JK- Well, I hope, I don't know...it freaks me out to tell you the truth and I will never let it go to my head. I don't know what to say. I'm glad that they're into the band, y'know? But I'm glad that you don't realize it's me writing all those things

TLA- (laughs) Now, when you go to shows and you have all these screamning women, does it make it hard...I don't know if you're in a relationship or not...

JK- I'm not

TLA- Ok, then, how has it been...I'm sure your girlfriends have been a little uneasy with that whole thing.

JK- Ok, I have an answer for that. When I started the band with these guys, when we all started the band, I was in a...it was pretty serious, we we're living together and first of all, the reason we broke up is because I was on the road all the time and I'm sure that coupled with the fact that, there's girls. I don't know, I'm not going to say one thing or the other because it all seems goofy to me. But yeah, I don't think that helped at all. It's weird. It's really strange, because I know persoanlly that you're getting into a wide area here that I could talk about forever. I've thought about it a lot, musicians being on the road and not being able to keep a relationship. You just have to find someone that's totally not so insecure. Totally right with themselves and can deal with those things. So, I don't know what's going to happen. but yeah, my ex-girlfriend didn't dig it at all.

TLA- So now you're living the single life, you have a lot of family and friends to depend on for that, so how is the touring for you guys is it straight touring or partying or a little bit of both?

JK- It 's a little bit of both, it depends. You know, we make a lot of friends on the road. And the scene that we're in is a pretty close knit scene, so a lot of people know the scene and come out and support it. So certain parts, like New Orleans, and some parts of Florida and it just happens, y'know what I mean? We're definitely not keeping to ourselves all the time. But, you have to have fun, because it's your life. Really, that's all we do right now. So you can't just stick to the band all the time. Yeah, a little bit of partyin'.

TLA- So how many concerts have you just picked up, picked up...how amazing is that?

JK- That's gonna be AMAZING! When are we playing in Baton Rouge? Do you know?

TLA- I have no idea.

JK- I wonder if we're playing the Varsity.

TLA- No idea. I know that this way you guys will be playing some radio kind of thing in Riverside.

JK- Riverside? Really?

TLA- Yeah. I know that Reverend Horton Heat is playing two days out here at the House of Blues.

JK- I don't think we're going to be able to play with him, although we would want to..

TLA- Yeah, I think you guys come on the tour a couple weeks after that. But I will be photographing the other show. If you guys happen to come out here..

JK- I wish we were. I like Riverside. We were there with the Cherry Poppin' Daddies. But, I don't want to get off your original question. One of the reasons we got into this, Jack our bassist and I, went to go see REv. Horton Heat, we used to go see him before he had anything out and for me, it was like 'wow this is the same thing we're into, and he's doing it.' And Jack went out and got the stand up and he's amazing now, we just did 4 dates on the Warped Tour. We've known those guys for a while and we've supported them, Rev. Horton Heat, and it was cool Jimbo was always lookin' at what Jack was doin'. And Jack's become an amazing, amazing bass player. So for us it's kind of a fulfillment of what we've been working towards. And they offered it to us, we didn't go for it or any thing, it just came out of the blue, y'know?

TLA- So that has to be pretty exciting in itself.

JK- Yeah. It's exciting as the show we also did, a Cramps tour.

TLA- Ahhh.

JK- And that was pretty damn good, too.

TLA- So speaking of such, maybe should we maybe look for you next year at Hootenanny?

JK- Oh I hope so. I hope they ask us to do it, we'd love to do it.

TLA- I had the pleasure of going to Hootenanny for two days and it was an amazing display of music, it was awesome.

JK- Great. I hope to God they let us play that, I hope they ask us, because we'll do anything we can to play it because we always wanted to play it. Always.

TLA- So, have you been to the Hootenanny shows?

JK- No, never. I've heard about it forever, I heard all about it, but y'know we tour so much.

TLA- Well the talks are for next year or the year after to start doing it as a major festival tour.

JK- Yeah, that's what I heard to.

TLA- I don't know if that's actually true, keep your fingers crossed that would be really good.

JK- That would be something we would be totally into. You know this whole thing, it's American roots related music . It's such a great thing that it's getting so bigger. Stuff like that definitely has to be supported.

