EPK – Little King – Lente Viviente (2025)
Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
For fans of Rush, Porcupine Tree, Pink Floyd, Muse, Led Zeppelin
“I think this will be BY FAR our biggest release. The playing, songwriting, and production are our greatest accomplishments. New players on drums and bass, plus a new studio, have really elevated this project. I want people to take a short, mind-blowing journey…like Musical DMT. We are aiming to hit all the notes and emotions…the dynamic range of this record will push and pull from the first note to the last.” – Ryan Rosoff (Guitar, Vocals) – Little King
Band: Little King
Album Title: Lente Viviente
Release Date: September 26, 2025
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: CD Baby
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Spotify
“Overall, this band showcased a sophisticated sense of melodies that were not overly complicated, but easy to assimilate as well. Not being familiar with them, I am surprised to learn of their longevity, and you wouldn’t know this was their eight album, because the drive and fire in them is very much alive in their music. 8/10” – Metal Temple
“Seven songs, clocking in at just over twenty-five minutes Little King pack a powerful and melodic cocktail of prog, rock and alternative. If Rush jammed with REM and King’s X it would sound a little like this. Impressive.” – Get Ready To Rock!
“Long-running Progressive Rock outfit Little King is unveiling “Dawn Villa,” the second single from their highly anticipated eighth studio album, Lente Viviente! A sonic time capsule wrapped in staccato riffs and melodic crescendos, “Dawn Villa” is a heartfelt tribute to frontman Ryan Rosoff’s formative years in Mercer Island, Washington. The track comes from their eighth album Lente Viviente, which is available for pre-order/digital pre-save now at the links below, and releases September 26th, 2025. If you grew up obsessed with the classic seventies prog rock greats like Rush, King Crimson, and Pink Floyd, with a modern flare for drama such as Muse or Neal Morse, Little King deserves your attention! ” – Ghost Cult Magazine
“Over nearly three decades, Little King has evolved from the El Paso roots of “Transmountain” to the intricate, personal soundscapes of “Lente Viviente,” blending complex arrangements, strong melodies, and lyrical depth.” – Progressive Rock Journal
“Lente Viviente is as striking as it is arousing and easy to suggest a must for all rock appetites. LITTLE KING seem to know how to feed every instinct and want with their eclectic enterprise and at the same time spring something strikingly new, the proof all there in Lente Viviente.” – The Ringmaster Review
“Tucson progressive rockers’ Little King are gearing up for the release of their 8th studio album, ‘Lente Viviente’ on Sept. 26th and have also just dropped their first single from the album, ‘Catch and Release’. This band truly pushes boundaries and yet makes modern prog rock very accessible. That is a difficult feat and a challenge many bands can’t overcome. But these fellas make it sound very simple, even though the music is quite complex. Similar to YES in that every instrument, including the vocals, all seem to be doing their own thing…but somehow it all works beautifully, and that is what good prog is about. Listen up for Little King on your Home for the Best New Rock… W-J-O-EEEE” – WJOE – Findlay’s Home for Rock & Roll
““Lente Viviente” is a great release, very short of course, but still atmospheric and moving. Overriding the higher-faster-further mentality in such a playful way deserves respect, and the men deserve it again with their eighth appearance overall.8/10″ – PowerMetal.de
“Album “Lente Viviente” it presents emotions, classic playing and dynamic playing. The band recorded interesting arrangements with expressive performances. You can hear a personal and reflective album here, but there are many optimistic and optimistic sounds here. 4/5″ – W-Mgnieniu-Rocka
“Talk about the album as a whole, it’s one hell of an experience of Melodic Rock, with elements of metal, there is Power, Heaviness, Melodic, and a lot of progressive materials added to this album, making this an awesome release. The songwriting is something known from Little King, the album had is concept of writing from the Covid Situation of the last two years on the unrest in the US. A short album but very much listenable, especially for the fans of Little Rock, this is not something you want to miss.” – Metal Heads Forever Magazine (Amuse De Q – 2021)
“There are just some artists that when you sit down to chat to you soon realise that they are such great people that you’d love them as a friend. HEAVY Magazine’s Dave Griffiths recently discovered that when he sat down to chat to Ryan Rosoff the frontman of Little King.
