Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with The King’s Opera
The King’s Opera was founded in 2022 by Samuel Neagley, Sam Mandl, and Frederick Schlick. Our music explores the existential highs and lows of the modern era through energetic, live, theatrical rock music. After years of development, Dante Flores and Tyler Wolowicz joined last year for our 2024 winter debut.
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
Everybody in the band was either way too interested in classic rock or classical music at a young age.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
Most members of the band studied music in school, or are self taught musicians.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
As old college friends, we started the band as a way to process death during Covid-19. Much of our music explores loss and life through grandiose and theatrical expression.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
If Queen, Biffy Clyro and My Chemical Romance had a three-way baby.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
Collaboration only works when everybody is equally comfortable with the product. This slows down the process, but that’s a good thing.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
We use Logic-Pro for home recording. Other instruments include a JUNO-D6 Keyboard, several sexy guitars, and a Warwick Bass.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
We’ve played with a group called Harbor Haunts and they’re awesome. For some more popular recommendations, we often come back to The Night Flight Orchestra, Ghost, Prostitute, and Biffy Clyro.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
Many of us have backgrounds in theater or opera, so that kind of large scale narrative work really excites us. We want to write songs that are stimulating musically and narratively.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
Subliminal arousal and solidarity with humankind
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
If you’re going to get a graduate degree in music, don’t do it in the United States or you will be in a LOT of debt.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
Red Rocks Colorado would be an amazing place to play.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
We would LOVE to open for Ghost. We’ve always been inspired by their music, theatrical style, and arena rock aesthetic.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
Check out our Spotify Here or our Instagram Here
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
Right now we’re preparing to record a live album. One of the best surprises of our first year is that we like how we sound live more than we sound in a studio.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
That you can start a rock band in your 30s!
If you want here you can add a representative Youtube video to insert below the interview 🙂
