June 11, 2005
Finding Out Louis XIV is Determined
By Angeline Vuong

With a buzzworthy debut album, a hormone-driven single that name checks every type of girl, and an opening slot for one of rock’s hottest bands – The Killers, Louis XIV have come a long way from their first appearance in Atlanta opening up for Hot Hot Heat in March.

Guitarist Brian Karscig and drummer Mark Maigaard sat down with AMG at Music Midtown for a brief interview after their (thankfully) rain-free performance.

The San Diego four piece showcased their musicianship during their set Saturday at Music Midtown. The band ripped through songs packed with searing guitar solos, dynamic drum parts, and amusing faux-British accents, which proved that there is more to Louis XIV than blatant sexual gimmicks and lyrics like, “We don’t have to go to the pool if you want me to make you wet.”

However, according to Brian, bassist Jimmy Armbrust did get crabs while on tour….from thrift store pants. Sure. (Although, any thrift store improprieties didn’t hinder Jimmy from attracting all the ladies at our after party).

Louis XIV have continued in the vein of the lustworthy lyrics in “Finding Out True Love is Blind” with their upcoming single, “God Killed The Queen.” The band shot the risqué video for the single, in which the verses scream, “use me just to make your body feel right,” 3 weeks ago.

“People tend to gravitate towards songs, and that’s how ‘God Killed The Queen’ was chosen,” says Karscig. “The suggestion for the single usually comes from radio itself. For us, it’s like having 10 kids and saying, ‘What’s your favorite kid?’ All our songs mean something to us in one way or another. We’d like to put them all out. We don’t record to do singles; we make albums. Each song off that is like a chapter in a book for us.”

Unlike many current bands, Louis XIV had the ability to cultivate a large fan base, sell enough self-produced and self-distributed EPs, and garner radio play before signing to a major record label. As a part of the band’s record deal, they were allowed control over both creative and business aspects. Atlantic Records gave Louis XIV their own imprint, Pineapple Recording Group, to release their own records and sign other bands as well.

According to Brian, the band’s imprint started “because the music industry is changing so dramatically. I think if labels are going to keep on existing, they have to change. We’re fortunate to have a label that completely backs up what we do, and they’re very innovative in coming up with ways for people to see our music. We just wanted an outlet to release our own music. As our band started to get popular, we figured there were loads of great bands that go unrecognized, and we’d like to give as many good artists and friends of ours an opportunity to get their music out there.”

Pineapple Recording Group is now home to San Diego transplants Emery Byrd, whose 5 song EP was produced by Louis XIV frontman Jason Hill. The imprint will soon include Dallas retro-pop group Deathray Davies , who just wrapped up a touring stint with Louis XIV.

As far as promoting the band’s new record The Best Secrets are Kept, the four piece understands the importance of the internet and embraces file sharing.

“There’s so much competition on what is dominating a market. There are some bands, like Metallica who get pissed [at people] for downloading their song. But why put a hold on a means of how people can hear your music? If you can’t buy our CD, burn it. We don’t care. Sure, we’d like people to go buy it since it will keep us in business longer, but at the same time, we’re just on a mission to make art and share it with as many people as possible. If we painted one picture in our lives, I wouldn’t want that one picture go to the highest bidder," says Brian.

"I think we’d take pictures of that picture and put it all over for as many people to see. We never really got into this business for the reasons of commerce. We’ve been broke our entire lives. The last years have been good, but it just gives us more opportunity to survive at what we do.”

Although Louis XIV may be a new name to many and the band has only been together for around two years, they are far from an overnight success. The core of the group – Karscig, Maigaard, and lead singer Jason Hill - have struggled to make a name for themselves, playing together in bands for the past 13 – 14 years. When asked about the advice they would give to bands who want to get signed, Maigaard noted that persistence was essential.

Karscig emphasized the following - “Don’t rely on somebody else to make your own success happen. You’re fortunate if you can find someone as passionate as you out there to push your stuff, but I know that no one is more passionate about what we do than us. That’s why we opened doors on a label and put our blood and guts out there to get our music out there.”

“If I’m in love with a girl, I’m not going to go tell Mark to go tell her how I feel about her. [I’ve] got to go charge her myself. That’s just what young bands have to do. Record some music, and get it out there. Put out EPs. Put out 3 song samplers, and give them out. No one’s going to go out and buy an album for $15 if you’ve never heard of you. If you give people 3 songs for free or to download, then they might go out and buy your album.”

The combination of do-it-yourself mentality and constant persistence seems to have worked for Louis XIV. “I don’t even know what I’d put on a resume if I had to enter the workforce. What have I’ve been doing the last 12 years?” laughs Brian. “I’ve sold blood and hemoglobin, if that counts.”

Luckily, 9 to 5 jobs seem far off the horizon for the San Diego band. Judging from fashion spreads in Italian Vogue, touring stints overseas in Europe, Japan, and England, and the trail of heartbroken girls they seem to leave behind in each city, we think the guys will be just fine.

www.louisxiv.net