No More Kings
Encyclopedia
No More Kings are a Los Angeles-based rock band fronted by lead singer Pete Mitchell (born September 7, 1973 in Providence, Rhode Island). No More Kings' music is known for its frequent references to figures in pop culture,
most notably Johnny Lawrence from The Karate Kid, Michael and K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider, Johnny 5 from Short Circuit
, and Dungeons and Dragons. The band's songs are written by Mitchell along with his longtime friend Neil Robins of the Louisville-based band Dirt Poor Robins.
The name "No More Kings" comes from an episode of Schoolhouse Rock!
, one of many of No More Kings' inspirations. The particular episode dealt with the Pilgrims leaving England, seeking freedom and independence.
Pete studied fine art in college and has worked for Disney and the Jim Henson Company; he is an accomplished animator and also speaks Japanese. He designed the interior album art for the band's first album as well as the album art and packaging for their second album. Pete claims his main sources of musical inspiration are the Beatles
, Michael Jackson
, Radiohead
, Billy Joel
, Beck
, and Genesis.
Winner of the 7th annual Independent Music Awards
Vox Pop vote for best Pop/Rock album "No More Kings" AND also winner of Band Website of the year.
, who portrayed Mr. Miyagi in the film. Martin Kove
reprises his role as Sensei Kreese, and actors who played the Cobra Kai members in the 1984 film, Ron Thomas
, Rob Garrison, and Tony O'Dell
are also part of the cast, while Chad McQueen
did not reprise his role. William Zabka
, who played villain Johnny Lawrence in the movie, directed the video as well. Pat E. Johnson, who was the martial arts director for the 1984 The Karate Kid as well as the martial arts director for Bruce Lee
, worked on this video. Dennis Haskins
and Liza Snyder
also make an appearance. Sweep the Leg was also featured on Sony's MLB 08: The Show.
The video received over 80,000 views within its first week of release and became the number one video on YouTube
on March 16, 2007.
The premise for the music video finds William Zabka living in a trailer
in the desert, now an out-of-work actor who has become obsessed with The Karate Kid and the fight he lost years ago. He is haunted by the band No More Kings and chases Pete Mitchell across the desert until they have a final showdown. He then claims victory, but after realizing it was a fantasy, William Zabka is run over by Ralph Macchio
as Pete Mitchell looks on.
The music video references not only The Karate Kid, but also the 1986
film Back to School (which also stars William Zabka), the 1987
film Raising Arizona
and the 1984 video for The Cars
song, "You Might Think
."
There are various versions of the video, the longest being a little over seven minutes. The video was collaboration between No More Kings’ record label Astonish Records, and Chapter Seven Films, a film company in Los Angeles.
"Sweep the Leg" featured on MySpace
's most-viewed lists, earned nearly a million views on YouTube
and was mentioned on VH1
's "Best Week Ever" online.
In 2008, Astonish Records released a special collector's edition CD/DVD.
(bass). They broke up in the late 1990s, but reformed in 2006 when Adam DeGraide started a record label called Astonish Records and signed them.
Since the band's reformation, musicians are often added and interchanged according to tours and albums. Pete Mitchell is the band's lead singer and occasionally plays the guitar or piano for shows. He writes songs with Neil Robins, who produces their albums and plays a majority of the instruments.
The band's self-titled debut album has a pop atmosphere and focuses on pop culture and literary references. Knight Rider, The Karate Kid, the Smurfs, Gulliver's Travels
, characters from Peanuts
, the Beastie Boys
, Darth Vader
, Fonzie
, M.C. Hammer, Archie Bunker
, Ghostbusters 2, Adam and Eve
, and Gene Kelly
are all mentioned throughout the album. Well-known songs by the band include "Michael (Jump In)", "Sweep The Leg", and "Zombie Me". Lead singer Pete Mitchell described the album as "a thank-you letter to the 80s".
In early 2008, No More Kings
won in The 7th Annual Independent Music Awards
for Best Pop Album.
No More Kings' follow-up album presents quite a different atmosphere, but brings back the pop culture references including Vincent Barbarino from Welcome Back Kotter, MySpace
, Dungeons and Dragons, Hollywood Squares
, Lewis and Clark, Run-D.M.C.
, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
, Short Circuit
, and Merlin and Arthur from Arthurian Legend. The album produced singles, "Obey the Groove" and "Dance Alone."
most notably Johnny Lawrence from The Karate Kid, Michael and K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider, Johnny 5 from Short Circuit
Short Circuit
Short Circuit is a 1986 comedy science fiction film starring Ally Sheedy and Steve Guttenberg and directed by John Badham. Fisher Stevens, Austin Pendleton, and G. W...
, and Dungeons and Dragons. The band's songs are written by Mitchell along with his longtime friend Neil Robins of the Louisville-based band Dirt Poor Robins.
The name "No More Kings" comes from an episode of Schoolhouse Rock!
Schoolhouse Rock!
Schoolhouse Rock! is an American interstitial programming series of animated musical educational short films that aired during the Saturday morning children's programming on the U.S. television network ABC. The topics covered included grammar, science, economics, history, mathematics, and civics...
, one of many of No More Kings' inspirations. The particular episode dealt with the Pilgrims leaving England, seeking freedom and independence.
Pete studied fine art in college and has worked for Disney and the Jim Henson Company; he is an accomplished animator and also speaks Japanese. He designed the interior album art for the band's first album as well as the album art and packaging for their second album. Pete claims his main sources of musical inspiration are the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
, Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
, Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, and Genesis.
Winner of the 7th annual Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards is an international program that honors top-ranked independent artists and releases in more than 50 Album, Song, Music Video and Design categories....
Vox Pop vote for best Pop/Rock album "No More Kings" AND also winner of Band Website of the year.
Sweep the Leg
No More Kings got much of their exposure from their 2007 music video "Sweep the Leg", which is presented as a continuation of the 1984 film The Karate Kid and features appearances by nearly the entire original cast, with the notable exception of the late Pat MoritaPat Morita
Noriyuki "Pat" Morita was an American actor of Japanese descent who was well-known for playing the roles of Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on Happy Days and Mr. Miyagi in the The Karate Kid movie series, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1984.-Early life:Pat...
, who portrayed Mr. Miyagi in the film. Martin Kove
Martin Kove
Martin Kove is an American actor who has appeared in feature films and television series.-Film appearances:His best-known roles may have been on the 1980s hit CBS television series Cagney & Lacey as Detective Victor Isbecki and in the 1984 hit film The Karate Kid as Cobra Kai Sensei John Kreese...
reprises his role as Sensei Kreese, and actors who played the Cobra Kai members in the 1984 film, Ron Thomas
Ron Thomas
Ron Thomas played basketball at both the college and professional level in the United States.Thomas, after graduating from Thomas Jefferson High School in Louisville, played college basketball at the University of Louisville.Thomas was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics of the NBA in the 6th round...
, Rob Garrison, and Tony O'Dell
Tony O'Dell
Tony O’Dell is an American actor, perhaps best known for his role as preppy Alan Pinkard on the ABC sitcom Head of the Class from 1986 to 1991.-Early life and career:...
are also part of the cast, while Chad McQueen
Chad McQueen
Chadwick S. "Chad" McQueen is an American actor, film producer, martial artist and race car driver. He was born in Los Angeles, California to actor Steve McQueen and Filipino-born actress Neile Adams.-Personal life:...
did not reprise his role. William Zabka
William Zabka
William Michael "Billy" Zabka is an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is an Academy Award Nominee for Co-Writing and Producing the film, "MOST." Zabka is best known for his villain roles in several iconic 80s films, such as his role of Johnny Lawrence in 1984's The Karate...
, who played villain Johnny Lawrence in the movie, directed the video as well. Pat E. Johnson, who was the martial arts director for the 1984 The Karate Kid as well as the martial arts director for Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
, worked on this video. Dennis Haskins
Dennis Haskins
Dennis Haskins is an American actor known for his role as principal Richard Belding in the teen sitcom Saved by the Bell, which ran from 1989 to 1993 on NBC. He then went on to star in Saved by the Bell: The New Class, which aired from 1993 to 2000...
and Liza Snyder
Liza Snyder
Liza Snyder is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of "Christine Hughes" on the CBS Network sitcom, Yes, Dear....
also make an appearance. Sweep the Leg was also featured on Sony's MLB 08: The Show.
The video received over 80,000 views within its first week of release and became the number one video on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
on March 16, 2007.
The premise for the music video finds William Zabka living in a trailer
Mobile home
Mobile homes or static caravans are prefabricated homes built in factories, rather than on site, and then taken to the place where they will be occupied...
in the desert, now an out-of-work actor who has become obsessed with The Karate Kid and the fight he lost years ago. He is haunted by the band No More Kings and chases Pete Mitchell across the desert until they have a final showdown. He then claims victory, but after realizing it was a fantasy, William Zabka is run over by Ralph Macchio
Ralph Macchio
Ralph George Macchio is an American actor, best known for his roles as Daniel LaRusso in the Karate Kid series, Bill Gambini in My Cousin Vinny, and Johnny Cade in The Outsiders. He is also known to American television audiences for his season five recurring role as Jeremy Andretti on the...
as Pete Mitchell looks on.
The music video references not only The Karate Kid, but also the 1986
1986 in film
-Events:*April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle.*April 26 - Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver.*May - Actress Heather Locklear marries Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee....
film Back to School (which also stars William Zabka), the 1987
1987 in film
-Events:*January 31 - The Cure for Insomnia premieres at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, to officially become the world's longest film according to Guinness World Records....
film Raising Arizona
Raising Arizona
Raising Arizona is a 1987 comedy film directed by the Coen Brothers and starring Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, William Forsythe, John Goodman, Frances McDormand and Randall "Tex" Cobb. Not a blockbuster at the time of its release, it has since achieved cult status...
and the 1984 video for The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
song, "You Might Think
You Might Think
"You Might Think" is a single by The Cars from their fifth studio album, Heartbeat City, which came out in 1984. The track was written by Ric Ocasek, and produced by Mutt Lange and The Cars. Ocasek sang lead vocals....
."
There are various versions of the video, the longest being a little over seven minutes. The video was collaboration between No More Kings’ record label Astonish Records, and Chapter Seven Films, a film company in Los Angeles.
"Sweep the Leg" featured on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
's most-viewed lists, earned nearly a million views on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and was mentioned on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's "Best Week Ever" online.
In 2008, Astonish Records released a special collector's edition CD/DVD.
Michael
In 2008, No More Kings followed up the video for "Sweep the Leg" with "Michael (Jump In)", which was animated by San Francisco animation company GhostBot. In "Michael (Jump In)", lead singer Pete Mitchell is a hero-wannabe who attempts to help people, but just makes things worse. The main character in the video is trying to be like Michael, from the show Knight Rider.Origins
Pete Mitchell and Neil Robins started No More Kings by themselves in the 1990s, and were later joined by Adam DeGraideAdam DeGraide
Adam DeGraide is an American business executive involved in the entertainment industry. He is the co-founder of two digital marketing companies, an independent record label and an independent film company.-BZ Results:...
(bass). They broke up in the late 1990s, but reformed in 2006 when Adam DeGraide started a record label called Astonish Records and signed them.
Since the band's reformation, musicians are often added and interchanged according to tours and albums. Pete Mitchell is the band's lead singer and occasionally plays the guitar or piano for shows. He writes songs with Neil Robins, who produces their albums and plays a majority of the instruments.
All The Kings Men
All The Kings Men is the publicity street team for the band No More Kings, which helps in bringing friends to the shows, phoning local radio stations to request the band's songs, putting up posters, and posting to band forums or related bulletin boards online. The name was selected out of hundreds of suggestions by street team members, and came from fan Alicia King.Discography
- No More KingsNo More Kings (album)No More Kings is the debut album by Los Angeles rock band No More Kings. It was released March 6, 2007.The album has produced two singles, "Michael ", and the band's biggest hit "Sweep The Leg" that gained much praise for the accompanying music video, which featured many of the stars of the movie...
, released on March 6, 2007.
The band's self-titled debut album has a pop atmosphere and focuses on pop culture and literary references. Knight Rider, The Karate Kid, the Smurfs, Gulliver's Travels
Gulliver's Travels
Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships, better known simply as Gulliver's Travels , is a novel by Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift that is both a satire on human nature and a parody of...
, characters from Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
, the Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
, Darth Vader
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
, Fonzie
Fonzie
Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli is a fictional character played by Henry Winkler in the American sitcom Happy Days . He was originally a secondary character, but eventually became the lead...
, M.C. Hammer, Archie Bunker
Archie Bunker
Archibald "Archie" Bunker is a fictional New Yorker in the 1970s top-rated American television sitcom All in the Family and its spin-off Archie Bunker's Place, played to acclaim by Carroll O'Connor. Bunker is a veteran of World War II, reactionary, bigoted, conservative, blue-collar worker, and...
, Ghostbusters 2, Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve were, according to the Genesis creation narratives, the first human couple to inhabit Earth, created by YHWH, the God of the ancient Hebrews...
, and Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly
Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
are all mentioned throughout the album. Well-known songs by the band include "Michael (Jump In)", "Sweep The Leg", and "Zombie Me". Lead singer Pete Mitchell described the album as "a thank-you letter to the 80s".
In early 2008, No More Kings
No More Kings (album)
No More Kings is the debut album by Los Angeles rock band No More Kings. It was released March 6, 2007.The album has produced two singles, "Michael ", and the band's biggest hit "Sweep The Leg" that gained much praise for the accompanying music video, which featured many of the stars of the movie...
won in The 7th Annual Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards is an international program that honors top-ranked independent artists and releases in more than 50 Album, Song, Music Video and Design categories....
for Best Pop Album.
- And the Flying BoomboxAnd the Flying BoomboxAnd the Flying Boombox is the second album by Los Angeles rock band No More Kings. It was released May 12, 2009.The album has already produced two singles, "Obey the Groove" and "Dance Alone".-Track listing:#"Obey the Groove"#"Dance Alone"...
, released on May 12, 2009.
No More Kings' follow-up album presents quite a different atmosphere, but brings back the pop culture references including Vincent Barbarino from Welcome Back Kotter, MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
, Dungeons and Dragons, Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants...
, Lewis and Clark, Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C.
Run–D.M.C. was an American hip hop group from Hollis, in the Queens borough of New York City. Founded by Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell, the group is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture.Run–D.M.C...
, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a 1969 American Western film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman...
, Short Circuit
Short Circuit
Short Circuit is a 1986 comedy science fiction film starring Ally Sheedy and Steve Guttenberg and directed by John Badham. Fisher Stevens, Austin Pendleton, and G. W...
, and Merlin and Arthur from Arthurian Legend. The album produced singles, "Obey the Groove" and "Dance Alone."