Mark Knight | Bang Tango | Worry Beads | Gravy | October 2004 |

 

Well it's been a long time since I've done an interview.. but IM BACK...

And I found X-Bang Tango guitarist Mark Knight.. He has a new band, 

and an all new sound... Back in the day I always thought Bang Tango 

was way out of the "hair band" league, with way more talent then a lot of the pretty boys.

But unfortunately came out at the end of the "fun rock" and into the grunge..

But it's good to know Mark is still rockin' out....

Now as singer and band leader...

Enjoy.

 

J - First off.. gotta rewind to the good ol' days.. How did you hook up with the guys from Bang Tango?

M - Me and Kyle Kyle were is a different band and had just parted ways with the singer. We did a huge search for a new singer when Amir Derek from Orgy hooked us up with Joe Leste who had just tried out for his band.  He lived in San Diego so he made the move LA after jamming with us once  he brought his long time friend Tigg Ketler and I brought an old friend of mine Kyle Stevens on board to fill the sound out a bit more with two guitars the rest is history.

 

J - How long were you together before getting signed?

M - We were together about a year before we were signed.

 

J - Who wrote the songs?

M - Primarily I wrote the music and Leste wrote lyrics  we put the songs together as a band everyone collaborating on a stuff me and Joe would bring to the band.

 

J - How did everyone get along?

M - We got along great in the beginning put things changed with success.

 

J - What was your favorite package tour?

M - My favorite package tour was defiantly with LA Guns and Ratt it was our first arena tour.

 

J - What's the biggest crowd you have ever played for and where?

M - We played to 10,000 at the Tampa Sun Dome also  20,000 at some baseball field in Arizona. ( J- I was at that show... and the next night in Miami... great show!)

 

J - Craziest thing a fan has ever done to meet you?

M - The fans do many crazy things  girls would do pretty much anything sexual to meet us or to get on the bus, guys would follow  you town to town, sleep out on your doorstep at you hotel, a  couple times I had people hiked out in front of my house in Malibu after a gig miles away waiting to meet me.

 

J - What was your favorite song to sing live?

M - Favorite song live.. was probably "Attack of Life"  or "Don't Stop Now" because of the jam aspect in those songs.

 

J - Least favorite..?

M - "Love Injection"

 

J - How important was the "look" back then, after all the "hair bands" were coming out..? 

M - The look was way important back then still is to some people. lol.

 

J - Bang Tango's style of music was a little different then all the "party bands" that were out back then.. a little more funky, and personally ..I think... more talented, did you guys try and sound different.. or just follow what you wanted to play... ?

M - We didn't really try to sound like anyone just threw all are influences into one bag of tricks.

 

J - What was your favorite release? and why?

M - "Love After Death" was my favorite.  It never got released in the states I really worked hard on the CD myself I felt it had all Bang Tango had to offer new and old and had a real edge to it.

 

J - Least favorite, or just didn't turn out like you hoped..?

M - Least favorite  "Ain't No Jive Live"  all jive no live says it all.

 

J - What led to the break up of the band?

M - The band broke up after a European tour in support of love after death.  I was off on some new musical journeys as a singer song writer and Joe was doing a funky side band he wanted to pursue I think we needed a break but never got it back together again with the he original line up.

 

J - Do you still talk to any of the guys?

M - I still talk to everyone, not some much to Joe, me and Kyle Steven's are tight we hang, and surf  

Tigg sometimes, and Kyle Kyle did the art layout on the "Bones" CD.

 

J - Joe and Kyle Kyle went on to release other Bang Tango releases, were you guys approached about playing on them, or maybe reforming?

M - Never asked to record on the post Bang Tango CDs, Joe asked me a couple times to reform the band but I was really into my band Worry Beads at the time.

 

J - How do you feel about the "brand new" Bang Tango "Ready to Go" cd that is out.. w/only Joe on it..?

M - I haven't heard the ready to go CD but to be honest I haven't heard good things about it.

 

J - After Bang Tango.. you were in Worry Beads.. w/ Tigg and Kyle Stevens from the BT days.. so you all still got along? What was that band like?

M - Yes still get along with Kyle and Tigg.  Worry Beads was a band I put together right out of Bang Tango more of a roots, blues, based band I developed my singing song writing and fronting a  band  this band.  We had some fun times.

 

J - Any releases?

M - No real releases. A live CD "Live at the Mint" and "Broken Down" a six song EP.

 

J - What led to the end of that. and the start of Gravy?

M - We lost Tigg in Worry Beads do to some personal problems and could never find the right drummer, I was ready to bury the Worry Beads name and start fresh with all new players and new sound I was burned out on the work habits some of the players. Myself and keyboardist Erik Sabo hooked up with Mark T. and started having Sunday jams with who ever we could find. Mark brought in Rocc Thomas and  Jon Biggs and Gravy came together like gravy......

 

J - How would you describe the sound of Gravy to someone who hasn't heard you guys yet?

M - I would describe Gravy as a classical rock and roll band with a dose of funk  and  a whole lot of originality and heart.

 

J - You have one c.d. out now.. and plans to tour?

M - We are doing a lot of gigs in LA and plan to tour the West coast this year. We are going to radio with "Monkey Boy" our first single and hope to line up more dates in the states.

 

J - Do you have a website that fans can keep up with info..etc?

M - GravyTunes.com  this is our website check it out.

 

J - How do you feel the internet has changed promoting bands..etc?

M - I think the Internet has really helped out with bands unsigned, the fans can get  info on these bands  and support them. We have moved a lot of CDs through the Internet

 

J - How do you feel about Mp3's and file sharing?

M - Mp3 file sharing kind of defeats the artist making money on there art not to into it.

 

J - Into any "new" bands?

M - I have been listen to Mark Lanagens new CD "Bubblegum" , It rocks.

 

J - Well that's about it Mark.. thanks a lot! anything else you would like to say to all your fans reading this?

M - I would really like to tell your readers to support the arts and musicians. Buy their  CDs, go to their shows, so they have the drive to keep being creative and given the world their gift of talent,  artist will become extinct if we don't support them. Peace out.......