LUCIDMEDIA

King Clancys Round Table - The past future and present

Written by Lisa M. Knapp Monday, 28 April 2008 03:20

King Clancy consists of 5 members, inclusive of George Panagopoulos on lead vocals, Jody Brumell on drums, Steve Bigas on guitar and backup vocals, Adam Leo on bass, and the silent member Tom Won who is a constant inspiration for the band and previous drummer before Brumell came along. I had the opportunity to sit down with the members on a couple occasions and talk about the band and what they are all about. Panagopoulos mentioned that the motto of their band is similar to the legend in hockey King Clancy which is why they are called King Clancy. He described the legendary figure as “a hockey player who basically did everything in hockey from coaching to reefing to owning and managing hockey.” This is a lot considering the in depths of the game, everything from manager to player to coach and so on. Panagopoulos stated that “In the same way that is how all the guys in the band are like, we have done it all and we are tired of the rest.” They are diehard so to speak, the plan is to never give up and to simply have fun in life. “I want people to know the difference between doing something and giving up and never giving up… people can be good if they don’t quit… King Clancy has never quit,” mentioned a very serious Panagopoulos. The group almost seems to believe as a unit that giving up is something that the weak do, and since they have been together for so long it seems to be their duty and job to not give up because that would put all hard work over the years to waste.

So what is King Clancy’s motto, well Panagopoulos states and all the members agreed that it’s “Not about being stars, it’s about making great music.” How simple. After hanging out with them they almost seemed more like a family than an actual band or a team. They fight like family, have disagreements like siblings, but have good times more often than not. Bigas described the chemistry that the band has, stating that “the chemistry of a team is the chemistry of a band – a great football game is equivalent to a great band.” As for the relationship of the members Panagopoulos describes it as a family type bond, “We have good times and bad. These are the guys you play with and you like them or not it doesn’t matter. It makes no difference to the music… the audience likes what they hear and there is never really a choice involved. It’s the glue that works well and if one element is taken out it’s like losing an arm or something.” Interesting and inspirational all the members of King Clancy have two distinct sides to their musical journey. They have been through it all and now are simply in it to have fun and to give the world good music. They all agree “Today you can purchase individual songs, but we are in this to make a whole album amazing.”

How did this earth shaking band come together? Both Panagopoulos and Bigas have been with the band the whole time and learned about the musical experience and endeavours of the entertainment industry as a whole. Having immersed themselves in the busy LA scene and coming back again to the comforts of home, the two have seen it all, heard it all and been through it all. Panagopoulos and Bigas have always had music in their life and have known each other for a long time so it’s no surprise that they have stuck together. Leo, who is a diehard jazz fan and actually a brass player, specifically saxophone, arrived in Toronto from a 4 year journey in England the same week as Panagopoulos and Bigas’s 9 year LA experience. Leo was away in England with a musical experience of his own, playing jazz and in his element in various venues. His plan was to just come back for a couple weeks, but that very week he arrived in town, they bumped into each other, Panagopoulos and Bigas gave Leo the CD they put together while in LA and asked him to learn bass and from that point on Leo has been with them. When it comes to personal musical journeys each member of King Clancy has his own story to tell. Brumell has known band for 16 years and used to play with them all the time. Their drummer about a year and a half ago broke his hand. Jody got a phone call from George on a Saturday afternoon; they had a gig in Toronto that night and said that Jody had to play the gig with them because Tom broke his hand. So he put on the record, listened, played to it twice and that night, he played the gig and has been with the band ever since. He has always played drums, in his words, he has been playing since before he was born. Brummel described what he meant, “my parents went to see Buddy Rich Jazz legend in the Imperal Room at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto a month before he was born. I am sure I heard it. I have always played drums and have been in various bands my whole life. “On stage, his love for drums shines through.

The lyrics are catchy and their live performances just make you want to dance and move to the beat. They are like different people when they get up there and perform for the audience. They never do a half assed job; they always give it their all and perform to the best of their abilities. They satisfy every song with 100% effort. You can tell these guys are serious in their motto. Panagopoulos stated with seriousness that he is not in this to be just ok or decent. “I’m in this to be the greatest, otherwise what’s the point? If you are not changing what people think is possible then what is the point? When I do a show it’s all about how do you do that… 100% magic. I believe in that and that’s how I do it.“ That being said, they truly give every single show and everything they do for the band their all.
King Clancy has a show weekly at the Corktown 175 Young Street in Hamilton Ontario. As well they are having a record release party in Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern on May 23 for the release of their album Volcano. Their website is currently being revamped by yours truly and should be launched in the next month at www.kingclancy.ca, so keep your eyes open and your ears listening. Hope to see you at one of their shows!