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SPREADING THE WORD WorldMags.neta band that can sell 2 or 3 million albums worldwide. There is a really prideful relationship here. This is a band that First single “Supersoaker” is a solid but not spectacular debut ofering, depending we want to be putting out a boxed set on one day.” on expectations. It’s top 10 on Billboard’s Rock, Alternative and Triple A charts, and As Kings of Leon embark on their second decade and sixth album, it’s that longevity that fnds them well on has sold 63,000 downloads. “The single is a rock single—it’s not a crossover single,” the way to being the “boxed set band” they’ve always strived to be. “A lot of bands don’t get a chance to make Levitan says, adding that no one on Team KOL is panicking. “Far from it. They’re a two records nowadays, let alone six, so by default we’re automatically catapulted to a diferent category,” Nathan rock band frst and foremost; they’re not a pop rock band. They have had some pop says. “No one can take away the fact that we’ve made six records, toured our asses of and worked really hard to get radio success, but that’s not what they’re going for when they make a record. Does where we’re at. We’re grateful for the fact that we’ve been able to stick around for this long and still be relevant.” a Foo Fighters single blow up? Does a U2 single blow up? No, they don’t. Their au- Nathan adds that the band’s foundation is solid, and built to last. “We’re family—you can’t break up a family, so dience, for the most part, buys full records. That being we’re going to be around for a while,” Nathan says. “Hopefully, we’ve earned the right to take a little break here “I just had a bad “I just —CALEB FOLLOWILL day, I guess.” I guess.” day, said, do they have songs that can work multiformat on or there and not be doomed.” this record? Absolutely.” In some ways, Kings of Leon are still coming to terms with being, well, Kings of Leon. “My wife doesn’t un- RCA has pulled out all the stops in a setup that Corson derstand why any time somebody recognizes me I’m shocked,” Caleb says. “I’m like, ‘Wow, how do they know says includes a wealth of “touch points and tent poles.” who I am?’ She says, ‘Well, you know, you do have a certain look. You’ve kind of had your picture taken a bunch The campaign launched July 17 with an e-blast of the of times.” single in the United Kingdom and United States (im- “And you’re wearing a Kings of Leon T-shirt,” Nathan adds, and both laugh. Like brothers. mediately becoming the most-added track at alternative radio), simultaneous with the single going to iTunes. On July 22 the band performed “Supersoaker” for the frst time on “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon,” and on Aug. 6, the song’s video premiered on Vevo and album pre-or- ders began. The frst “huge look,” RCA VP of marketing The Fifth King Nick Pirovano says, was the band’s performance as part of the AmEx Unstaged series on Aug. 9, which Pirovano Kings of Leon have worked with one says was one of the most successful in the series’ history producer, Angelo Petraglia, who’s helped with more than 900,000 views live and on demand. Part of the Unstaged event featured a series of webi- shape their sound and new album sodes rifng on the group’s image, directed by and fea- turing “Saturday Night Live”/“Portlandia” star Fred Ar- The Kings of Leon soundscape I’ve got kids at home. We’ve got to misen. “We wanted to show a side of KOL people hadn’t has evolved significantly during really start working.’” seen,” Pirovano says. “The webisodes with Fred helped the course of six albums, enough The band built Neon Leon basi- do that, Jimmy Fallon helped do that, so that it would seem like diferent cally from the ground up in 2012, as did a really funny album trailer with producers had helmed the knobs converting what was previously the cast of ‘It’s Always Sunny in Phila- with each outing. But while the a paint factory. “We thought we delphia,’ which went viral.” sonics have shifted, the producer built it like we wanted it, but [the The viral comedy of the Armisen has been consistent: Angelo reception area] ended up being the and “Sunny” promotions was geared Petraglia, credited as “Angelo,” best-sounding room for the amps to to shed a diferent light on the Kings has produced all six KOL records, get separation,” Nathan says with a of Leon, other than tortured rock stars. including Mechanical Bull, the first laugh. “We moved the whole living “We don’t take ourselves nearly as seri- album the band has recorded at its room into the