Biography

["The Freq"]

The Band:
Doug Pinnick - Vocals, Bass
Ty Tabor - Vocals, Guitar
Jerry Gaskill - Vocals, Drums

An enduring tempest with ingredients from varied backgrounds. New Jersey, Illinois, and Mississippi provided the raw material. The rest was left to the singular vision of the band themselves (with some direction along the way).
Doug Pinnick hails from Joliet, IL and grew up in a "musical" family where everyone either sang or played an instrument. Jerry Gaskill made his way from Bradenton, New Jersey, also part of a long line of musicians. Ty Tabor began playing bluegrass with his family at an early age in Pearl, Mississippi...So, the question beckons, how did they come together?
Doug and Jerry met while both were touring with the Christian rock band Petra, simple enough. The two newly found band mates happened upon a gig at Evangel college in Springfield, MO and their imagination was captured by a blazing young guitar player... Doug and Jerry felt charged by the performance and went home to look up this guitar player in the college directory! Jerry's wife at the time, Grace, tracked down the name: Ty Tabor. After some gigging in and around the same area with differing/overlapping acts they decided to form a band of three, initially called 'The Edge'. The year was 1980, the burgeoning band decided (out of neccessity) to specialize in cover tunes of the popular rock songs of the day as well as nods to the past (ranging from Top 40 to Beatles, The Police and U2). 'The Edge' frequented the Missouri bar circuit for a few years gathering a moderate but loyal following (allowing the band to eek out a living). Incidentally, although quite old, many of these early live recordings and demos still exist today and are available in the King's X trading fan community.

Enter 1983: The band decided to change their name (however ill advised, they had built up a loyal local following) and start playing more original pieces. So at a gig for "The Edge" the new name was unveiled... "Sneak Preview". A hush came over the crowd, actually more like a deafening silence. Here they were with a modest following and they decide to switch their name stunning their current fans. Be that as it may, the band plowed on, playing a combination of covers but now mixing in some of their nascent original material. 'Sneak Preview' released a self titled LP under the same name with all original material in 1984. The material is best described as 80's pop (in the vein of U2 or the Police) but is still of landmark interest to King's X fans as the genesis of some later King's X songs have heavy roots in this album. Most notably the track "The Door" which later became "Picture" on the band's 1996 'Ear Candy' album released 13 years after the initial music was recorded. Additionally the solo from 1991's "Faith Hope Love" album track "I Can't Help It" appears on the Sneak Preview song "Inside Outside". In 2003 the band rerecorded many of these early Sneak Preview (and Edge) tracks to release them on the retrospective album "Black Like Sunday". The tracks that were Sneak Preview songs are: "You're the Only One" and "Dreams". A second set of demos were recorded for a possible second Sneak Preview album but no album was ever released under this moniker again.

With a record under their belt the band was lured to Houston in 1985 with the promise of an actual full on recording deal. The original deal went the way of the dodo and fell through but the band struck a chord of luck meeting up with then Z.Z. Top video producer Sam Taylor. Taylor spotted their talents and took them under his wing. Taylor suggested they change their name to "King's X", after a local band he was fond of in high school, the name stuck. After several attempts, King's X finally scored a deal with the independent Megaforce label. The band performed a scorching live set for Jon and Marsha Zazula of Megaforce and the iron was finally right for striking. The story goes as thus, Marsha Zazula saw their tape with the name "Sam Taylor", incidentally she had a personal friend with the same name. So instead of throwing the cassette on the pile she listened and fell for the sound of King's X. Megaforce set the band up for a live performance and according to the band in many interviews Jonny Z signed them right then and there after the stirring live performance.

Now, secure with the long sought after record deal, they were set to release their debut album, Out of the Silent Planet, in 1988. Critics and musicians took immediate notice of the band's unique blend of Beatle's style vocal harmonies with Black Sabbath power riffs mixed with a positive sometimes spiritual theme. Taylor had pushed the band to pursue their talents to the limit (especially vocally), even perhaps to the point of being over-bearing. It is hard to argue with the results. The band had showed signs in places on the old material but clearly this new material with it's focus on harmonies, heaviness and musical adeptness was to be the first footprint in the proverbial path that would mark the career of King's X. The band toured Europe to packed houses garnering fans all over the world including other musicians and garnered "the next best thing" status in many magazines.

Springboard 1989: The track "Over My Head," from Gretchen Goes to Nebraska (the second album), received a moderate amount of airplay on radio and MTV, and the band found even more widespread favor with critics and fellow musicians (many fans and critics consider the second album an absolute classic/all time album). Again Taylor pushed the band to almost the standard of perfection, as some of the sounds on the CD are rubbing guitars on the studio walls, and overdubs of overdubs of parts. There was massive attention to detail, every note was a chore. Some may say it is hard to argue with the results even if this may be a sign of a splinter point growing between the band and Sam Taylor.