TLA- Let's get a litle on the semi- personal side. I noticed a big thing goin' on with the name change and what not. I've read some of the fans, they aren't very happy with it. How big of a deal, I guess being as PC as you can, how big of a deal is this?

JK- At first we were really scared, we didn't know what to do. We felt we were being forced into something we didn't want to do. Originally we were known as the Royal Crowns, and we had changed the name to Amazing because we had thought that was enough. But obviously other people didn't, and at first we were kinda scared and pissed off, but I'll tell you something it seems natural, I swear to God we have no problem with it now. It's fine, and if it was getting confusing in anybody's mind we don't want that to happen. Because we're not swing, we're definitely not trying to bite off what Crown Review has done in ther history, which is a lot. So, at first we were freaked out by it, buy now it seems okay.

TLA- Now, do you feel a little picked on being that Royal Crown Review, the label that they're on has bands like the Verve and the Verve Pipe?

JK- And because of the fact that there is a band by the name of Crown Royals in Chicago, and a band by the name Royal Crowns in Canada. That's not here nor there, but yeah, we did feel a little picked on, to tell you the truth, but what can you do? Some things happen for a reason. Johnny leaving to take care of his son happened for a reason. We have a guitar player right now that it feels so powerful right now, so on, like never before and we're writing new stuff every day. I think things happen for a reason, and it feels right to me the Amazing Crowns, it really does.

TLA- When are you guys gonna have a new album out?

JK- That album we had actually recorded ourselves and released it ourselves. And it sold like 1,000 immediately, in the first two weeks. Then we released it on an indie label called Monolith. It sold 10,000 there, then got re-released on (Velvel?) without any changes. We wouldn't let it get changed. We didn't want to be unfair to the people that had already bought it. So that's what's on Velvel now, we're getting ready to record a new album.

TLA- So now is it something that's going to be a collector's item because it has the Amazing Royal Crowns on it and are future CD's going to have to change it?

JK- They're gonna have to change the name, yeah. I don' know if they'll be collector's editions, but they'll be different.

TLA- Hopefully, drives the prices up for you guys.

JK- Oh, I don't want that.

TLA- So with what you guys are working on, when can your public expect a new album from you guys?

JK- I'm thinkin' we're gonna get off this tour and get in the studio so we'll start recording in the winter. So I'm not sure how long...fall of next year? But, I don't know.

TLA- And how big of a part has the web played for you guys? I mean, you have your own website, and I've been there quite a few times and this magazine is a web magazine the Internet is kind of huge. Has it done a lot more for you?

JK- I got some real point of views on that. I feel it's done a huge amount for us. Personally, I've been able to get in touch with people that need information or had comments about our band. And I'm at our message board, I answer every single, every single one.

TLA- I noticed that.

JK- But personally, not even like just on the board itself. If they leave an address, it might take a few weeks but I will go through with it. I'll say 'oh thanks for this' or 'the name of the song is this' or whatever, try to get in touch with them. It's a perfect of keeping in touch with your fan base, it's great.

TLA- Do you get the kids who go 'this really isn't you'?

JK- Yeah. (laughter) I get that all the time. You know what's really funny? My AOL account I just got, I had to set it up has been down for a couple weeks. They usually e-mail me at my address, and now they can't, but they found out my mom's address.

TLA- Oh no.

JK- No it's great though, my mom is really funny. So, my mom is talking to all the kids and she called me and goes 'oh yeah, I talked to this girl and this guy' and they really like you and they wanted to know why you didn't sing Bloodstains at that show (laughter)

TLA- Now is it funny, but kind of scary because it's amazing what people can do with technology, like track your mom down?

JK- Yeah it is, actually. But there's been no harm with it, so it's been cool.

TLA- Now, you said it's very important to keep in with your fan base. And I know that's actually becoming the new trend with a lot of bands to stay after shows, talk to fans

JK- Well, the rock star attitude just does yourself a disservice, it's stupid. I don't want to cut you off though, I'm sorry

TLA- No, go ahead

JK- Well for us it's just something, we grew up in that scene with punk rock bands. Bands can break down that barrier between them and the fans, anybody can do it. Actually, people can do this too, any body can do this. It just takes real practice.

TLA- Do you think it will change the bigger you guys get?