The conversation not only got deep as they spoke about the band using the loneliness and depression they felt during the lockdowns into the songs on their new album, Amuse De Q, but then also swung around to another passion they both – Aussies in the NBA. Yes when you sit back to listen to this interview, be prepared to not only hear some talk about the legendary hard rock of Little King but also chat about Joe Ingles, Kyrie Irving and Patty Mills… oh and a lot of Brooklyn Nets talk.” – Heavy Mag (Amuse De Q – 2021)
“The measure of the album, and the band, are demonstrated for me on “Internal Smut”. The track is one of two instrumentals, although to be fair “Moving On” is more of an introduction to “Nineteen Strong”, into which it segues seamlessly. Not all rock bands can really hit hard with instrumentals, but Little King manage it with “Internal Smut”. It’s every bit as good as the last rock instrumental to make such an impression on me, Rush’s “The Main Monkey Business” from Snakes & Arrows. High praise indeed! Little King are not Rush – not yet at any rate – but in Legacy of Fools they have produced an album that fans of that band, and of others, will enjoy very much.” – Sea of Tranquilty (Legacy of Fools – 2008)
“Having put out four full length LPs and two EPs in 24 years, this latest offering, “Occam’s Foil”, is an entertaining five song piece that shows off a savvy awareness of the current state of affairs and has some fun showing off their musical and vocal prowess. This band defies genre typing. No two songs really fit the same mold. There’s a heavier rock song, one with Caribbean influences, an instrumental, a mid-tempo rocker, and one with a really nice string arrangement. This is a bold mixture that works well together, despite the obvious disparity. “Occam’s Foil”, is a bold piece of work put out in 2019 via Mad Bell Records…. This is very good record with something for everyone. 9/10″ – Metal-Temple (Occam’s Foil – 2019)
“In just these 5 tracks Little King is able to show listeners a glimpse of their musical reach. They are able to touch on a variety of musical sounds, while never sacrificing the authenticity of theirselves. This album as a whole may not be for everyone, but there are definitely tracks that anyone could enjoy, and coming from a 5 track EP that is quite the accomplishment. ” – You Make The Scene (Occam’s Foil – 2019)
“Occam’s Foil is further proof that a trio can take on the best of rock music – and any genre- and create a grand sound like no other. Lend them your ears…it’s worth the leap and if you’re a fan of Alice In Chains, Blind Melon, The Mavericks and more – you’ll want to add these tracks to your musical library.” – Indie Pulse Magazine (Occam’s Foil – 2019)
“One of many thickly alluring aspects of the EP is the real individuality of songs to each other” – Ring Master Reviews (Occam’s Foil – 2019)
Band: Little King
Album Title: Lente Viviente
Release Date: September 26, 2025
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: CD Baby
Track Listing:
1. Catch and Release – 3:22
2. Dawn Villa – 3:42
3. Who’s Illegal? – 3:56
4. Kindness for Weakness – 3:21
5. Sweet Jessie James – 2:42
6. Pass Through Filters – 4:50
7. The Living Lens – 3:37
Album Length: 25:34
Album Credits:
Engineered by Ricky Wascher Tavares at Cimamusic in Tucson, AZ
Mixed by Daniel Salcido at Command Space Audio in Los Angeles, CA
Mastering by Maor Appelbaum at Maor Appelbaum Mastering
Album artwork by Savannah Maher
ASCAP (Ryan Phillip Rosoff/MadBell Records)
Ryan Rosoff, Guitars and Vocals
David Hamilton, Bass and Cello
Tony Bojorquez, Drums
Laura Sadie Bette, Backing Vocals on Songs 4 & 7
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About The Album Artwork:
The themes of shifting filters, light, reflection, and perception pervade the lyrical content of Lente Viviente. For the cover, we wanted to keep it simple and include all 3 band members in the metaphoric and literal lens.
