The band first met in 1997 in San Diego, Southern California : during one of those drinking parties, Didier Rieder (vocals, guitar) and Eric Ferrari (bass) had a little chat about music; they soon found out that they were coming from the same city, Geneva, Switzerland, 10'000 miles away, that they liked the same music and that both felt like writing their own songs. A few months later, back home, Didier called his friend Olivier Francey (drums), former band mate in a previous project, and offered him to hold the sticks and eventually hit the road with what will soon be called MotherKingdom, after an old Geneva tale. The band line-up was completed with the arrival of William Chapelet (guitar), who studied classical music with Olivier in his early years. The band line-up stayed the same until December 2001.
Two days before taking off for the UK, William left the band and was replaced by Laurent Clavel (guitar). Laurent's addition was an undeniable plus to the band. He had studied at the world famous Music Institute in Los Angeles and had worked as a session player at Studio Capitol, in Hollywood, where he had encountered numerous well-known musicians.
Soon enough, the band proved to have a strong live sense: at the same time powerful for their rock audience and sweet and melodic for their pop one. After more than a hundred gigs over Europe, including the Cavern Club of Liverpool, Vernier-Sur-Rock in Geneva or Ministry of Rock in Frauenfeld, MK is now coming back with a new album "Sleeping Subway" mastered by Howie Weinberg at Masterdisk Studio in New York. With its 11 tracks, sometimes torn or rough, sometimes melancholic or neurotic, the rock played by this Geneva quartet involves everybody and makes the audience travel through all known states of mind.
The music
Some music represents more than a heap of sound samples. MotherKingdom's definitely does. It affects, disturbs, questions, moves you deeply and shakes preconceived ideas up. It's not worth trying to resist to Didier's rough and plaintive voice, you just can't! His wild singing, either aggressive or gripping, will be sure to remind you that great singers are the ones who let their eyes and heart speak. Olivier's pounding, like an oak standing behind its barrels, moves inexorably in cataleptic hammering, while Eric's bass, not without composing a hypnotic metronome, distils a soft poison. Laurent lets his guitar ring and sail over the musical wave.
Exploring different facets, sometimes powerful, sometimes melancholic, of an original and genuine rock, MotherKingdom invites you to an initiatory trip in quest of yourself and your emotions. Melodic enough to satisfy people keen on real pop, but disturbing enough to appease alternative music fans' appetite, the rock played by this talented quartet won't leave anybody indifferent.
Promoted master in the art of alternating relatively aggressive moments with some more serene atmospheres, MK won the bet to create a musical mosaic that is rich and heterogeneous. It is a constellation of atmospheres and contrasts in which love is never really far from rage and darkness from a bright interval. You're not sheltered from a breaking or a bump, a storm or a lull. Between easy melodies and dissonant tunes, between power and harmony, MotherKingdom doesn't have to choose. They just have to be themselves and pass on their energy.
