January 2, 2011 / admin / Comments Off on Kill By Inches – Kings In Queens (Instrumental)
Kings In Queens is probably my all time favorite KBI jam. The song is a stew of musical styles dominated by a deep, super low groove. Rather than come up with a different guitar riff, I just followed Kevin’s bass line and tried to thicken it up. Guitar (Steinberger GM, with EMG 85s) is wearing gauge .011 strings and is tuned down to D. The verse riff is played through the neck pickup and the tone pot was used to boost the bass and create big dirt.
While the words (and vocals) are a huge part of the song I think it more than holds its own as an instrumental and I came across this outtake from a 1998 session.
Underdog was a Kill By Inches crowd fave which survived a few vocalist changes. We recorded a few versions of it, but this was the only one that was released on a demo CD.
Featuring Kevin Oriol on bass, Steve on drums and Alex (me) on guitar this version was recorded at Electric Plant Studios sometime in early 1998. The silly photo is an outtake from the Down To 3hree CD sleeve shoot, taken by Beth Benfatti. (Down To 3hree EP would be recorded in early 1999.)
Another instrumental KBI jam from the 1998 session at Electric Plant Studios. Once again, Kevin Oriol is rocking the bass, Steve beating the crap out of his drums and I’m on guitar. E.F.S. (Everything Fucking Sucks) was one of my all time KBI faves.
Steve wrote the lyrics but then lost them so it always remained an instrumental. (I remember reading the words once and they were really good. Oh, well.)
We’re going all the way back to 1997, to Electric Plant Studios somewhere deep in Brooklyn for a live Kill By Inches session with Shane and Tommy on vocals. Joining the two were Kevin Oriol on bass, Steve Papa on drums and Alex Kolundzija on guitar, with Vin Cin producing the mix.
Stylin’ was a unique and popular KBI jam separated from the rest by its mellow vibe topped with Shane Ali’s awesome rhymes. Never released, this might be a the only recorded version of it.
As the story goes, about a year after this session the band’s lineup would be reduced to only 3 guys, with both Tommy and Shane moving on to other projects. What followed is the Down To Three EP, still available in stores and featured here already with another KBI exclusive.
Btw, for more recent Shane Ali works (including some KBI covers!), check out his page on MySpace. And while at it, be sure to check out Born Of Scars, the band that features KBI’s Steve and Pete (who replaced Alex on guitar many years ago).
Kill By Inches recorded at Electric Plant Studios on many occasions and I’m happy to report that I have a few other sessions as well. Check back soon for more.
