Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlie (King Whisker) Rohlfs. They and their team shared their story with us below:
King Whisker came to life in quite a strange place for an anti-capitalist weirdo punk band: a marketing agency.
The band started as a three-piece (we’ve grown to 5 now) after three VERY fed up and silly humans realized that we needed something to keep us sane and express our general confusion about the world while we tried to keep our heads above water at our day job.
It’s been a bit of a wild journey to get here, and we’ve seen a few wonderful people come and go in the band over the years, but we managed to make it through COVID as a band and somehow keep at it despite how unforgiving it can be to try and make some noise in today’s music industry.
We’re making the best music we’ve ever made and are getting ready to drop the first single off our new album, which we recorded at Amplified Studios in Carlsbad with producer Gabriele Dagrezio (a recent transplant to San Diego from Milan).
Let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Honestly, being an indie band is a bit of a bastard sometimes – we’re 5 VERY different humans with very different musical influences and life goals, all trying to figure it out together… but that’s where the magic comes from. King Whisker doesn’t sound like any other band. We think that’s a good thing, but who knows? I guess we’ll find out when we drop some new music!
We recently had a big heart-to-heart as a band, and we realized that we were focusing way too much of our effort on trying to get traction from the new releases we had planned. It’s such a balancing act – we’re all in it “for the music,” but we also all want people to HEAR our music… and no one teaches you how to do ANY of this stuff, so we’re learning some lessons along the way.
It’s kinda like being on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean with your best friends sometimes. We all love each other, and we all want to get to shore… but sometimes we all have different ideas on how to get there and which shore we should be rowing towards. That means sometimes we’re rowing in circles… and sometimes we’re debating which person we should eat first if we run out of food… but it all works out in the end, and we come out stronger every time.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
King Whisker is an “Art Punk/Art Rock” band (or apparently we’re “Crank Wave,” which is a new term that’s been floating around).
Our music is bizarre, wildly energetic, and rather genre-fluid. We’re known for sweaty live shows, absurdist lyrics, and being advocates for mental health and gender identity.
We’re probably most proud of the new music we’re dropping (Utopia hits all the streaming platforms on 5/31/24). What sets us apart is our music – there’s really no one exactly like King Whisker, for better or for worse.
What makes you happy?
Nothing makes us happier than people enjoying our music, connecting with the message, and sweating their asses off at a live show.
We try to be a safe place where people can come and be their true selves without judgment. All are welcome (except bigots – they can and will go straight to hell).
Contact Info:
- Website: kingwhisker.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kingwhisker/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kingwhisker.yumyum
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puK9i1gs9Z4
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/110y0bMY0OX26xLgETAfkd?si=19sS0f7VTMybKHy-sp7uVA
Image Credits
Smiles
