There was a time (much of the 90s, into the early 2000s) when the band Push Down & Turn ruled the Indianapolis club music scene. You wanted to go out for a big Saturday of live music? They were the go-to pick for a night of drinks and a band that could get your ass up on the dance floor with big, fat radio rock (and their own stuff added for legitimacy and depth). Bandmembers Sam King, Jason Brown, Jason Barth, Tay Bourquein and Matt DeVore (all DePauw University grads) were part of the band that was perennially named NUVO’s Best Local Rock Band winners.
We caught up with King, a busy man – playing solo shows and raising a family. He spills some insight on recording, reunions and energy drinks.
ROB: I see you out playing a lot of solo shows. You look like you stay pretty busy. What do you like about the solo gigs?
SAM KING: I stay relatively busy, but it’s a little slower now than it was before the economy took the downturn in 2008-09. I have a nice niche, in that if someone wants live music, but doesn’t want to pay $800 a night for a band, I fit their bill. The places seem to rotate a lot, but some constants for me are Cheeseburger in Paradise in Southport, The Rathskeller, and the Quarry in Kokomo.
ROB: Any new songs and new original music in your future?
SK: I’m always writing, but probably not recording as much as I should be. It’s fun for me to try out new things playing them in front of people, rather than just hearing a recorded version of it. There’s more emotion live. And I’m not one of those guys who use a looper pedal or sampler, that’s just not me. If I can’t pull it off with just me and a guitar and win the crowd over, then I need to work harder.