Queens & Kings release new music video for “Earthquake” with drums and guitar played by just one member
At long last, the song and the music video for Queens & Kings anthemic song of self-empowerment, “Earthquake” has been released! Written and first performed by the duo near the beginning of the band’s inception back in 2018, the song has been a major staple of the duo’s set and has opened the door to a lot more freedom for such a small band. If you’ve seen Queens & Kings perform before, I’m sure “Earthquake” is one of the memories that stand in your mind from the night. It’s an incredible tune on it’s own even without the theatrics, but there’s something extra special about seeing the guitarist Brendan Albert get behind the drum set and not just nail one instrument, but two at the same time giving singer Alissa Vox-Raw the chance to get to the front of the stage and really give the audience a show before joining Brendan on the drums. It’s a magical moment every single time. As Alissa expands
“My role is drummer in the band and Brendan plays guitar, although we do sometimes swap and intend to do a lot more of that on our upcoming songs for the album that will come out after this one. But I really wanted to find a way to go up front at times and just go wild without playing anything, so having Brendan play both instruments was the solution we were looking for! This is just one iteration of this idea as we have a lot more coming out soon!”
The music video was shot in two days, the first day with a small crew which I had the opportunity to get behind the camera on filming, with Danny Santos as stage assistant and Kirsten Sonntag doing BTS photography back in the fall of 2021. It was at an abandoned motel Brendan just happened upon.
“It was an instance of the right place, at the right time as the building was demolished shortly after the footage was filmed. It’s nice to have immortalized it and given it one last shining moment before it was flattened.”
It was a blast having the opportunity to film a song that I’d seen live so many times and loved for a while, especially with such a surreal background laying the setting. The energy that Brendan and Alissa display regardless of its in front of a huge crowd or just a camera doesn’t falter and the imagery of destruction behind them made it feel all the more powerful. For such a mind blowing live song to now have an epic music video to go alongside it for fans to watch is a pretty special thing, and the fact that this was the last things ever filmed at that location is a nice cherry on top!
Brendan and Alissa shot a second day on their own in another abandoned spot that was built in the mid-1800s and is slated to be demolished at some point in the future. The ground of the multi-level building is full of holes so you definitely need to watch your step. In true DIY fashion, the band also edited the video with Brendan taking the helm of the technical side this time around. The fact that the Queens & Kings is so multi-talented allows them to really put a personal touch on everything they do, giving not their music but their videos as well a truly stylized and unique feel. This will be the band’s final single before the duo drop their full album later this year. To find more of Queens & Kings music visit www.queensandkingsmusic.com, for some BTS photos by Kirsten Sonntag keep scrolling, and make sure to keep an eye out for a new interview with Queens & Kings about the new video coming to Dropout soon!
