Redlight King
Mar 7, 2011
The "Steel City" native of Hamilton, Ontario, Mark Kasperczyk, or "Kaz" for short, who performs under the moniker Redlight King, got to work last year writing songs for his debut LP. And, while perhaps riffing on an overplayed theme, the first song that the songwriter laid down ("Old Man") spun a tale of a rocky patch he had endured with his father. But Kaz wasn't done. He not only wanted to create a song that had "the Neil Young flavor,"but he also wanted his new tune to include a snippet of Young's timeless classic in the chorus.
"Everyone thought I was crazy," Kaz recalls of the reaction to seeing if Young would allow "Old Man" to be sampled. "(They were saying) 'Neil Young will never agree to this.. ever'" At first, they seemed right. "(Neil's) lawyers, his manager, his record label, his publisher.. they all said no," Kaz says. "But we finally got Neil to listen to it. After he listened to it once, he said yes."
Since its release, Kaz's homage to Young's epic melody is making waves. With its amalgamation of old-time charm and new-age thump, Redlight King's "Old Man" is a song that aims to bridge the gap between classic-rock purity and present-day radio flair.
Intense, soulful and poetic, Redlight King's music is both biographical and cathartic. A keen observer and prolific storyteller, the songs on the forthcoming album, Something For The Pain (slated for Summer '11 on Hollywood Records), reflect a culmination of life's highs and lows.
Musically, Something For The Pain blends these pensive musings with a decidedly rock sound punched with rhythmic undertones.
"Old Man", the first single from the upcoming CD, now impacting Rock, is done with great respect and carries a deeply personal message
with a thoroughly modern and original twist.