According to Rosoff, “The artwork is, in a way, a metaphor for the scrutiny we are under as artists and performers. One is left to wonder what the world looks like from behind the band’s side of the lens…what do they see? How do we perceive the audience?”
The crown is a bit off-center to reflect that imperfect balance between artist and audience, too…or as we sing in the song “The Living Lens,” the crown has “shifted 5 degrees/center left afield.”
This is the first time Little King band members have been featured on the cover of an album. So, the question is, when Ryan tattoos it on his body (as he has done with every Little King cover), will he actually put their faces on his skin? All will be revealed in September!
About the album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):
This album combines elements of progressive and hard rock with hooks and strong melodies. Each song is essentially a “micro-epic” in that the tunes are complex and involved but come in under 4 minutes, with the exception of “Pass Through Filters.” At the same time, the complexity gives way to space and breath…the push and pull of each song works in a way to bring the listener back again and again for a full audio experience. These songs make you think, make you bob your head, and hopefully make you hit the ”Add to Library” button!
Track By Track Explained (Musically / Lyrically):
1. Catch and Release
I grew up fly fishing in Montana and Northern California with my dad, grandfather, and brother. It was a special time, and the metaphors for light and reflection are strong in this song. (“Polarized,” for example, refers to glasses that allow one to see underwater, making it easier to see a trout coming from the deep to slurp a dry fly.) For my birthday last year, I went fishing on the Yakima River with my dad (“Len,” also a play on the word “lens,” apropos of everything). It brought back a flood of memories and the realization that I am so much happier on a river with my dad (or, as I sing in the song, my son and daughter, who both love to fly fish but don’t get to do it often.) But the overall sentiment of the tune is a reflection on fishing with my dad and how much I prefer that to, say, city life. Other references include “Ten and Two,” “False Casting,” “Bigger Sky” (Montana is known as “Big Sky Country”), and on and on…
Musically, “Catch and Release” is built around a figure in 7/8 time with a brief descending interlude in 4/4, which underscores the “False Casting” line and transitions nicely into the verses. The song kicks off the record nicely, both lyrically as an intro into the themes of Lente Viviente, but also as an uptempo yet heavy and groovy piece of music that doesn’t overstay its welcome. None of these songs do, really. It was critical on this album to focus on the concept of “Micro-epics,” or creating a lasting and memorable experience in very compact song arrangements. It may only be 3:30 in length, but it FEELS longer because it’s involved.
2. Dawn Villa
I grew up in a suburb of Seattle, WA, called Mercer Island. It’s an actual island (I believe the most populous freshwater island in the USA) with bridges to Seattle and the eastside suburb of Bellevue, where my dad now lives. My neighborhood on Mercer Island was called Dawn Villa. Again, playing on the themes of the filters of memory and time, this song is a reflection of my time from 1976-1990, growing up in this remarkable neighborhood.
There was an extraordinary group of kids that I grew up with in Dawn Villa, as our group consisted of about 15 boys within 3 years of each other. Fun thing is, we are all still in touch, almost 50 years later! I’m actually going back up for a reunion of sorts in August. Should say that there were a remarkable number of highly successful “graduates” of Dawn Villa, including NBA coach Quin Snyder (who taught me how to play basketball at about age 6) and writer/director Anne Rosellini, who was nominated for an Oscar for writing and producing “Winter’s Bone.” WE HAD SO MUCH FUN…I miss my 70s and 80s childhood! Lots of inside jokes and references in here for those 15 dudes…hopefully not so esoteric that the general population can’t enjoy it as well!
