[Day 1] King Khan & The Shrines

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    I decided a long time ago that if you want to party, you can't do so without King Khan being a part of that. By the time the first song is over, you're surrounded by spandex and sweat, having that feeling you've heard this song before. Part soul. Part funk. Part cult. All punk. You're transported into a world of dancing some of the craziest moves you've ever seen and where you can't stop smiling. Khan doesn't just show up to the party, he/they make it happen every night.

You can't cover Arish Ahmad Khan in just a few paragraphs. You almost need a novel.

    King Khan got his start in the thriving Montreal garage scene of the mid-nineties. Playing in a few bands before joining on bass in the infamous Spaceshits (under the name Blacksnake), they became known for the raucus shows that usually involved less than 15 minute sets and, at times, ending in fireworks being thrown into the audience. After falling in love, Khan decided to stay in Berlin during The Spaceshits last tour of Europe.

    A King was born in Germany after a close friend gave Khan a plastic Nazi war helmet. Wandering out of the house while he was shopping or walking around, the homeless started calling him "Kaiser". King Khan and His Sensational Shrines were formed in late 1999 mixing Stax era soul with Nuggets style leanings. Wandering into the mystical Toe Rag Studios to churn out the 6 recordings that make up Spread Your Love Like Peanut Butter. They've gone on to record for a multitude of labels over the next 14 years putting out 8 albums.

    Proving that he is ever prolific, Khan spent time with long time friend (and former Spaceshits band member) Mark Sultan's (aka BBQ) one man band. After dubbing themselves The King Khan and BBQ Show they set off to play sweltering, barn burning shows and record a few records along the way- so good that Lou Reed invited them to play at the Sydney Opera house alongside himself. In typical King Khan fashion, he went for broke. Passing plastic snakes in the audience and starting a food fight. They were ejected from the festivities. After a few more shows throughout the Pacific Rim, it was apparent Khan was on the edge of a breakdown. He decided he wanted to quit music and become a monk in South Korea. After spending a few days in a monistary, he returned to Germany to his wife and 2 daughters. After some urging from family, he entered treatment.

    Two years later, The Shrines are back with an album full of love and loss. More 60's soul revue than (literally) balls out punk, The Shrines deliver an album that showcase them a little older and a little wiser. What doesn't change is the smiles or the party. They still deliver those.