JK- I'm hoping no. We tour with the Bosstones a lot, they took us to Australia, we've done 50 dates with them across the US, they took us to the UK. They're friends. One thing I notice about the Bosstones, for a while there they had a #1 hit, I mean the astronauts were waking up to "The Impression That I Get." It was huge. All those shows, like 70,000 kids freaking out, I would see them all the time staying after and talking to kids, for at least an hour after shows if they could.

TLA- Wow.

JK- That's something that's very important to them, and they always help out their friends, they always help out local bands they know grew up around them, and if you don't have that sort of grounded system then you're just why are you doin' it? Business? Yeah, it's not for us, y'know? There's no greater satisfaction that I get than talking to people after shows, and before shows.

TLA- And do you get little screaming girls that actually come up to you and talk to you?

JK- Yeah, yeah. No problems. As long as you're nice to them. Don't act like a famous rock star, y'know?

TLA- Isn't it a little uneasy, though? The difference between going out and having a girl say 'hey, you're kind of cute' and having ten girls come up to you

JK- It's not like they try to come up and back me into a corner or anything, but everybody's different. Some might come up and will comment on the show more than anything.

TLA- Well, what's the most bizarre thing that has happened to you on the road?

JK- A lot of crazy stuff. We've done a lot of crazy stuff. It all seems to circle around van breakdowns.

TLA-(laughs)

JK- I mean, our van has broken down in every possible situation. We were on the Cramps tour, one of the times everybody was sick and had the flu, wrapped up in all these blankets and sweaters, it was on the Cramps tour, I remember it. I passed out in the loft, and we broke down and I was sweating all over the place, I went through a bunch of sweaters and blankets and stuff, I woke up in the middle of the night and the van is moving, but no one's driving it. And I'm like 'Whoa, what's goin' on Hey!', and all of a sudden our drummer Judd looks up from the bench seat, and he said 'Shhh, we broke down, we're being towed, but we have to be quiet' because we couldn't fit five people in the tow truck. So we were hiding, and I was like 'Oh my God' and I just fell back asleep in clammy sweat. And that was a crazy thing, but it was pretty indicative of that tour, stupid stuff happenin'. You mentioned Voodoo Glow Skulls, another time we broke down years and years ago we had to get towed from Jersey to Connecticut for our first show with the Glow Skulls. Again, we hid in the van, this is years before, we hid in the van and there's all this traffic and when we had got there we had missed our showtime, the Voodoo Glow Skulls had already played, but everybody had hung around to see us because it was Connecticut and we do pretty well there. There were like 300 kids in front when we got there, we got out, they saw the van and they started jumping on top of the flateed and hauling equipment out to put in the club. I was like 'what the hell's goin' on'. Voodoo Glow Skulls was helpin' us. It was really funny. We played the set and the Voodoo Glow Skulls stuck around, everybody stuck around, and we had a great, great set. Then we had to go call AAA and get towed back home.

TLA-(laughs)

JK- But we made it.

TLA- And that's the important thing

JK- Yeah, for us, the all-important thing is doing the show. Delivering what you said you were gonna deliver.

TLA- Absolutely. Now, where are the Amazing Crowns going? Where do you want to see the band go?

JK- I want to keep touring, I want to release a new album, I want to release some singles off the album. Just keep goin', just keep goin'. We're having such a great time playing with all these people and meeting all these people, it's a great scene. Rockabilly and punk rock, it's a good scene.

TLA- Do you think that's the next big thing?

JK- I'm not looking for that. I don't know what I see as the next big thing, I don't want to dictate my life by trends. We were doing this 5 years ago when no one was. In our town people were like 'you guys are a bunch of freaks' Greasing your hair back, what do you think you're Mike Ness? Seriously, no one was doing this when we were starting out. So, I don't know what's going to happen in the next few years. But, whatever happens, we're gonna keep doing what we've always done, which is play as hard as we possibly can, have as good a time as we possibly can, and just keep doing it. Be to as true to ourselves and our fans as we ever could be.

TLA- Awesome. So, do you have any final things you want to say to your fans or potential fans?

JK- Just, when you come to our shows, if you're gonna stage dive wear sneakers, better yet don't stage dive at all. No moshing, just dance, because we're not into the boys club thing at our shows. And don't be afraid to yell into the mic.



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