Musically, this song is fun as hell to play! Dave slaps and pops his way through the verses in some controlled chaos, Tony’s drum fills (particularly on the outro) are massive and quirky, and I love singing the choruses and some of the funnier parts after the little middle 8 solo. The verses are built around an odd start/stop staccato guitar riff that Dave blazes over. The choruses are also interesting in that they repeat 3 times, but all in slightly different tempos. I think this guitar “solo” is a great reflection of the direction of the whole album in that it is melodic, not super-shreddy, and furthers the mood of the song to a crescendo that breaks down into the funniest of all stories from my youth. If you were there, you didn’t forget that “deadly leaf.”
3. Who’s Illegal?
I moved back to Tucson in 2020 to be near my elderly mom. Moved with my son, Asher, who recently graduated from high school and will be studying film and TV at the UofA here locally starting this August. I lived here once before, from 1990-92, and of course I lived off and on in El Paso, just 4.5 hours to the east of here, from 1992-2008 (this is the FIRST LK record of 8 that wasn’t recorded in the city limits of El Paso.)
In any event, Tucson and El Paso are both literally at the front lines of the immigration “crisis.” My studio in downtown Tucson is the heart of the city, and it is about 2 blocks from an area called the Presidio San Agustin del Tucson, aka “the Presidio.” It’s a place where 4 cultures have mixed since the 1600s…Tribes like the Tohono O’odham, Pascua Yaqui, and Hohokam have been here for thousands of years. Of course, the Spanish, Mexican, and “American” missionaries, settlers, and armies all have been here for a long time. Walking around the modern-day Presidio, where the military from all three nations once occupied the fort, I am always struck by the juxtaposition of those historical occupations and the current inclusion into modern downtown Tucson. There are monuments to war, old missions, and too many homeless folks (more on that later) to count. So tell me, after all this time and all the arbitrary assignment of this land to “governments” and warlords…”Who’s Illegal”? “Ignorant of time…prejudicial pride, it’s only to divide…” Can’t we all take a step back and lead with love?
Musically, I dropped the bottom E to D, and I made sure that there was adequate SPACE between the suspended chords I’m playing in the verses. There’s such a fun and playful interplay between Dave and me, as he really found a melodic groove that ended up carrying the vocal lines as well. Tony is tasteful, as always, and the structure of this tune really emphasizes the emotional push and pull of the lyrics. It’s an “odd little number,” I think…which is probably why I love it. The middle section alternates between 6/8 and 9/8 because I love making things as hard as possible on myself. Okay, on EVERYONE! But it makes perfect sense to my brain in the context of this track. We are gonna shoot a video for this one, I think, featuring all of the beautiful and historical murals in downtown Tucson…truly a remarkable feature of my current hometown.
4. Kindness for Weakness
That’s me! Bald and tattooed and slightly menacing-looking, I’ve been told. Tough guy, right? Ehhhhhh…no. I mean, I’m scared of no man, but I’m as far from menacing as can be. Lente Viviente = Perception, filters, lenses, light, right? It’s so common for one to be judged by their appearance, and while I’m sure that’s always been true throughout human history, it’s particularly true in the age of social mediots. How do I appear? Do I look like I have a college education with a degree in Creative Writing and History? Do I look like the successful former CEO of a team-building company? Do I seem like an entrepreneur mentor, single dad (2x), caretaker of my mother, and overall too-sensitive guy? I don’t know…you tell me. But I’ll say this…while my compass always points to KINDNESS, don’t get it twisted. Inside, I’m RAGING. Gently, of course 🙂
Laura Bette joins us on vox during the choruses. I love her voice…raw power, damn the torpedoes, all the emotions. It sure fits the mood of this song! This was the first song on Lente Viviente that I finished musically, and I remember how easily this one flowed from my hands. I absolutely love the passages when we climb to a Gmaj and then down to the Fmaj, leaving breathing room for the lyrics and the band. Again, that’s the theme: Room to breathe, then full force into the heavy parts. Dynamic and intricate, this song makes me feel like I’ve learned something. Also…the guitar solo on the outro…I just went for it. Don’t care if it plays a bit sloppy, don’t care if I’m wah-wah’ing too much…this is supposed to FEEL. When engineer Ricky Wascher and I were going through the setup, he said something like “So I’m hearing Yngwie-style sweeps,” and we just laughed. He gets it. Not so much Yngwie, maybe more “Shakey” Neil Young.
