By Rachael Alvine
With no
apologies, KING NIKO has come a long way since they hit the studio earlier this
year, just after winning the 2011 City Weekly Music Awards in February. Not only did their single, “Intentions”
dominate on X96 Xposed with Corey O’Brien for over 20 nights, it secured a spot
for Utah’s band of the year at the X96 Big Ass Show (BASH 2011), where they
rocked the crowd of over 8,000 radio fans alongside bands like Neon Trees,
Switchfoot, Group Love and local opener, The Suicycles.
Later
during the festival, King Niko’s lead vocalist, Ransom Wydner, was invited to
sing with nationally touring band, Panic! At the Disco. Speaking of Wydner, Billboard.com says,
“It was a big moment for the local singer, whose band has made waves in Salt
Lake City since forming in 2009, with a west coast tour and the release of
single "Intentions" coming earlier this year” as part of an article
covering the absence of Panic’s lead singer due to illness, and how the guest
performers saved their set.
Todd Nuke
‘Em Noker, Program Director for X96 KXRK, SLC, praised King Niko’s first
recording with Rockfish Record Company saying:
"Intentions" hooked me immediately…worthy of comparison
to any of the top alternative bands on the charts today. Lyrically thoughtful
and meshed with music that is downright catchy as hell, "Intentions"
is a hit. Listener response has been overwhelming; I've never seen anything
like it.
The boys
are back in the studio with Utah music producer, Mateo Coletti of Rockfish
Records, and after much contemplation, have decided on a song they believe will
follow the success of “Intentions”, hopefully giving fans a new look at Utah’s
most popular band and their unique sound.
With
hand-crafted goodness, the songs of King Niko are always “record arm” ready,
but the members of the band joke that producer, Mateo, has earned his badge as
the “6th Niko”, bringing new ideas, musical arrangements and
creative solutions to the table.
Rockfish
and King Niko are recording the new single in the same studio space Neon Trees
used to rehearse for their tour with Duran Duran last month. METCOM STUDIOS, located in downtown
Salt Lake, recently opened their brand new state-of-the-art, fully integrated
and thoughtfully designed studio complex this past summer.
With
beautifully executed acoustic design, the studio space at Metcom is becoming a
favorite for musicians, due to its unique openness and ability for diverse,
flexible setups. King Niko is a
powerful band and it will be interesting to see how the new recording space
affects the variables in sound that emerge with this new project.
The new
single, with working title “Turn It Around”, is a crowd-pleasing, anthem-driven
song with a “seize the day” message for fans, with release date to local and online media outlets by early December.
King Niko
will be on one of Utah's top news stations, KUTV’s "2News This Morning" - from 5am - 8am this Friday, 11/11/11, with featured appearances
and performances during segments each hour.
