MORE ABOUT ALL THE QUEEN'S MEN
At this point in the evolution of rock music, the greatest challenge for artists is to create something fresh. That's why rock radio airwaves are filled with retro-this and neo-that. But Boston-based quartet All the Queen's Men has met that challenge head-on with their new album, Madame Static.
"What we're trying to do with the music is bridge rock with electronic music," drummer Tamora Gooding explains. Gooding calls the musical blend on Madame Static "rocktronica," and adds, "I think when you say that one word, it really defines what we're trying to do - and in what direction we're heading."
All the Queen's Men have been together for five years, but didn't head in this new direction until lead singer/keyboardist/guitarist Christine Zufferey, a native of Switzerland with ties to the techno scene in that country, joined the band late in 1999 after her band January broke up and AQM's lead singer split.
After AQM added Zufferey to the lineup, they spent the next year writing all new material. "We pretty much threw away all the old January material and all the old All the Queen's Men material and started from scratch," the lead singer recalls. "In the year 2000, we wrote about 20 new songs and made demo recordings of them all," bassist Christopher Farrell adds.
Then in February 2001, the band began the master recording sessions that resulted in Madame Static. The album features five new songs and three remixes of the song "Azalaya" - two industrial-style remixes by Bill T. Miller, who is well known for his work with Boston-area noise bands, and one remix by Hostage, a Swiss techno duo that includes Zufferey's brother, Andy. One of the songs, "You Want Me," has been included in the soundtrack for the independent film, Role Play, which is currently being screened at film festivals across the country.
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