5. Sweet Jessie James
The last thing Little King released was a single called “Amber Waves (GoodBye).” It was a fond-ish farewell to a woman whom I cared for but just didn’t “fit.” Her call, too…we both knew it. In any event, I met someone, Mom! She’s amazing…Kind, Smart, Selfless, incredibly beautiful, quirky, and she loves and accepts me for me. I’m so grateful…I haven’t been so lucky at love, and honestly, a lot of that has been self-sabotage because I just wasn’t fully ready after 2 failed marriages. So, 12 years without a serious commitment, but Sweet Jessie James ended all of that. And yes, even at my ripe old age, “I can be your King of Lust.” Just not a “Little” King, m’kay?
Dave plays bass. Dave plays Cello. Dave plays both equally (ridiculously) well. He contributed cello both live for Little King and on the last 2 albums, Amuse De Q (2021) and Occam’s Foil (2019). We really wanted to have a song that he could switch from cello to bass in a live setting, and this one fits the bill. I think I love his lines here on the intro, before the vocals come in, maybe more than anything else on this record. Like a proper Little King tune, this song builds and breathes and then crushes. I think the marriage of content and cacophony on this song is one of perfect harmony. I just hope she likes it!
Of course, it leads directly into…
6. Pass Through Filters
As previously noted, I spend 5-6 days a week in the heart of downtown Tucson in my jam spot at Francisco’s Studios on Pennington Ave. It’s a place near the bus terminal and is attached to a smoke shop, and needless to say, the cast of characters rolling through the neighborhood on a daily basis is both entertaining and somewhat horrifying. Fentanyl and heroin are regulars, and the amount of sadness coming in off the street is overwhelming. I talk to them, or try to, and most of them have stories the likes of which most people wouldn’t believe. But I believe them, and this song is for them.
They see the world through many different filters…drug addiction, mental illness, homelessness…an almost feral existence for so many. With recent developments in immigration and the lack of any true effort to get them off the streets and into treatment or housing, downtown Tucson has become a desperate place. I want to help, and I did volunteer at a local shelter for a while. First day there, we served almost 800 meals BEFORE 10 am. Crazy. We spend so much money bombing other countries, propping up corporate and energy interests, and cutting taxes for people who’d never miss the money, and we have so little will to FUCKING HELP the HELPLESS. Come on, Christians. Show us your heart.
This song (as is “Sweet Jessie James”) is in Gmaj, and I cheated and just tuned that bottom E up! I think that Droning G REALLY fits the tenor of the song. There’s a combo of Middle Eastern and blues in there, and the Choruses feature some of my favorite lyrics and music. That cool effect on some of the guitars is an Overtone (via the Boss DD-500), and that’s a prevalent effect throughout the record. I love it! “That’s what the voices said…”
7. The Living Lens
Time is a filter. A human construct, really…something to help us bring order to the chaos. Sun comes up, sun goes down. Seasons change, predictably, and then change again. Just wait…familiarity is always just around the corner. We’re safe that way. And then, one day, you lose someone. Reflect on it…when it’s your turn, what will you feel in those final moments?
