the NEW KINGS
2003 - 2009
There was an after-hours vegetarian “food-can” called Ting, run by my pals from La Palette: live music and fancy food & drink from 2am till whenever. Friends started sitting in with Dimestore Orchestra, I started improvising protest music, and The New Kings came to be. It turned into a full on rock band, 5-piece for awhile, then a 4-piece, eventually a 3-piece.
We took our show out of the clubs and into the streets, reclaiming public space. We played from parking spaces and street construction closures; we played from the rooftop of a grocery store for the first Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market. We put out a couple of records and did one tour of Canada
2003 - 2004
Michael Louis Johnson - vox & trumpet
Tarik Zaky - guitar
Dean Drouillard - guitar
Mike Overton - Bass
Jake Oelrichs - drums
Members of the Band
2004 - 2007
Michael Louis Johnson - vox & trumpet
Jud Ruhl - guitar
Darcy Yates - Bass
Lenny Miller - drums
Derick Downham - drums (for a bit)
2008 - 2009
Michael Louis Johnson - vox, trumpet, guitar
Colin Bryden - Bass
Moon - drums
Elsewhere on the Internet
Tim Armstrong heard this song and started playing it on his XM show Radio RANCID!
then we were invited to open the RANCID show at Koolhaus!
December, 2006
video filmed by Benny Zenga
after 5pm road construction work stops. what was a roadway becomes public space.
Queen & Bathurst, 2006
this might be our first show ever
The Cameron House, 2003
video by Shaun Merrit
Discography
The New Kings
Little White Liar – 2006
Credits/Notes:
Vox, Trumpet
All songs written, produced and arranged by MLJ
The New Kings
Take Back The Streets! – 2005
Credits/Notes:
Vox, Trumpet
All songs written, produced and arranged by MLJ
co-producer Carl Petzeld
The New Kings
Street Fighter EP – 2004
Credits/Notes:
Vox, Trumpet
All songs written, produced and arranged by MLJ
co-producer - Joe Dunphy