rehearsal space and ously as people think we do,” Nathan new Neon Leon studio in Nashville. ended up spending 90% of the time says. Asked what was the biggest mis- Petraglia, the “fifth King,” initially in there hanging out, because we conception about this band, he replies, came onboard as a songwriting were cutting in here.” “That we’re all related. That was just a collaborator, moving into the Kings of Leon spent early record label ploy to sell records.” producer’s chair with 2003’s debut September playing the songs on But selling records is, after all, the album, Youth & Young Manhood, Mechanical Bull live in Neon Leon, task at hand. The rest of the band’s and never leaving. It’s created a working them up for the concert year will be spent doing international trust factor between band and stage. “It’s hard to find a song that album promotion with scattered live producer. “It’s one of those things isn’t going to be in the live set,” Ca- plays. Next year, the group, booked where you can take your hands leb says. “We’ve got to have either a by Scott Clayton at Creative Artists of the wheel and know you’re still longer set or we’re going to have to Agency, will tour extensively around the world, in- going in the right direction,” Caleb cut some of our hits.” —RW cluding the big buildings in the United States early Followill says. “We can say, ‘All in 2014, followed by trips to the United Kingdom, right, let’s try this, let’s try that,’ and Europe, Australia and other territories. instantly it’s like it’s a no-brainer.” Petraglia Live Nation, frequent promoter of the band’s Petraglia says he produces “from 4 shows during the course of its career, still very much a songwriter’s perspective,” jam- i believes in the group, enough to write checks and take ming with the band in the early promoter risk. That means not only playing the big- stages of an album’s creation. He 0 gest rooms internationally, but also stateside, where also listens exhaustively to band the act has found establishing a consistent foothold demos, which is how he discovered at the arena level challenging. “There’s no doubt that “Beautiful War,” a midtempo ballad they have established themselves as a strong arena and amphitheater headliner,” that is a Mechanical Bull highlight. says Ryan McElrath, senior VP of domestic touring for Live Nation. “We look for- “I went through all these work ward to continuing that relationship.” tapes, and I heard this little bit of McElrath is confdent that the way the last U.S. tour ended will not have a negative a song,” he recalls. Caleb explains impact on the group’s next U.S. run. “Fans want to see the band doing what they do it was something he’d written the best, performing their music live,” he says, adding that the act’s absence from the same day as “Use Somebody.” market creates demand that has been apparent at the band’s few U.S. appearances “We worked through it and it this year. “Fans are going nuts. You can defnitely see it as soon as they walk onstage.” was the first song we recorded,” A month in, Pirovano says pre-orders are “very strong” and include an instant Petraglia says. download of the album’s “Wait for Me,” which means three songs were out there Working in their own studio had before an album stream on iTunes began Sept. 16. Week of release, the band has has its pros and cons. On the plus planned a network TV hat-trick: a Times Square performance for ABC’s “Good side, they didn’t have to watch the Morning America,” followed by another appearance on NBC’s “Fallon” on Sept. 24 clock. “Which was great for us, be- and CBS’ “Late Show With David Letterman” on Sept. 26. cause we could relax and we didn’t “We believe that when consumers hear this album there will be a groundswell be- put a ton of pressure on ourselves,” hind it,” Corson says. “We want this album to play over the next 12 to even 18 months, bassist Jared Followill says. “But and as a rock record, it’s undeniable. We’re hoping that it will cross over a track or it also came close to backfiring, two, but the main thing is they’ve delivered a fabulous album for their fans.” because we would come in and Corson says RCA has a “deep and personal commitment” to the band, “and on a play basketball all day, and Angelo CALEB, MATTHEW & JARED FOLLOWILL: SHIRLAINE FORRESET/WIREIMAGE; SHIRLAINE FORRESET/WIREIMAGE; FOLLOWILL: & JARED CALEB, MATTHEW IMAGES DIDIER MESSENS/REDFERNS/GETTY FOLLOWILL: NATHAN business level, they are a priority for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is they’re WorldMags.netwould be like, ‘Jesus, guys, come on.