I CHALLENGE that notion of safety in familiarity. Are you safe in the shadows, or are you willing to take some chances? We get ONE gift/miracle/go-round…what path have you chosen? Can a song really help one gain perspective? I don’t know, but I guess I’m gonna find out. Shifting that lens just 5 degrees left can give one an entirely new view of life. It’s like musical DMT, ya know? Short duration on this plane, but damn if it can’t last forever on a higher plane. Or so I’ve heard. DO SOMETHING! If it’s really about the journey, which I absolutely believe and subscribe to, then what are you making of it? Running out the clock and waiting for what’s next, which could well be absolutely nothing (or EVERYTHING) seems like a loaded bet. I am gonna continue to create, to wonder, to motivate those around me to make the absolute best of this run. Reality really does depend on your approach, and the Living Lens asks you to evaluate that approach. Carpe Diem and all of that…
Mmmm…I’m in love with this one. I tried to really vary the dynamics throughout, both vocally and with the musical arrangement. Laura again brings the absolute thunder in the choruses…and Tony crushes this (and all of the songs) in a way that is so unique, tasteful, and powerful. I think this is the first one he and I rehearsed, and when he played it through, I said, “You are the one.” There’s a middle 8 in here before the Pete Townsend section (“Reality depends…”) that features a Nashville Guitar. Twang twang goes the band! It’s such a cool little interlude. Throughout Little King’s 28-year history of making albums, this one shows perhaps the most growth in my guitar playing restraint – there are passages that I would have previously melted faces on, but this song doesn’t need or want that. It’s about the SONG! I feel like this may be the preferred sentiment on this whole record…Micro-epics…come up from breath at least once in every song, though. Then back in you go!
L-R – David Hamilton (Bass, Cello), Ryan Rosoff (Guitar, Vocals), Tony Bojorquez (Drums)
Photo Credit – Damien Becerra
About
Little King has released the following albums, EP’s, and singles: “Amber Waves (GoodBye)” single (8/8/23), “Silver Tongue” single (3/25/23), Amuse De Q (2021), Occam’s Foil (2019), OD1 (2014), Legacy of Fools (2008), Virus Divine (2004), Time Extension (1998), Transmountain (1997)
Little King was formed in November of 1996 by guitarist/singer/songwriter Ryan Rosoff in El Paso, Texas. Rosoff had cut his teeth as the guitar player in the seminal eclectic rock group Tweed Quickly (where he played with future Little King bassist Shannon Brady and touring drummer Scott Marestein.) After a year in that band, he had written enough of his own songs to try his hand at recording and producing a record.
Rosoff named the new group Little King (which is a Gaelic translation of the name “Ryan”). Featuring bassist Mike Esparza and drummer Alex Lizarazo, the trio played a few shows locally and regionally in the next four months while preparing to enter the studio. Little King’s first “demo” CD, titled Transmountain, was released in El Paso on May 17, 1997. The group continued to tour and promote the CD, which sold quickly in and around the Southwest.
In September of ’97, Rosoff moved back to his original hometown of Seattle, Washington, with his wife and infant daughter. After composing 12 new songs, he signed a one-record deal with an independent label, Shade Records, and journeyed back to Texas in August of 1998 to record and produce a new CD called Time Extension. For this record, Rosoff was joined by former Tweed Quickly bassist Shannon Brady and drummer Jim Hargrave.
Rosoff, who has a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing from the University of Texas-El Paso, based the concept album on the story of a fictional man’s life, and it opens with the protagonist on his deathbed in an emergency room. The dying man looks back on his life and examines all of the things he wishes he had done differently, and each song in the set relates to the questionable choices he had made throughout the years.
Time Extension sold well online and at shows as the band toured extensively throughout the western United States. Little King also traveled to San Francisco and filmed a video for the single “Smoke Spin Free.” The single received extensive college airplay, and the video was a mainstay for a few months on cable access video shows around the USA. Little King worked hard and developed a loyal following, but when Shade Records dissolved in 2000, the band agreed to go on hiatus indefinitely.
Left without a band and label, Rosoff decided to focus his energy on a new business venture, Little King Productions. The company handled print and radio promotion, management, and booking. The business grew quickly and took on a diverse roster of Rock, Hip Hop, and Jazz clients, but Rosoff continued to write songs with the knowledge that a new album would eventually demand to be born.
