In another chapter, where the band is fleeing a raging dragon on board an airship, I was seriously stuck when it came to writing the action sequence. While describing the fight, I used terms like “parsing out violence in short, frenetic bursts” that evoked the idea of a drummer playing for all he was worth. The song features a lengthy drum solo by John Bonham, which, when performed live, often went on for more than fifteen minutes.

While writing this scene I played Led Zeppelin’s Moby Dick over and over. Often these songs would go on repeat for however many hours it took me to finish the chapter.Īn example of this is when Matrick (whose character represents the “drummer” of the band) fights by himself against overwhelming odds. Sometimes it was something new-an artist or album I’d never heard before-and sometimes it was music that suited the “vibe” of a particular scene. I always had a playlist going while writing the first book of The Band. The great thing about the rock and folk music of the 1970s (from which Kings of the Wyld draws inspiration) is that many of the songs are long, rambling epics that are well suited to listening to while writing. “Killing in the name of…”Ĭheck out Nicholas’s great article below.

A story that has a whole lotta RATM is going to be quite the story indeed. “Nirvana, Nas, Pearl Jam, NWA, and a whole lotta Rage Against the Machine” are the bands that had a huge influence upon me growing up.

As a fan, I can’t tell you how excited I will be to jump into that book when it comes out, and also take a deep dive into that playlist. There is also mention about the upcoming book, Outlaw Empire, which will be the third book in the series. Eames mentions below how some of the fight scenes are done in short frenetic bursts like a drummer playing.Įames was kind enough to talk with us a bit about his connection with music and the wonderful Spotify playlists that he had created to go along with the first two books in the series, Kings of the Wyld, and Bloody Rose. From the obvious, he named the series The Band to the less overt in how the fight scenes are orchestrated. It was obvious to me as a reader that Eames has a connection with music. I kid you not, I was humming Back in Black through most of my reading of Kings of the Wyld. But instead of music this band creates madness and brings pain upon their foes. Kings of the Wyld, the first book of The Band combines the frenetic swagger and energy of David Lee Roth on stage owning the crowd mixed in with the “take no shit” of AC/DC.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out Nicholas Eames’s series The Band, you should stop what you are doing and go read that right now because The Band is seriously next level.

Nicholas eames book 3