(RockAndMetal.com) (01/18/05)

Edited By Michael Bennett

SAN DIEGO, CA, USA - San Diego Modern Rock band LOUIS XIV will issue a new EP next week on January 25th entitled "Illegal Tender."

The 5-song release will precede the band's major-label debut for Atlantic Records, which is currently scheduled for release in the Spring.

Louis XIV was born out of lead singer/guitarist Jason Hill's fascination with a story about a man who thinks he is king.

Along with guitarist Brian Karscig and drummer Mark Maigaad, Hill since turned that fabled story into a high-energy sound reminiscent of T. REX and THE ROLLING STONES, circa "Exile On Main Street."

Louis XIV's self-released album and 2 EPs have already sold over 8,000 copies and the first single from "Illegal Tender," 'Finding Out True Love Is Blind,' has been getting an amazing amount of airplay as of late.

The buzz started on hometown radio station 91X in San Diego, and now the band are in heavy rotation in California on Indie 103 in Los Angeles, KJEE in Santa Barbara, Live 105 in San Francisco, and KNRK in Portland, Oregon.

Initially comprised of Hill (who also doubles as the band's producer), Karscig and Maigaard, Louis XIV first came together in April of 2003.

In the interest of changing things up, and a mantra of "Let's not overthink it, let's just go record it," Hill and the band opted to head to Paris.

The initial recording sessions by Louis XIV took place in a friend's flat, which housed a late 1960's model 16-track tape recorder, which was identical to the one the band had back in San Diego.

Upon discovering that, the three musicians packed up some equipment -- a vintage Studer console, a few favorite microphones -- and headed to France.

Once begun, the sessions were loose and spontaneous, with the band recording as few takes of each song as possible.

Two weeks later, the band returned to San Diego.

They put a few finishing touches on the unrefined tracks, and their self-titled debut album was already complete.

After the band posted a few MP3s from "LOUIS XIV" on their newly-launched official website (www.louisxiv.net), local radio began playing one of the tracks, 'God Killed The Queen.'

Much to the band's surprise, their personal project had struck a populist chord.

A cheap CD burner was purchased, and the band started their own recording label (The Pineapple Recording Group), selling over 500 copies of "LOUIS XIV" in the first month.

The positive word soon spread across the Atlantic, and tracks from the album were all over BBC Radio 1, getting spins from such influential DJs as Mary Anne Hobbs and Zane Lowe.

Before the band knew it, they were heading to London for the annual NME Awards.

Upon their return to the U.S., Louis XIV -- now including bassist Jimmy Armbrust -- built on their buzz with a roof-raising gig at the annual South By Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas.

A month later, the band flew back to Britain to perform live on Mary Anne Hobbs's TV program, "Jamz."

The trip also saw the band playing their first European gig to a packed house at London's infamous drag bar/rock venue, "Madam Jo Jo's."

While Louis XIV was away in the UK, their fanbase at home continued to grow. San Diego radio station 91X had gotten their hands on a rough mix of one of Louis XIV's new recordings, 'Finding Out True Love Is Blind.'

Radio airplay resulted in soaring record sales, despite the fact that the song wasn't even included on the band's current album.

Due to overwhelming demand, Louis XIV decided to release a pair of EPs (dubbed "Pink EP" and "Blue EP"), featuring a few faves from "LOUIS XIV" along with a handful of their latest recordings.

Summer 2004 saw Louis XIV, still unsigned, joining The Killers on the road.

As they traveled America, sales of the album and EPs exploded, with more than 10,000 CDs going out around the world.

In August 2004, Louis XIV signed a recording deal with Atlantic Records.

At the 2004 San Diego Music Awards in September, Louis XIV walked away with "Album Of The Year" and "Best Rock Album" trophies for "LOUIS XIV."

Meanwhile, the band's major label debut will be produced by Jason Hill.

The as-yet-untitled set will pair songs from their self-released album and EPs along with new material recorded in November and December of 2004 at the band's San Diego studio, built specifically for the recordings in a refurbished urban church.

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