That itch was finally scratched in September of 2003 as Rosoff joined with drummer Wes Kahalekulu to lay down tracks for the new record, titled Virus Divine. The songs were engineered by Eddy Garcia (at the time, the touring bass player for Ministry) and were recorded at Krank Studios in El Paso. After the guitars and drums were completed, the two were joined by Brady on bass in the studio, and the tracks were completed in April of 2004.
That summer, Rosoff took the completed sessions to Toronto where the album was mixed by Terry Brown, whose impressive resume includes production credits on ten Rush albums. Virus Divine continued Rosoff’s tradition of conceptual lyric writing and follows a theme of enlightenment, inner conflict, and resolution. Based on the story of another anonymous man who is moved to change his life after watching news coverage of the 1999 school shooting tragedy at Columbine High School, Virus Divine examines the impact one righteous person can have on the world.
Virus Divine sold records through a deal with the Canadian Progressive Rock label Unicorn Records in over 40 countries. More than 250 college radio stations and a handful of commercial stations added the disc, and print and internet reviews were almost uniformly positive. Riding this wave of momentum, Little King toured the Western United States throughout 2005 at venues like Hollywood’s famous Viper Room.
Little King had arrived on a global level, and the demand for more shows and more music grew quickly. However, when the band returned home from a month-long tour (featuring Tweed Quickly drummer Marestein as a new part of Little King) in November of ’05, another hiatus would follow. The band members scattered and Rosoff was left to regroup.
As 2006 ran its course, Rosoff began writing more songs on his own. As nine new tunes took shape, Virus Divine engineer Eddy Garcia agreed to play drums on the record, and the two would be joined by bassist Michael Esparza, who had also played on Transmountain in 1997. Rosoff took a job as a high school English teacher, and this experience brought about a renewed lyrical focus.
The new album, Little King’s fourth effort, would be titled Legacy Of Fools. According to Rosoff, “The lyrics center on all that we have inherited and what we are willfully leaving behind.” The song “Legacy” follows four generations of Rosoff men, starting with his grandfather and ending with his son who was born in November of 2006. The track includes a beautiful violin melody performed by one of Rosoff’s high school students, Lyris Soto. “202” is named after Rosoff’s classroom number and shines a harsh light on the state of education in America. The album opener, “Prodigal Son,” examines another familial relationship, this time between the 41st and 43rd presidents of the United States. “Mea Culpa” is a heartfelt plea for forgiveness, and “Collateral Damage” is an angry indictment of the war in Iraq that asks, “What would you do if we occupied Cleveland?”
Again, Rosoff relocated his family, this time to San Jose, California. He worked for awhile in the event entertainment business and eventually formed a corporate team building company called TeamBuilding ROI. The business took off and consumed most of his creative energy and time, and Little King went into hibernation until late 2013.
True to form, after 6 years, Rosoff uprooted again, this time heading to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Along the way, he made a stop back in El Paso and hooked up with Garcia and longtime friend and collaborator, bassist Brian Ramos. The EP, titled OD1, was released in March of 2014. The songs include the heavy-hitting instrumental “The Leaded Beatdown,” “Happy Home” which includes a video collage of all of Rosoff’s homes since childhood, and “Black Hole” which is homage to getting after it at a Raiders game.
OD1 charted on college radio all over the United States and received airplay on over 100 stations, but touring was not in the cards as relocation and personal upheaval (chronicled on the song “Happy Home”) resulted in a creative vacuum that lasted 5 years.
The seeds were there for another album release, though, as a few songs had already been partially written back in 2014. Living in Delaware, Rosoff met a new group of musicians and found a home on the East Coast for the first time in his life as a single dad and operating a business 2,500 miles from home.
Finally, in 2019, bassist Manny Tejeda, Rosoff’s friend from Delaware and originally from the Dominican Republic, joined Little King. He added his unique flavor on bass and with backing vocals, and the duo traveled back to El Paso to record a new record.
