Dichotomy
“This is terrible. What a colossal waste of time and money. I quit.”
“Wow…we sound amazing. We are crushing souls! I could do this forever.”
More than one thing can be true at the same time. As I yinned and yanged my way through the most recent Little King tour, I occasionally had those two binary emotional reactions within minutes of each other. Sometimes, I actually had them within the same guitar solo! I accept that this is my nature as an artist and quasi-perfectionist, but the whiplash ups and downs of kvetching deeply in the middle of 32nd-note diatonic sweeps shouldn’t be minimized.
As Little King made its way back out into desert southwest for a little promo tour in support of our very well-received new album, Lente Viviente, I had a sense of calm confidence and profound gratitude. We are celebrating 30 years of Little King this year, which is dumbfounding and slightly embarrassing. I can’t believe I’m still doing this, and hopefully we are just peaking right now. It sure feels like it, and the critical and fan reception to the new album has been almost uniformly positive…downright stoked, really! WE love it, and it seems like strangers do, too.
A New Old Band
For this March tour, I was joined by two new players. Well, sort of…one of them was an old head who switched roles. We were rested and pretty well-rehearsed. Of course, a band can always do more, but we did the best we could to overcome the geographical triangle that the three of us have to navigate when it’s time to Rock. Finally, and maybe for the first time in Little King history, the band was incredibly talented, basically sober, and highly motivated.
This wasn’t our first rodeo as touring musicians, but it was the first time that I’ve been joined by Tony Bojorquez (drums) and Dave Hamilton (bass, cello) on the road. Dave did play cello for us live back in 2023 (he also wrote and recorded some string arrangements for the Occam’s Foil and Amuse De Q albums in 2019 and 2021, respectively), but that was a very part-time role and he only participated in a few songs on tour. For 2026, he was front and center as the “low man.”
This was the recording lineup for our Lente Viviente album, released in September of 2025, so we were very familiar with each other as we prepared to hit the road. And…wait for it…we actually REALLY LIKE EACH OTHER!
Little King has toured a bit in the last few years with different musicians including strings, backup singers, horn players, and even a (GASP!) keyboard player. But for this album and tour, logistics (aka FINANCES) and the feel we were aiming for dictated that we were better off going out as a Power Trio. I wanted a stripped down, aggressive 3-piece. No backing tracks, no gimmicks, just three dudes playing their faces off and walking a musical tightrope without a harness. Also…less ego, fewer agendas and “life” issues, and the hope of more money to split (That is a kind of a sick joke, but what can you do? No one should be touring clubs for financial gain.)
Where It Always Comes Together
As we convened in El Paso a couple days before our first show in Las Cruces, which was set for March 6, our spirits were bright. So much prep went into this run of shows, and in the midst of radio interviews with our old friend Jack Lutz at Rock 104.9FM (he actually debuted our Virus Divine album on the radio way back in 2005 on KLAQ in El Paso), rehearsing, hiring sound people and loading in and out (and in and out…), we all expressed a sense of purpose and pride in our music and satisfaction with our growing bond as a new/old band.
As a nice little bonus, our publicists worked the touring band angle and, much to our surprise, Loudwire did a little feature on Little King! Very cool…it made us feel bigtime, like all of our hard work up to this point was building to something special. Momentum is everything for a team, whether it’s sports, business, or music. We had the wind at our backs and were ready to show the world what we had been working on.
The new setlists (one just under 45 minutes, the other about twice that length) were curated from all 8 Little King albums, and I felt that we had a sensible balance of older and new songs that created a varied, dynamic set. We can’t run at one speed all the time…just like a good LK record, the goal with our live performance is to hit a variety of emotions and senses multiple times, even in our shorter 45-minute set that we would perform in Las Cruces and Tempe.
We arranged to rehearse at Strange Daze Studios in West El Paso with our good friends Jamz Rockmoore and Hector Camanera, aka Panthera Onca. Jamz’s house is a shrine to rock and specifically, Pantera, as he grew up jamming with them for years in Dallas with his band Disciple before the Abbotts et al were household names. Check out photos of his place as well as a little live video we recorded of the song “Keyboard Soldier.” We also sat for a long-form interview with the Strange Daze crew including Mike, Steve, James, and Hector. That should drop soon:
MARCH 6, 2026 – Show #1 @ Picacho Peak Brewery, Las Cruces, NM
Busted Knuckles
My new friend and booking partner, Travis J. Manning, fronts a heavy rock band called Shalem, and he is based in Las Cruces. Travis and I are the same age and are, in many ways, the same dude, as we discovered through our conversations. We have both taught in public schools, are both leaders of a 3-piece original rock band, and we are both nice guys who are prone to being taken advantage of. The song “Kindness for Weakness” from our last album sums it up…”I feel strong, but soft in the middle…an easy mark.” Amen, brother Trav.
