eet Kirby Krackle. They call themselves "The World's First Comic Book Rock Band," and through songs celebrating all that is illustrated, imaginative and slightly gauche, members Kyle Stevens and Jim Demonakos declare for all nerds: yes, you are nerds. But you are not alone.
Thanks for doing this, guys! So for everyone that may not have heard of Kirby Krackle, fill us in — how was Kirby Krackle born and what are you guys all about?
Jim: Kyle's full-time gig is being a musician, but he's also a comic book fan, which is how we met. He shops at one of my stores, and we'd always talk music, games and comics. At some point, both of us lamented the fact that there were really no good comic book songs out there and figured we had enough nerd knowledge between the two of us to make something happen. We wanted to make fun music that you could imagine hearing on the radio, but with lyrics that featured a nerdy bent!
If you had to choose one song of someone new to Kirby Krackle to listen to, which would you pick?
Kyle: I'd have to say "Villain Song," about a bad guy who is tired of the fight and decides to retire. Unfortunately, that doesn't work out so well for him. The song has really fun instrumentation as well.
You're the self-proclaimed "World's First Comic Book Rock Band." What's one comic book that everyone should check out?
Kyle: The Walking Dead, by Robert Kirkman. Best zombie comic out there, period.
Jim: I'd go with Green Lantern, I think Geoff Johns is writing some of the most interesting and compelling superhero comics out now.
What comic book superpower would you both love to have?
Jim: I'd like to be able to copy other people's abilities and add them to my own, not powers, but even ordinary things, like magic tricks, speaking another language or sports skills, that would be awesome!
Kyle: Flight. Plain and simple, I loves me some flyin'.
Many of your songs reference video games in some form. Are both of you avid gamers? What are some of your old school favorites and what are you currently playing?
Jim: We're definitely both gamers, old-school I love Mario games (and still do), Mega Man and Castlevania. Currently rockin' Dragon Quest 5 for the DS and been hooked on Left 4 Dead on 360.
Kyle: I've been playing a lot of Fallout 3 and also Left 4 Dead with Jim. As for older games, Zelda, 1942, Double Dragon, Contra, 8-bit Nintendo FTW!
If you were stranded on a desert island, which video game character would you want with you? Why?
Jim: Good question. I'd say Samus Aran. Wicked cool armor, could turn in to a ball to roll up trees to get fruit, built-in gun for hunting and at the end of the day, also a total hottie.
Your song "Teabagged" is hilarious — mostly because it's so true! The Halo games in particular are infamous for the act — why do people do such things after fragging me?
Jim: Because I am no Halo master, the few times I teabag others I finally kill makes me feel better. As you can see, it's a vicious circle of dysfunction that needed to be documented in song. I love also how some people get so angry about it and find that really fascinating.
You've got a show coming up in San Diego on July 23rd, what's the best part of playing live?
Kyle: There's always a good energy playing live, you see the fans who know who you are singing along, while people who don't are laughing at the lyrics, having a good time and discovering what we're all about. The vibe is always fun, and our songs are lighthearted and really enjoyable, so playing them live is great.
Have you guys thought about playing at an event like the Penny Arcade Expo at some point in the future?
Jim: We tried to get in on PAX, but unfortunately they had already booked all their music talent for the show, but we would definitely like to, for sure.
I've got to thank you guys again for doing this — any last words?
Kyle: Thanks for having us, we both agree that our last words should be something classy and educational, so we've decided on: Be cool, stay in school. 'nuff said!