The third album, Faith Hope Love by King's X, was the first album to reach the Top 100, due to the success of the single "It's Love," (oddly enough Ty handles the lead vocals on this song, where as Doug does on most of the material) and its success led to a major-label deal with industry giant Atlantic records. The band toured extensively (the US and Europe) in support of the album touring with many notable acts including AC/DC and Living Colour. During this period they embarked on a promotional mini-tour of all acoustic material showcasing their musicianship to local radio stations all the way from Texas up to Rhode Island. Many of these amazing acoustic performances survive today. There was a bit of strife on this album. As was his way Taylor extracted much out of the band but was his prescence starting to wear on them? Only time would tell. Taylor had the bible quote (corinthians) put in the album without the band's permission. To this point the band tried to not be "a christian band". They only wanted to be "a band who happened to be christians". They shied away from the religious tones but Rolling Stone magazine did a piece on them that painted them as such. Many site this article as a big detriment to the career of the band. The song "Legal Kill" is a direct commentary on abortion and to date is probably the band's most "political song". Doug did not want this song on the album for that reason but 2 votes out of 3 are a majority.

Their debut with new suitor, Atlantic records, 1992's King's X, did not do as well as the previous album and was marred by the band's "break up" with Sam Taylor (see the Dogman song 'Fool You'). The band toured extensively in support of the record but had to come home from the tour to fight legal battles. The song "Black Flag" received moderate airplay on the radio and the video was featured in an episode of MTV's "Beavis and Butthead". The band tried hard to promote with appearances on MTV's "Hangin with MTV", Headbanger's Ball, and getting a track on the soundtrack for the movie "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" but unfortunately this album was a lower point compared to "Faith Hope Love". The band is tight lipped about what actually happened with Sam Taylor but suffice it to say it wasn't a harmonious divorce. A new direction was needed.

The band, in search of something different from the tight reign of Sam Taylor, teamed up with producer Brendan O'Brien (Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam) for 1994's Dogman. The album was considered a break from the norm of King's X, where vocal harmonies and musicianship still were the key, Doug handled the lead vocals for the entire album. Another notable quirk of this recording was Ty's switch to Mesa-Boogie amps and to Zion guitars (custom built Ty Tabor model). The theme of the album was less "sprititual" and more "down to earth" (and considered by some "harsh" or "heavier". The title track "Dogman" has become a staple in the band's live shows and was the only song to have a video made for it on this album. Atlantic seemed to have better marketing on this one with a line up of sold out shows including an appeareance at the Woodstock '94 festival (the live version of 'Over My Head' from this performance was released on the band's Best Of Album in 1997), various TV appearances (MTV "Headbangers Ball", The Jon Stewart Show, The Dennis Miller Show), and a brief tour opening for Pearl Jam. The band was at a peak.

The next release, 1996's Ear Candy, saw the band fallen out of favor with Atlantic records probably due to lackluster sales of "Dogman". The band orignally had support at the label from Doug Lienig but now that he was gone the backing dissapeared. Atlantic needs to sell millions of records but at this point it didn't seem as though King's X would ever crest that hill of mass acceptance. The band had grown tired of trying for the "hit album" and had released Ear Candy without trying to pressure themselves in any direction. Many rumors of the bands demise were fostered and even printed at this time. Take the first track of Ear Candy, The Train:
"Last time aboard the train that goes around the world". A tour followed Ear Candy and the venues and crowds were noticeably smaller. The band was ready for a change. Atlantic produced a lesser amount of the Ear Candy CDs than previous records and the CD is already out of print.

To part ways with Atlantic, via satisfying their contract, the band put out a "Best Of" album which in retrospect should have been called "Best of the first half of our career". The Best of album featured reamastered tracks (done by Ty Tabor), three new songs, and a live track (from Woodstock, mentioned previously). The band did a scant few gigs during this period playing their "hits". After purveying many offers the band landed on Metal Blade records with whom they have had a working relationship with for some time (and also the label has supported other Houston rock groups notably Galactic Cowboys and Atomic Opera, both of whom share a long history with King's X - they also moved to Houston from Missouri in search of the 'big break').

This brings us to 1998. King's X released their debut album with Metal Blade records titled Tapehead. The album was recorded and written in a matter of days and was completely produced (including artwork etc) by the band, a totally new wrinkle in the fabric X. An exhausting and extensive world tour followed, marking the first time the band had toured europe in approximately 8 years. The touring lasted nearly two full years as the band really pushed to get out on the road to support the album and re-awaken the fan base. Venue attendance for the band had seen a steady decline since the "Dogman" era. Many things contributed to this. Lack of promotion from Atlantic was a big factor and also the band let their web prescence lapse as Ty was going through marital problems which led to his divorce. Doug had come out in a christian online magazine and Jerry was the focus of a murder plot against him. In a new beginning there was a dark cloud. What is a band to do? They do what they do, make music.