Occam’s Foil was recorded again at Krank Studios in the Summer and Fall of 2019. It features Rosoff, Tejeda, and Garcia again on drums. As special guests on the songs “The Skin That I’m In” and “The Foil,” the band brought in David Hamilton (cello and arrangements), Christina Hernandez (violin), and Monica Gutierrez (backing vocals, and wife of Legacy of Fools keyboardist Ruben Gutierrez.)
The theme of the 5-song EP is a play on the theory “Occam’s Razor,” a problem-solving principle that states “Entities should not be multiplied without necessity,” as theorized English Franciscan friar William of Ockham. That argument for simplicity and it’s “Foil,” or counter-argument, influenced the lyrics of all the new songs. Relationships, social norms, the opioid crisis, religion, and politics all take center-stage on Occam’s Foil.
Response to Occam’s Foil was overwhelming and affirming. Interviews and features were plentiful, reviews were fantastic, the album charted in the Top 150 on College Radio. The song “The Skin That I’m In” generated over 120,000 plays on Spotify and was featured on Relix Magazine’s June compilation CD and playlist, and the band’s social media presence grew exponentially in just a few short months.
As the pandemic gripped the world in March of 2020, live music performance was abruptly halted. Little King’s momentum from Occam’s Foil was in jeopardy, but with no lure of tour in the immediate future, Rosoff and Tejeda began to plot a new record. The songs were first written on an acoustic guitar in the bedroom at Rosoff’s Delaware home, then videos of each would go to Tejeda. Soon, the songs came together and plans for a new album drove Rosoff, Tejeda, and Rosoff’s son Asher back to El Paso to record in August of 2020.
Rosoff took the bed tracks back to his new (old) home in Tucson and began writing the words, melodies, and guitar extras. When the pandemic began to ease, the trio headed back to Eddy’s studio in El Paso in February of 2021 to complete the sessions. Joined by David Hamilton and Christina Hernandez on cello and violin, the record also introduces new contributors Asher Syrinx Rosoff (keys), Becca Gonzales (vox), and Bryan Bowles (hand biz) on the sobriety song “Set It Down.” Jessica Flores is also featured as the lead vocalist on the 3rd song on the album, a lamentation on domestic abuse called “How Could You?”
The new record, titled Amuse De Q, was released on September 3, 2021. The music and lyrics were inspired by Rosoff’s time in quarantine and all of the events surrounding the global lockdown. Lyrical topics include the joy and pain of enforced isolation, a battle with sobriety, the protests across the USA, domestic violence, and so much more.
Amuse peaked at #137 on college radio and garnered incredibly supportive press and reviews. The band convened again in 2022 for shows in the Southwestern USA (the first live, full-band shows in years). The band recorded a show in El Paso and released live video for 4 songs on their YouTube Official page.
On the heels of the tour, the band recorded and released the track “Silver Tongue,” which is a 25 year celebration of Little King Tunes! After that release on 3/25/23, a new single titled “Amber Waves (GoodBye)” was completed with Daniel Salcido (on the board) and Matt Dougherty on bass. “Amber” was released on 8/8/23 and marked a serious departure from the vibe and tenor of “Silver Tongue,” as it highlighted a very different side of Little King…a love song of “sweet self-indulgence,” to be sure!
Now, in 2025, Little King Returns
Discography: Little King has released the following albums, EP’s, and singles:
2025 – Lente Viviente
2023 – “Amber Waves (GoodBye)” single
2023 – “Silver Tongue” single
2021 – Amuse De Q
2019 – Occam’s Foil
2014 – OD1
2008 – Legacy of Fools
2004 – Virus Divine
1998 – Time Extension
1997 – Transmountain
L-R – Josh Bricker – Bass Guitar and Screams / Growls, Ashton Lal – Drums and Backup Vocals, Rhyse Tremel – Lead Guitar and Lead Vocals
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