Hero
tolerance

>> Leon Kingstone suits up as Synthetic Folk Hero

by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

Guess smashing all those planets has gone to his head. The Planet Smashers’ sax machine Leon Kingstone has struck out on his own with his edgy, idiosyncratic side project Synthetic Folk Hero. For his debut gig on July 5, he’ll be joined by folks from Jazz Pharmacy, Dr. Noh, Stars and los Troubadores, and that’s when we’ll discover the truth--is he merely an odd-pop Don Quixote or a veritable champion of justice for the new millennium?

Mirror: You’ve tagged yourself as the Synthetic Folk Hero, which begs three questions. First, what’s the synthetic aspect of your music?
Leon Kingstone: Some people call it an ’80s vibe. I just like the sound of synthesizers. I compose on synths, I perform with them, sometimes I watch a sunset with an 80-hertz sawtooth wave humming in the background.

M: Second, how is it folk?
LK: The lyrics are more substantial, as in the folk genre. I don’t write about the fluff you hear in pop music. I write about important issues, like freezing your tongue on a fence in winter, peeing in the shower, spooning--

M: Third, to whom are you a hero, and how?
LK: I think everybody is their own hero, deep down inside. I’m a hero to my own idea of fighting against corporate mainstream music. I arm myself with saxophones, keyboards and a seal’s voice!

M: Alternately, you use the term “confounded rock” to describe your stuff--
LK: I’ll take simple rock chord progressions or melodies and throw some perplexity or confusion into the mix--like adding garlic to vanilla ice cream. Mmmmmm!

M: Yeah, sounds tasty. A couple of years back, you put out a solo, indie CD called Familiar under the name Leon Kingstone. Are some of those songs part of the new SFH set?
LK: Yeah, I’ll play a few. That CD was when I was still finding my voice. Good tunes, lots of potential in there, but still like Spider-Man before he got bit. :

With Moonshine Orchestra and Amy Milan at Casa del Popolo on Friday, July 5, 10pm

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