The band began to emerge into a new freeness. Doug and Ty both released solo albums, unallowed in the Taylor regime. This new freedom was apparent in their writing. Ty also branched out to record with legendary musicians Rod Morgenstein (Dixie Dregs/Winger) and John Myung (Dream Theater). The 'Platypus' project led the way to the next King's X album.

The second Metal Blade release Please Come Home... Mr. Bulbous was released on 5.23.2000 and once again the band toured Europe and the United States extensively. As has become their signature the band generally hangs out after the shows being more than gracious in meeting their fans. Mr. Bulbous was a strange departure from the groove rock of Tapehead. Mr. Bulbous employs lush harmonies and odd song structures in many places.. along with some abstract, even silly lyrics. "She's Gone Away" has become a signature live track. Like the previous record the band wrote the songs on the spot instead of bringing in demos and working from there. This album delved into more "art rock" as there is even spoken word included ! Incidentally this album was leaked out about 6 months prior to release and saw a rapid expansion of piracy over the net on the USENET group and other forums. The impact on sales regarding this leak is not known.

In the wake of Bulbous, 2001 marked the first year one of the band's solo projects actually toured. "Poundhound" (Doug's solo project) launched a US tour on 4.8.2001 in support of his "Pineapple Skunk" release (second solo album). The tour saw moderate to very poor turn out due to poor promotion. Doug handled lead guitars on the tour, quite a departure from King's X.

King's X released their third effort on Metal Blade on 9.25.2001 entitled "Manic Moonlight". Yet another departure from their previous trends as the band used drum loops and atmospheric elements to craft this album and structure the songs. The song "Vegetable" has become a live monster often ranging into the 13-15 minute range. "Static" has also become a concert favorite from this record. The album was recorded in a short time much like the previous two but the loops threw fans for one. King's X had released a love it or hate it record perhaps for the first time.

2002 turend out to be a busy year. Extensive touring for King's X and Ty was involved in the release of 4 CDs this year ("The Jelly Jam" (Rod Mogenstein, John Myung, Ty Tabor), "Jughead" (Matt Bissonette, Gregg Bissonette, Derek Sherinian, Ty Tabor) "In The New Age" (Ty's ambient/new age CD) and his 3rd solo effort "Safety"). A second Jelly Jam CD was recorded as well for release in 2004. The band turned the song "Believe" into a live staple during this time. With Doug's vocal treatment you could argue it is the new "Over My Head" live.

King's X also decided to embark on a fall 2002 arena tour opening for Dream Theater and Joe Satriani. Following the Satch tour King's X toured in support legendary rocker Ronnie James Dio. Keeping to this trend in search of new fans King's X toured with Fishbone as well as other acts. Clearly the band was looking to find a new audience while still coddling the long time fans that are more loyal than rabid dogs who haven't been fed in two months. Ty Tabor also launched his own website (TyTabor.net) and the official website of King's X was now KingsXOnline.com. Now fans could instantly keep in touch with the goings on of the band. Ty also released his 3rd solo album "Safety" which chronicles his thoughts and feelings regarding his divorce. The album was tough for Ty to release which is laid out in the liner notes of the CD. Ty put his heart on the wall for all to see on this record.

King's X's 2003 release, "Black Like Sunday" was a retrospective back into the days when the band was in their infancy. For this album the band formed their own label, "Brop!" records. Brop! is a reference to something in Ty's youth (an inside joke apparently). Once again this album is a departure from their other work. The band went back and resurrected some of their earliest original works to re-record them as is, lyrics and all. The result is a more straight forward album compared to say, Mr. Bulbous, but perhaps you can hear their influences even clearer with this early material.

2004: The live album is finally unleashed. After many years of fan badgering and waiting for Atlantic to not own their material the band released a live album "Live All Over The Place". The recording is a raw interpretation of a typical King's X show. The double CD includes a quasi-acoustic set which that band added for the Black Like Sunday tour. Those familiar with the band know the live experience backs up the band's solid reputation in the industry. They don't just sing and play great in the studie, they can do it live just as well. This year also marked the release of Jerry's first solo album "Come Somewhere".

Onward to 2005, King's X released the highly acclaimed studio
album "Ogre Tones" with the support of 2 videos, one for the song "Alone" and the other for the song "If". The American Tour just wrapped up with a recent tour abroad coming soon.

currently jerry's three sons are all doing well
ty's son is doing well with the air force
doug is doing well

this is a story that continues to evolve
Long live King's X...

This bio was written by David M. Koblentz
from the King's.net site
with the addition of the Ogre Tones info done by
yours truly. :-)