Citizen King


Citizen King was an American music group from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, whose style was a mix of hip-hop, soul, and punk. They are best known for their top 40 hit "Better Days ", which peaked at on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1999.

History

The band formed in 1993 after the breakup of their previous band, Wild Kingdom. Both bands gained considerable local recognition for their live shows. While Citizen King's first LP and EP were only commercial successes around Wisconsin, they were well received by critics. They were discovered by Speech from Arrested Development, who produced several tracks on their debut album, Brown Bag LP. They followed up with the EP Count the Days.
They toured with Fishbone, and executives at Warner Bros. Records signed them after attending their show at the South by Southwest festival. The band's 1999 release Mobile Estates received moderate commercial success. The album's hit song "Better Days " was played in the pilot episode and the series finale of Malcolm in the Middle.
The band’s first single and biggest hit was "Better Days." It became a Top 40 hit in the summer of 1999. It was also ranked on other Billboard charts, including peaks of on Modern Rock, on Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales, and on Top 40 Recurrents. The band performed as part of Humble & Fred Fest at Fort York in Toronto that year.
A remix of "Better Days " was used in the 2000 movie Gone in 60 Seconds, and the original version was used in the video game Street Sk8er 2, along with "Under the Influence". "Salt Bag Spill" was featured on The Animal soundtrack in 2001. The band was managed by Milwaukee native Jeff Castelaz, who later founded Dangerbird Records, and continues to manage keyboardist Dave Cooley in his work as a producer and mixer.
Castelaz stated in a 2006 interview with onmilwaukee.com that the band had completed 85% of a third album before they suddenly broke up in the early 2000s. Though neither he nor anyone else associated with Citizen King have ever disclosed the reason for the split, he said “it had to happen, based on the reality of the time”. It was rumored, but never confirmed, that the catalyst for the break-up was unscrupulous personal behavior on the part of Sims.
Cooley continued his career as a producer and has produced records for such artists as Silversun Pickups, Local Natives, Eulogies, Darker My Love and The Polyphonic Spree. Cooley also became a mastering engineer for Stones Throw Records, overseeing most of the albums by J Dilla and the label's founder Peanut Butter Wolf.

Personnel

  • Mount Sims – lead vocals, bass
  • Kristian Riley – guitar
  • Dave Cooley – keyboards
  • Malcolm Michiles – turntables
  • Gintas Janusonis – drums
  • DJ Brooks – drums
  • Sage Schwarm – bass
  • John Dominguez – bass
  • Cory Coleman – bass

    Discography

Albums

  • Brown Bag LP
  • Mobile Estates, peaked on Billboard's Heatseekers chart at

    Extended plays

  • Sydney Hih
  • ''Count The Days''

    Singles