Travis set this show up with Shalem along with Invictus from Alamogordo and the irrepressible Bart Man and his band, Burning Sunday (the clear winner of the best t-shirt contest from this tour). When we arrived at Picacho Peak Brwering Company, we found a large stage that was indoors with excellent lighting, a competent sound guy with a solid PA, kind and engaged old fans and new listeners, and a bit of nerves.
We are all old stage vets, but this was our first show together as Little King, and after all the hard work making the album in 2025 as well as rehearsing like crazy, there’s no shame in feeling a bit anxious prior to Show #1. How would we react under pressure? How would I keep it together vocally after 5 straight days of singing in rehearsals?
The answer was…mixed. Little King songs ARE CHALLENGING, especially when you have to sing and play them simultaneously with hyper-accuracy and feeling! Little King is a progressive-ish band, and when we are ON, I see an audience that is transfixed by our performance, both from our passion and instrumental dexterity. But to draw them in, we have to be tight, and sometimes we fall a bit short. Nothing worse than a Prog Train Wreck…it can literally sound like we’ve never played together. Fortunately, that didn’t happen on this night.
The set went so quickly that I almost forgot to enjoy it. These moments are increasingly precious, and I try to stay as present as possible. But when you’re BUSY, it is HARD! In retrospect, I take great pride in the quality of our inaugural performance, and in particular, the first three songs, “The Leaded Beatdown,” “Keyboard Soldier,” and “Collateral Damage.” That said, I got a healthy case of “busted knuckles” during the solo in “Collateral,” and any performing guitar player can tell you that when the “fretting forearm” locks up, you’re reduced to half-speed. It was fleeting, fortunately.
It’s amazing how those last two songs are from a bygone era and yet are more relevant than ever today. Sad but true. The crowd was remarkably appreciative of what I think was a B to B+ performance. It was difficult to hear our vocals without my in-ear monitors, as we didn’t get much of a soundcheck and it was a rush job setting up. Still, the rehearsals served us well and the tape doesn’t lie…we were pretty good! Very energetic, at least, for sure.
Here are some photos from Las Cruces by Alan Higgins:
MARCH 7, 2026 – Show #2 @ Downshift Riverside, Ruidoso, NM
The Uphill Climb
Ahhhhh…Ruidoso! Well-known to most who live in the desert Southwest, the town of Ruidoso is located on the Mescalero Apache’s longtime ancestral homeland in the shadow of the snow-capped Sierra Blanca Peak. Nestled amongst tall pines and intermittently (tragically) flooded riverbeds and a hotspot for a burgeoning art and music scene, Ruidoso is a respite for all who seek refuge from the desert heat. At 7,500 feet or so, the air is clean and crisp…in fact, it was 27 degrees when the show ended. Thankfully, we played INSIDE!
Our old friend Jamey Rupley owns Downshift Brewery Riverside. He is the sometimes drummer for Dave’s funk cover band, Fungi Mungle. Jamey also owns Perky Press, the place where I printed my first business cards for Little King almost 30 years ago. Check it out…I have that crown tattooed on my left bicep, but the pager has since been disconnected.
The second show is ALWAYS better than the first. It’s like a rule in touring, and the 3rd is usually the bellwether for how the band will sound for the remainder of the tour. For this performance, we were the only full band, although our buddy Brian Ramos, who also ran sound, played a few songs under his stage moniker Divebar Pagan. Brian was also the bass player on our OD-1 EP…small world! Being the only band on a bill is a good thing; we have about 90 minutes of music that usually includes Dave doing an electric cello performance (He krushes “Kashmir,” folks!), so it’s nice to setup, soundcheck, tweak our gear, and relax. That’s a lot harder when there are multiple full bands on a show.
We extended our setlist to include all of Lente Viviente as well as the older songs “Set It Down,” “Amuse De Q,” and an ancient rarity known as “I-10,” which appears on our Transmountain “album” from 1997 (as a celebration of almost 30 years of Little King, it felt appropriate to include a track from our very humble beginnings!) “I-10” ended up a highlight of the set…in fact, in went from a “Maybe, maybe not” song to a must-play for the rest of the tour.
The crowd was fantastic. Downshift often features blues and Americana acts, but Electric Dave (our bass player’s alter-ego) does a cello show here once a month, so the crowd was familiar with him and very enthusiastic. Dave is a great human and an even better musician, so he had already paved the way for the Ruidoso crowd to appreciate and cheer on Little King.
My son Asher came up to film (he did El Paso as well). He’s a Film and Televsion Major at the University of Arizona and a very talented kid. I miss him now that he’s living in the dorms in Tucson, so it was great to bond with him on a quick roadtrip. Asher is also my most honest critic, and when he gave us an A- for the night, that carried weight! Brian gave us an A- as well, so we will take that all day long.
Here are some photos and a video of “The Leaded Beatdown” that Asher took at Downshift:
MARCH 8, 2026 – Show #3 @ B-29 Bombers, El Paso, TX
106 Isn’t Enough
“Home is where the heart is meant to be/All I know is I don’t wanna let it go/Home is not an easy place to be/All I can do is let it flow” – “Happy Home” by Little King, 2014, from the EP OD-1
Homecoming shows are complicated. My kids, musical contemporaries, supporters, haters…hell, even my ex-wife showed up for this one (and she may be all of those things)! El Paso was home for yours truly from 1992-1997 and again from 1999-2008. I’ve recorded 7 Little King albums there, graduated from college at the University of Texas-El Paso, and even had a couple babies in “El Chuco.” The pressure to perform at a high level in EPTX is real, and it was all good until it wasn’t…
Tony, Asher, and I stayed in El Paso from 3/4-3/9 at a lovely Air bnb close to downtown, as we were playing all of those first three shows within a couple hours of El Paso. It just made sense to post up there and then drive to and from the shows back to our little crash pad. Dave stayed at home in Northeast El Paso and got to sleep in his own bed for all of the first three shows, and we were collectively able to rest and prepare for Sunday night.
We felt GREAT coming down from the Ruidoso gig (literally and figuratively…it’s a steep descent from Ruidoso to the Alamogordo and White Sands basin.) The band was noticeably tighter for the Ruidoso show, and the Touring Gods decree that the third one is always the best. That’s usually the result of a combination of growing confidence, taking time to iron the kinks out, and playing for each other as a team and not as individuals trying to “just get through it.”. Not that this is a thing in our band…we are ONE!
It helped that Eddy Garcia aka “El Diablo” aka “Eddy Razor” would be running sound. Ed played drums on five Little King releases from 2007 to 2023, and he is a dear friend and trusted musical collaborator. He is an EXCELLENT sound guy and knows me and our music probably better than anyone, so I knew we would be in good hands. Or I THOUGHT we were…the events of the evening that turned south had nothing to do with Eddy, but damn did it get weird.
Our friend Jake Baca’s son, Jake III, has a cover band called Lost Mary, and they absolutely ROCK. This generation’s musicians have it so good…we didn’t have YouTube videos and so much access to “how-to-play” info like they do now. And WOW do they put it to good use…loud and proud, those kids rocked that stage as the crowd kept rolling in.
Encouraged by the great turnout and the excellent sound Eddy provided inside the venue, I was ready to give it everything I had. As I peered out from the stage, my son and daughter, my Ex-wife, my first two producer/engineers, several bandleaders, and even more old friends and fans filed in.
As we were setting up, I wandered over to a piece of equipment I use called a power conditioner. Essentially, it’s a fancy power strip that sits atop my amplifiers and has a digital display showing how many volts are coming through a particular outlet. A normal power load is 120V, and in my gigging experience, it can spike to 123 or dip to around 115. However, the club had a TON of stuff running from the same circuit, and the readout said 106V. RED FLAG! Eddy didn’t think it would be a problem, but…
We started the night on fire! “The Leaded Beatdown” and “Catch and Release” in particular had a ton of juice, and when we got to “Who’s Illegal?”, which happens to be the most difficult and nuanced song in our set, we felt that surge of “WE ARE CRUSHING IT!” Crowd was into it, sound on stage was good (crystal clear vocals), and it was lining up to be one of those gigs that you remember forever. Unfortunately, it was, but not for the best of reasons.
About midway through song 7 in the set, a tune called “Kindness for Weakness,” I was set to play the pre-chorus transition and then an extended guitar solo in the outro. As I went to step on my delay pedal, BOOM! The guitar cut completely out. Okay…that was weird, just play it off. Then again. And AGAIN! I bent over to try and diagnose the problem on the fly while Dave and Tony, pros that they are, went into an extended improv jam in C#m. Finally, the guitar kicked back in, and we finished the song in a flourish.
I called for a 5-minute break and the boys obliged. Huge applause, no harm done. I toggled and tested, and it seemed to fix the problem. Relieved, we went back into the next song for the start of set two, “Sweet Jessie James” (but only after Dave absolutely SLAYED “Kashmir” by Led Zep on the cello…he brought the house down!) Things were fine for another song or two, and then BOOM…my rig cut out again. And then again.
This was and is my worst nightmare…things I can’t control that leave me twisting in the wind. In retrospect, it was definitely the power shortage rebooting my pedals, but it didn’t matter what the reason was at the time.
Younger me would have panicked and been PISSED! Older, sober me just rolled with it, thanked everyone for coming out, and ploughed through the rest of the set. It seemed to sort itself out for the last 2 songs, but the damage was done and the gig fell short of what it should have been. Such a shame…but hey, we got some great footage and the band played well.
After the show, I got separate texts from each of my kids. They are all grown up (29 and 19 years old), and I don’t think I’ve ever heard these things from them before:
“I need you to understand how good of a musician you are. Your playing is something fierce, Papa.”
“Dad, for what it’s worth, I’m very proud of you.”
Here are some photos and a clip of my rig going dark during the solo section of “Bombs Away”:
MARCH 11, 2026 – Show #4 @ Yucca Tap Room, Tempe, AZ
Proof Of Concept
Two Days Off…a welcome break from the madness of the road, a chance to address my aching joints and raspy voice, and a lovely homecoming to my better half and my beloved Sleep Number (I’m a 35-40, most nights.) Dave stayed at my house, which is always very fun. We are such good friends in addition to being bandmates, and our bond always grows stronger on days off. I took him up to a magnificent hike on the Meadow Trail on Mt. Lemmon, about 9,700 feet above Tucson. For the rest of the day, we rested and laughed and yes, wrote a new song. Parts of one, anyway. Tony’s sister lives just north of Tucson as well, so we all had the benefit of family and free shelter.
The Wednesday night show at the renowned Yucca Taproom in Tempe was an unknown. We hadn’t played there before, Arizona State University (the local, intensely overpopulated university) was on Spring Break, and while we have quite a few friends and fans in the Valley, you just never know what a mid-week evening gig will look like.
One of my mates from the “Chili’s Days” in El Paso (I was a waiter there from 1993-1997 while working my way through UTEP), Mitch “Meesh” Weinstein, has a band based in Tempe called Factory Reset. As info, they win funniest album title award with the impeccable It Came Dirty in the Box. Mitch also doubles as my lawyer when I get in trouble. Sigh. He often credits me with pushing him to form a band and get better, and so it was very cool after 30+ years of friendship to finally share a stage with him.
We went on third after Factory Reset and another band who performed and then BAILED. Y’all, this is a major breach of etiquette. Stay and support. It’s just not a great look to play your set and split. There was another band after us, even though we were the “headliners.” The group is called Gnarwahl Jrz, and they are a very eclectic two-piece band whose crowd really supported us. They’re unique and cool and on tour as well…find them!
After the equipment failure in El Paso, I had taken all of my gear up the three flights of stairs and into my studio in downtown Tucson prior to the Yucca show. I set it up, ran through every cable, pedal, circuit, and connection. NOTHING HAPPENED. That told me that the glitches in El Paso were likely a power shortage issue and not personal equipment failure in El Paso, so I drove the 100 miles north to Tempe with the hopes that my issues were resolved…well, my EQUIPMENT issues, anyway!
The rest did us some good. We were musically tight and spiritually energized. It may not have been an ideal sound situtation or the biggest crowd, but we played our very best and made a bunch of new fans and sold some shirts. We left that stage knowing that, yes, we are on a roll, and NO, I don’t wanna quit. As I said before, I DO have those thoughts literally in the middle of songs sometimes, but not this night.
Here are some photos and a snippet of the guitar solo in “The Skin That I’m In”…Steve Nash jersey, baby!
MARCH 13, 2026 – Show #5 @ Jardin, San Carlos, SON, MX
Vamos a la Playa…
Tony is originally from the city of Obregon, Sonora, just about 6 hours south of Tucson. After he went to a University in Puebla and then worked in some other spots around Mexico, he eventually ended up in San Carlos, Sonora, in about 2004. San Carlos is a lovely little desert beach community and a popular (but lowkey) playground for Canadians, Americans, and partiers from Hermosillo and parts unknown throughout Mexico. Many schools in Arizona were on Spring Break as well, so when we arrived, the town was filled with revelers.
We thought about playing a club show, but the bar crowds in San Carlos are used to hearing the local cover bands. When they go out to listen to music, that’s what they expect…a high-level human jukebox. Tony plays in those groups for a living down there, and Dave plays in a famous Texas cover group called Fungi Mungle. I, Ryan…not so much. Truly, I suck at open mic night…I just like to write and play my songs and I’m quite embarrassed to butcher someone else’s work.
Tony and his dear friends Tamish and his brother Hedmund flexed their local clout and rented a BEAUTIFUL banquet hall called Jardin. This place is a top-notch and elegant venue, and they paid for the whole thing while putting us up for 2 nights at their various properties around the area. Remarkable hospitality, really. We just MET these guys! When Hedmund called us an “elegant progressive rock band” after we played live, I was so glad and relieved that we didn’t suck after he and Tamish had done so much for us.
Getting to San Carlos requires driving across the Nogales border, paying some tolls, and trekking about five hours south. The American media may have you freaked out about that. I’m here to tell you, first hand, IT IS NO BIG DEAL! The highways are marginally better than most of those in the USA. The tolls amount to about 15 bucks each way (although they only accept pesos), and the border crossing into Mexico takes no time at all. Dave hadn’t done it before, but he and Tony loaded up his truck (I had already returned my rental van, as they won’t allow you to travel to Mexico in a rental) and headed south with my partner Jessica and I close behind in her vehicle.
The band headed down on Thursday, 3/12, as the gig was the following evening. The night we arrived, Jess, Dave, and I along with Tamish and company headed over to a venue called Hammerheads to watch Tony play some covers with a SMOKING good band. Dave sat in for a couple tunes, we were all happy, and the vibes were relaxed and joyful.
The next day, we loaded in the PA and set up around 5pm for a 7pm gig. This was a “secret show,” meaning invite-only. About 50 of Tony’s closest friends and supporters showed up to Jardin, many of whom are retired down in San Carlos. The PA setup was minimal and not altogether functional, but we figured it out after some initial panic and guests started showing up around 6:45pm (retired people = early arrivals.)
The humidity was crazy, and it really messed with the intonation of our instruments, especially Electric Dave’s cello. I wish I’d played and sang better…I dunno, I was distracted and it took a long time to warm up. But the crowd was enthusiastic, attentive, and appreciative. It’s just tough when it’s the last show of a tour. So many emotions, including “Thank God this is almost over” juxtaposed 2 seconds later with “I never ever want this to end!” Again, this is a real and rapid swing that is part of who I am. Balance, Ryan…
We loaded out and got home LATE, emotionally and physically drained. The next day, though, was the big payoff. We chartered a modest-sized yacht, ate some great food with our toes in the sand at The Soggy Peso, and generally had the best time ever. It DID take 4.5 hours to cross the Mariposa Bridge just west of Nogales back into the States. One line split into two and then into three, but it was truly molasses in March.
We got home safely, and Dave helped me load back into my studio in downtown Tucson before he completed his 15 hours on the road back to El Paso. I came home happy, exhausted, fulfilled, and broke…just about as I expected.
Here are some pics from the trip, many of which joyously have absolutely nothing to do with music:
POSTSCRIPT…The Cost of (Musical) Freedom
Sometimes cliches exist because they are TRUE. In light of this run and all of the ones from the previous 30 years, I can safely say that “The more things change, the more they stay the same” is a truism that I feel in my core.
Touring is hard, especially in my 50’s. But it’s ALWAYS been hard. We do it because the payoff is huge…a sense of pride of purpose and the satisfaction of a job well-done rule the day. I love my bandmates, we LOVE our fans and friends (special shoutout to the Hess family and Andy Halatyn, both of whom came to 2 shows.) We had the best time, generally played really well and left nothing on the stage every single night.
I’m not sure where we stand at this point. I continue to self-fund this lifestyle. I pay my Band, I pay the Lodging, I pay the Van Rental, I pay for the T-shirts…The joke is that while other (sane, adult) people go on vacation, I go ON TOUR.
I will never stop making albums and playing shows. Or, at least, I’ll continue on in some capacity, SOMEHOW. So many of my musician friends from yesteryear have given it up, or just play when they can. As I get older, I am grateful that I’m still healthy (and solvent) enough to keep it going.
To our fans, the faithful FOLK (“Friends Of Little King”)…you’re the WHY. It’s so gratifying to see you singing along, and those who’ve just discovered us after 8 albums and 30 years…welcome to the fam. We are so happy to have you.
HERE IS THE THING…We need your help! I hate asking anyone for anything, but the only way this continues is if a groundswell of support takes us to the next level. When you like our posts, share our music, buy our shirts, or just tell your friends about your new favorite band, the dream stays alive for us, one fan and two ears at a time.
We are eyeing a tour in the EU and UK this summer, but it’s not feasible without financial backing. If there is a label or finance team out there who want to support a hard-working, thoughtful, PROFESSIONAL, kick ass prog-ish rock band, well…we are here and we are the best partners you could ask for.
When you give some, we will give all. Always.
Love and Thanks,
-Ryan