Living La Vida Modo

At the risk of offending the legendary Bob Dorough, sometimes two is the magic number. At least that’s what Kildare duo King Modo discovered whilst recording their eponymous debut album.

“Initially we wanted King Modo to be a full band,” explains songwriter Paul Keogh. “A couple of years ago we tried to get a band together. However, Lenny (Cahill - drums, bass, electric guitar, keys, backing vocals) and I couldn’t get the right mix in the recording studio. We had to go back to the two of us.”
It’s a formula that’s worked for the Newbridge natives.
“The romantic side of me would like to say we’ll have a full band as King Modo some time in the future. At the moment this is the way it worked itself out,” says Paul. “We’ve had some great musicians in to play with us. Nevertheless, there’s something different when it’s us two. When I met Lenny he brought me along leaps and bounds in regards to musicianship and we eventually found out we both kind of liked the same music. We went through the same stages of loving Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Crosby Stills and Nash, Steely Dan etc.”
Mastered by the legendary Robyn Robins (U2, Van Morrison, Damien Rice and everyone in between), King Modo’s self-titled debut weaves a trippy line through alt. rock territory.
“This is if you like, the second or the third album,” Keogh laughs, “because we had 14 or 15 other songs that were all scrapped! We moved to Clare on the west coast for a few months, to Loop Head. Nothing we recorded down there was ever used. It was brilliant groundwork. We made a few little mistakes that helped later on. I played guitar for years on my own, too. The fantastic thing for me was the first two years of gigging on my own. I was heckled at and told I was shit. It was a good, character-building experience that way!”
Keogh recalls working with Robins; “He was well into it. He actually wants us to send over a batch of CDs because he really, really likes it and he wants to see if he can do something for us in the States.”
What does the name mean?
“Modo is Latin for ‘now’, King Modo is, like, the King of now.”
When it comes to pulling out a stomping live show, King Modo are learning from the best.
“At the moment who really excites us is the Dave Matthews Band,” Keogh raves. “I saw them live last year and the energy they brought was amazing.”