Rok Ali And The Addiction are a force to be reckoned with in the alternative scene. With recent release 'Ponder This' the band has cemented themselves as one of the most exciting alternative bands on the planet!
We caught up with frontperson Rok Ali herself for a quick chat.
Introduce yourself and tell us what you do in the band?
I am Alison Krebs aka Rok Ali - Lead Vocalist and Frontperson
Tell us a little about your band, how you got together and the story behind the name if there is one.
We are a four-piece hard rock band out of Nashville. A drummer who I was friends with called Kevin Murphy our drummer who in turn called our guitar player Chris Nix who found Lee Beverly our bass player shortly thereafter. I remember meeting them at the rehearsal hall downtown... we were the only band in there for a good six to nine months because most things were still shut down during 2020.
The name Rok Ali was a play off of the name Alison and then we noticed that everyone was pronouncing it Ali (like Muhammad Ali) instead of Ali like the nickname and we loved that.
It was also more fitting because we are painstaking about making the band and our music “Great” which is always our focus. We then wanted to acknowledge the whole band. I am a recovering
addict and alcoholic and this beautiful new life has allowed me to find what I’m supposed to be doing in life, why I’m here on this earth... and so the band in a sense is my new addiction!! After a
year of tossing around names our drummer yelled out one day - Rok Ali and The Addiction - and we all instantly knew that was the perfect name for us!!
Tell us a bit about your latest single, what’s the story behind the song?
One of the most beautiful sentences that has ever been written about the song is: “Ponder This” serves as an anthem for those who wait. It could be a call to listen and hear whatever you need to hear...
What is your writing process like? Do you start with lyrics and then come up with a melody or is it the other way round?
Chris Nix is our primary songwriter. For “Ponder This” first the music was written, then the melody, then the lyrics.
What bands were you listening to when you were writing this release? Do you think it had an effect on the end sound?
Our band listens to all types of music from all time periods and often attends the Nashville Symphony as well! Possibly the symphony had an effect...
What can you tell us about the release that the song has come from?
I can tell you the whole album is remarkable - every song is different yet fits perfectly together... We hope it will speak to and inspire people and be something they have been searching or waiting for. It holds ten songs that fly by before you know it!
What would people be surprised to know about you?
This is my third career. Fourteen years ago at the age of fifty I realized that my true purpose in life is to front a hard rock band at a national level. I was invited to work with Ron Browning, one of the most gifted voice coaches, who teaches me the art of voice and worked with me to switch genres. Then three world-class musicians showed up three years ago and we fell in love with each other. I believe it takes a lot of courage for a national player to work with someone brand new and they are all very humble and special men and because of that something unique and extraordinary was created...
Do you have any shows coming up that we should get ourselves along to?
We will soon announce shows in 2024! We can’t wait to see you!!!
Thanks for chatting with us Ali, really looking forward to hearing more from you.
Find Rok Ali And The Addiction online:
Check out the track on Spotify
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