THREE LEGGED FOX INTERVIEW
with Kory Kochersperger
Throughout this past year Three Legged Fox's star has been consistently on the rise; cumilating with the band recording its sophomore album in Chris D’Beneditto's Philadelphonic Studios. The album Not as Far has just hit the streets and is already being warmly embraced by fans old and new. Drummer Kory Kochersperger stops by The Pier to bring us fully up to speed with the latest 3LF happs.
The Pier: A lot has happened for 3LF since we last caught up. Do you want to take us through some of the highlights?
Kory Kochersperger: Yeah, we’ve been pretty busy. Mainly we recorded and have just recently released a new album. Worked with producer Chris D’Beneditto at his studio Philadelphonic. All the while we’ve tried to stay as busy as we can with our show schedule. Most notably we played The Electric Factory here in Philadelphia. A 3,000 person venue, definitely the biggest room we’ve played to date.
The Pier: Your new album Not as Far just dropped. What were some of the main musical inspirations and themes for this one?
Kory Kochersperger: I think we were a lot more conscience of wanting to make more of a complete album. At the same time, we tried to write songs that would really add to our live show. Specifically having a wider range of tempos. But as far as inspirations, we’re always influenced by other reggae bands and rock bands, but really, we’d kind of decide what we wanted and then start to build and assemble the pieces.
The Pier: How does the new album differ from your debut, Ideas?
Kory Kochersperger: It’s different across the board. In how it was written, recorded, produced and even packaged. All the obvious ways are in that Ideas was written and recorded on old school gear in our studio basement with no outside production. And this new one was done in a professional studio with a producer who is credited on albums that have sold in the hundreds of thousands. So with those fundamental differences known, the two records are very musically different as well.
The lyrics are a bit more intimate this time around and revolve around personal experiences whereas Ideas was more of a storytelling approach. Obviously we’d like to think the music is a bit more mature and a bit more polished this time. In a way Ideas captured the bands infancy, and two years later, we’ve kind of found our pocket, found our sound and hopefully Not as Far exemplifies our growth.
The Pier: What was it like working with Chris D (G Love, The Expendables, The Movement and more) at his Philadelphonic Studios?
Kory Kochersperger: Working with Chris was a really positive experience. It was a very relaxed environment from the beginning. None of us had ever worked in a real recording studio, so naturally we went in a little stiff and not sure what to expect. But Chris had his way of keeping everyone loose and still commanding a strong performance. Just knowing his track record, and the list of albums he’s produced, we knew to let him guide the ship. He’s at a place in his career where his time is sought after by so many bands and artists, so we are humbled and appreciative that he chose to produce our album.
The Pier: You have some great guests on the album, Jacob from SOJA, the John Brown's Body horn section and MarK Boyce from G Love. How did you hook up with those guys?
Kory Kochersperger: To be honest it all came from daring to ask. We got in contact with SOJA’s manager Elliot whom we know, and told him we had a track that we wanted Jacob to sing on. The details worked themselves out, and it was all done by sending tracks back and forth. Similarly, we contacted Seth who works for John Brown’s Body and asked if Alex, Kal and Scott would come play on a couple of songs and it worked out that they could come down from Boston for a day. As for Mark Boyce from G Love and Special Sauce, that was all Chris’s doing. He knows Mark well from touring with G Love. Mark was flying over from San Diego to do some rehearsals in NYC so we had him slide into Philly first and put keyboards down for us. We’re honored to have all these great musicians on the album.
The Pier: Who would you like to record a track with if given the chance?
Kory Kochersperger: I really don’t know. It’s rumored that Jay Z doesn’t write anything down and just spits off the top of his head. I think it’d at least be cool to be in the room when he records like that. Maybe just to be there at watch the magic being captured.
The Pier: To date, what has the response been like for the new songs in the live setting?
Kory Kochersperger: The response has been really positive. Since we kind of wrote the songs specifically to be played live, it’s nice to see it come to life. When we did that little CD Release Tour, you could tell a lot of people were hearing the songs for the first time, and they were watching us extra closely to see what these songs were...but certainly in a positive way. Hopefully as people listen to the album and start to learn the songs, the reactions continue to grow and grow.
The Pier: Are you planning on making it out to the West Coast for shows this year?
Kory Kochersperger: We definitely need to. Hopefully this Fall. We’re looking for a booking agent. So if its routed the right way and all that, absolutely we will be there.
The Pier: You got the 420 Fest coming up with JBB and SOJA. That is going to be one of hell of a concert. Must be looking forward to it?
Kory Kochersperger: Yeah for sure. Those are two of the bands we look up to the most. It’s going to be a really good time. And I’m sure we’ll roll up into their rooms backstage and pick their brains about how they’ve grown to be what they are today. Awesome bands, important day, nice venue. It’ll be a good time.
The Pier: I normally wouldn’t ask a band this question, but why did you go with the name Three Legged Fox? What is the origin?
Kory Kochersperger: We were pretty much up against a deadline for submission to the University of Delaware Battle of the Bands. Kyle told some stories during breaks in rehearsal about a three legged fox that frequents his yard. So that’s what it became. Won the battle at University of Delaware, and started booking shows. So it stuck.
The Pier: There are a lot of East Coast reggae rock bands really starting to make a name for themselves now. It must be cool to see this genre of music really taking off nationally now?
Kory Kochersperger: You’re right. You can sense the momentum growing and it has helped bands including ourselves. And it’s probable that it will continue to grow here on the East Coast, and then eventually cross through the Midwest and link the whole country together. It’s gotten easier to network with other bands, which leads to more frequent and better shows. The internet and sites like The Pier have definitely helped the word get out about American reggae music too.
The Pier: Fun last question, who do you have a celebrity crush on at the moment?
Kory Kochersperger: Rachel McAdams.
Thanks to Kory for taking the time to hang out at The Pier. Make sure to check out some more Three Legged Fox on the interweb here: