The Lions Rampant are a three-piece rock n’ roll band with roots in Burlington, Kentucky, and are currently putting on their stompin’ boots to tour in support of their brand new album, It’s Fun to do Bad Things.  The band is made up of Stuart MacKenzie (vocals, guitar, and theremin) Nick Vogelpohl (bass, backing vocals), and Nathan Wagner (drums, backing vocals).  They describe the album as “a celebration of figuring out love and pushing one’s boundaries,” and that it “tells the story of a young romantic and his search for love, taking things to the limit, enjoying the nightlife, and falling in and out of love.”

The band is currently signed to Deep Elm Records, and this is their first time recording in a studio.  Stuart recently took some time to answer a handful of questions.

So, the album dropped on the 27th of January, correct?
Yep! That’s when it went online. We released the physical copies on March 13th, in an underground party in an abandoned old brewery in Cincinnati’s Over the Rhine district.

It sounded like, from a few of the reviews and interviews I read on the City Beat website, you guys took your time choosing a record label, and that, for a dark moment, the new album might not see the light.  What was behind your choice to release with Deep Elm, and what other labels were The Lions Rampant trying to get behind them?
Deep Elm is awesome.  They have been a record label for many years and aren’t out to rip anyone off or just make a quick buck.  Looking at their track record, we could see they have stayed committed to supporting their artists, so in the end, we decided to go with them because we couldn’t find anyone who worked with them before who had anything bad to say about them. That is extremely rare in the music industry, and it demonstrates Deep Elm’s commitment to making sure their artists are supported and satisfied.

We talked to a lot of label — some you’ve heard of, some you haven’t — but in the end we’ve been very happy with our choice.

It says in the bio that for this album you guys tried to focus more on “tighter songwriting.”  What was your original process when going into a studio or a practice, and what’s your process now?  Do you guys just sort of jam and feel a song out as it develops, or does someone come in with a riff?
Some of the songs I write in my bedroom, and some in my living room.  Sometimes we have a great practice and I write a chord progression and melody that we’re really excited about.  We build the bass and drum parts off of that.  Then I’ll hide in the bathroom or my car and furiously pound out the lyrics.  Or I’ll go home, try and fall asleep with the lyrical ideas racing in my head and dream…then write down the digested material in the morning. Overall, I’ve been very inspired by Sam Cooke, James Brown, and Neil Young when it comes to my lyrics.  I’m not a fan of trying to create vaguely disguised art school indie rock lyrics. Whatever immediate sentiment I’m trying to get across in my lyrics, I try to honestly represent.  I’d rather make an immediate, honest connection with the listener and communicate exactly what I’m feeling in a way that’s interesting, but not contrite.  By the same ticket, I also love Robert Frost.

You guys recorded your first EP, Half Women Half Alcohol (2007) in a trailer in Burlington, Kentucky. For this album, The Lions Rampant recorded in a studio [Candyland Studios in Cincinnati] — which do you prefer?  Is there a big difference in the way things get done?  And by the way, where was Play Rock & Roll [2008 EP] recorded?
Cameron Cochran, our former bassist, recorded our first EP in the trailer.  Our second EP was recorded in Ultrasuede Studios in Cincinnati by our friend Brian Niesz.  Our full-length was again recorded by Cam, with his friend (the studio owner and engineer) Mike Montgomery. Basically, the album is an amalgamation of the two projects: we had the time to experiment like we did in the trailer with the friendly, fun vibe of having our friends record us, while recording on really nice equipment in a professional setting.

Speaking of your second EP, I know you guys have a habit of creating tongue-in-cheek titles — for example, It’s Fun To Do Bad Things.  Was Play Rock & Roll both a demand and a list?
It was a statement.  For us it was more like, The Lions Rampant  — this particular collection of friends — try their best at what they think is rock n’ roll.  The music that means the most to me is the music that is willing to take the most risks, and it does this by being nakedly honest.  I’m a huge Bonnie Prince Billy fan, for example.  We tried to take his lyrical and emotional honesty and present it that this album and in this rock n’ roll context. In essence, we were saying, “Hello! We’re three friends from the Midwest who love playing music. We also love rock n’ roll and here is our best attempt at making a fun rock n’ roll album. Enjoy.”

In a lot of the blog and internet worlds, that is a lame thing to say, because it’s more cool to say that you don’t care, or it was an accidental recording that was made, or that you didn’t know each other, or that you went to cabin in the woods in Wisconsin to record album. There always has to be some 20-second elevation pitch “creation” story.  But we were happy to state exactly our intention and goal, which I think is much more brave than pretending like you don’t give a shit.

I read that this album was a diary of sorts — is it a collective diary, or is there someone in the band who does the majority of the lyric writing?
I writes all the lyrics.

How did Cameron [Cochran] feel about the song “Kara?”  As I understand it, the song is based on his daughter?
He loves it.  I’m glad you’ve picked up that is a double entendre. We decide we wanted to write a slower love song.  I didn’t want to write just a boring love song, so I wrote a song that could, at first glance, be applied to a lover, but also be so innocent, it could be intended for a child.  Because of its classic and catchy chord progression, a lot of people miss the lyrical joke in the song, so I’m impressed you gave the album an intelligent listen.  And yes, Kara loves the song, but only when I sing it!

The theremin is a pretty interesting piece of equipment, and has become something you guys are known for, as it has been featured on all three albums.   When did you first come across that instrument? Where do you pick one up, and exactly how do you work that thing?
My dad is has a doctorate in musicology. He is always listening to weird West African music or Tunisian throat singing. One day he told me about the only musical instrument that was played not by touch , but by the electromagnetic waves of the human body.  I did a lot of research and eventually watched an awesome documentary on the theremin, its inventor, the red scare, and child prodigies. It was called The theremin, an Electric Odyssey. I built mine, but you can also order them from eBay.

So where exactly did the original lineup [Stuart MacKenzie, Alex Brauer, and Cameron Cochran] meet?  I read somewhere that the band was formed after Stuart’s return from school in Scotland, and then I read that the band formed at Northern Kentucky University.  Give us a little Lions Rampant history lesson.
Alex and I went to an accelerated high school and were best buds.  We went to the same college and left for Europe about the same time.  When we came back we made the promise that we would only return to Europe if we did it on our terms playing our own music — i.e., living our dreams.  We were well on our way, when Alex got cancer.  He recovered, but due to the health care system in America he was no longer able to tour and work part-time jobs and have decent health insurance.

Cam was my close friend and neighbor and an excellent bass player. Cam has a wonderful family (three awesome kids and several other musical projects) and right around Alex’s recovery, the band was playing too many out of town shows for him to be able give equal time to all his loves. Nick and Nate were my friends who played many shows (in different bands) with The Lions Rampant. When Alex and Cam were forced to quit, Nick and Nate had just become free to play in new bands and quickly jumped in and made the band their own.

And how long has the current lineup  been together?  I understand the rhythm section comes from what was left of Norust — what were Nick and Nathan’s feelings about that?  Were you guys excited to jump right into Lions, or was it sort of a bittersweet deal?
We’ve been together for about two and a half years.  Nick and Nate had been playing in Norust since high school, and their band had just broken up… and I think they were both excited to start a new project with a lot of more creative input.  But they are both sleeping with Ukrainian models right now, so I can’t speak for them.

For those who don’t know, a rampant lion (a lion standing with two or three limbs raised) is a common charge, or image, on royal crests and is used heavily in heraldry, the practice of designing coats of arms. Isn’t it featured in Scotland’s coat of arms (and many other country’s for that matter)?  What draws you to that country?
Well my name is Stuart MacKenzie, which is Scottish as fuck.  I love the Scottish people, their generosity, tenacity, and commitment to the idea of freedom. Plus, they invented the modern world and the name “Hoobastank” was already taken.

So it sounds like you guys are getting ready to do some touring around your area to start promoting this thing.  Any places you all are specifically pumped to play?
We’re especially excited to play shows in the UK.  Besides that we love Akron, Cleveland, Chicago, Lexington, and Louisville.  We’re going to keep touring hard; we’ll sleep when we’re dead.

You guys were nominated for “Best Rock Band” in Cincinnati and “Best Live Act” for the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards.  Any results on that yet?
Yeah, we lost to our friends the Buffalo Killers. They rule and their album was recorded by the Black Keys, who they’ve been touring with as well as the Black Crows.  Zach (from the Buffalo Killers) sings on our album and is a huge influence on us… it’s an honor to be in the same category as those talented bastards.