Larry Busacca / Getty Images
Back in early 2010, Kings of Leon were on top of the world. They capped two years of touring in support of their double-platinum 2008 release, Only by the Night, with three major Grammy Award wins in January of 2010 (Record of the Year, Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Rock Song).
Things went seriously awry by the end of 2010, with the band’s fifth album, Come Around Sundown, under-performing and singer Caleb Followill having a drunken onstage meltdown in Dallas, causing KOL to cancel the remainder of that year’s U.S. and sending the band into an indefinite hiatus.
While Kings of Leon regroups, the band’s bass player, Jared Followill (far right in the photo), has teamed up with Nick Brown, the vocalist for the band Mona, to form new group Smoke & Jackal. Their debut release, EP1, is scheduled for release on October 16.
With the pair “fueled by multiple bottles of red wine and a shared fascination with timbre, rhythm, and aural adventure,” according to a press release, Smoke & Jackal have released their first single, “No Tell,” which can be heard right here:
“It was all about tone and vibe and what felt right in that moment,” Brown said in the press release. “Not second guessing, just having fun in that moment.”
“Coming together just worked,” added Followill. “I think it’s because we took such an easy approach to it, we didn’t bring any egos to it. We just talked about each other’s ideas, neither one of us got our feelings hurt. It just worked.”
The single “No Tell” will be available on August 28.
–Scott T. Sterling, CBS Local
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