Once you get the logo of your band tattooed on your right arm, you’ve pretty much got to make it work. Take it from Jason Thomas Gordon, lead singer and founding member of Kingsize. He had a vision of what he thought the perfect band could be. The tattoo was a promise to himself that he would make it happen. Otherwise, he’d have to live with the failure of his dreams stained on his skin forever.
What Kingsize offers is more than just unrepentant rock ‘n’ roll. The sound is big. The songs are big. And their dreams are even bigger. “I want our records to be as strong in people’s hearts as any classic you can think of – Sgt. Pepper, Born to Run, The Joshua Tree, Innervisions,” says Jason. “Isn’t that the point?”
The Los Angeles based band (Jason-vocals; Cary Beare on guitar; Matt DelVecchio on bass and Andrew Crosby on drums) was formed amid – practically in protest of – the lukewarm singer-songwriter scene that had somehow taken the place of the city’s once legendary rock and roll sound. After all, this was the birthplace of The Byrds, The Doors, and punk icons, X. ‘These are desperate times and all local music can muster is a whimper,’ says Jason, ‘I want someone to shout from the rooftops!’ But, Jason, was still the drummer when the band started in late ’07. It was his longtime friend, Cary, who convinced Jason that he should be the one shouting.
Perhaps Kingsize’s most potent weapon is the chemistry between its primary songwriters. Jason recalls, ‘Cary said if you sing your own lyrics I’ll back you up on guitar. It was a life or death decision for me. Truly. I said okay.’ Rebellious, romantic, and idealistic – that’s L.A. native Jason. “He jumps in with both feet and never looks back,” says Cary. “He’s one of the most passionate people I know.” Meanwhile Jason refers to Cary as “Tom Sawyer in outerspace.” The guitarist splits his time between Los Angeles and a 40-acre farm in the mountains of Idaho. When he’s not working on a sawmill or tending to the land, he’s shaping the sonic universe of Kingsize.
Completing the lineup are Matt and Andrew. Matt joined Kingsize, “to play the kind of rock ‘n’ roll that isn’t being represented right now.” He’s been at it since he was a kid, but it wasn’t until one of the band’s songs became the opening theme for the CBS TV show “Gary Unmarried” that his family “realized making a living doing music was more than just a dream.” Andrew caught the bug early too. “I’m like the Charlie Watts of the band, minus the suit,” he jokes. Given that Jason was the original drummer the two have had their fair share of spirited discussions. “We butt heads sometimes because Jason will hear a part one way and I’ll it hear another,” says Andrew. “I usually win,” He pauses, “Usually.”
Perhaps their similar backgrounds help keep the peace. Jason’s grandfather is late comedian, Danny Thomas, who founded St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Andrew’s father is comedian Norm Crosby, a longtime ambassador for the City of Hope. The men were friends in the comedy world before Jason and Andrew were even born. But, both agree that their family’s humanitarian efforts are what they are proud of most.
On Kingsize’s two companion EPs, The Good Fight and The Bad Night, the foursome have created a sound that lives somewhere between the Replacements and Pink Floyd. That’s who they are as a team. And somehow it more than works. It feels new.
On The Good Fight EP, Kingsize’s full-bodied riffs and thought-provoking lyrics are put to use on songs ranging from “Miss America,” a heart grabbing pop hit, to the street swagger of “536” to the haunting “House on Fire.” There’s something about the way these songs are written that allow room for the listener to stick their own lives inside. A song that could be about a broken relationship one day could be about broken politics the next.
The Good Fight’s cover art is as compelling as the material inside. The famous shot depicts a lone man standing defiantly in the path of oncoming tanks in China’s Tiananmen Square. The image inspired worldwide outrage when it hit the AP wires in 1989 amid the Chinese government’s massacre of thousands of pro-democracy activists. Over the years many bands have been told they couldn’t use the image. But Kingsize wouldn’t take no for an answer. They found a way to get to photojournalist, Jeff Widener, personally. “I wrote him a letter and asked if he’d take a listen to the EP,” recalls Jason. “I told him I wanted the band to sound like that picture.” Soon after Jason got a call from the Pulitzer Prize nominee himself. Jeff loved what he heard and Kingsize became the only band to ever receive permission to use the photo as an album cover.
Meanwhile, The Bad Night is, according to Jason, The Good Fight’s “dirty sister.” Raw, sexy, and combustible, the EP includes their tried-and-true crowd pleaser “Rabbits”, a track that divides the band. “Half of us hate it and think it’s a joke,” says Jason. “Half of us love it and don’t,” chides Cary in return. Andrew sums it up best by calmly stating , “Let’s just say it’s the one song that’s always an issue when it’s time to write the set list.” Matt just sits back with a big grin on his face. Jason and Andrew may have lost this round. A video for the song will be finished this March. Watch it and you’ll see one of Hollywood’s top stars make a special appearance.
Next up? The band is almost finished recording their debut album, All These Machines, and this is the record Kingsize has been dying to make. “The EP’s were us figuring out who we were,” says Jason, “This album is who we are. It’s about what happens when all the things you depend on stop working – spiritually, emotionally, politically. What then?”
The answer to that question will be coming soon.
-Laura Morgan
