Each of you have come from previous acts, such as The Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Suitcase Royale, Mojo Juju and The Lucksmiths…How did you all come together to form Mighty Duke & The Lords?
A fortuitous collusion of proximity and randomness was the recipe. Scudding from port to port with respective crews over the years, it was only a matter of time and appropriate planetary alignment that we all gravitated to each other to form this tropical calypso powerhouse.
How does this work you’re doing as this collective compare to that of your previous acts?
Musically, quite divergent; visually, a stark departure—we don white linen suits and circa-1970s cruise ship cabin boy outfits, a treat for the eyeball. And I tell you, the ear is having a damn good time of it too!
It’s said that you are responsible for weaving “timeless tales of jaded lovers, boiled parrots, supernatural pub crawls and a mistaken hermaphrodite wedding”. Where do you find inspiration to produce material such as this?
The bulk of these strange visions are channeled through our voodoo witch doctor, Mama Rogee, whom we met sometime ago after our ship broke up over reef, stranding us on a deserted jungle island. Mama took us in, fed us, transmuted our weak human forms into mythic animal totems, and she continues, generously, to dish out the good stuff to us when it comes through. The rest of it we pump out at our docking station, Bamboo HQ, from journeys past and old, fuelled by a generous regimen of Passiona and rum.
Also – where do you guys take inspiration for the band as a whole? Influential figures? Dances? Films?
We tip our sailor hats to the greats of calypso and SOCA—Lord Kitchener, The Mighty Sparrow—the legendary storytellers of Trinidad and Tobago.
Now you guys are launching a groovy new track called ‘Duke It Out’ – can you tell us about it?
“Duke It Out” is a tribute to our lost days on that jungle island I mentioned earlier—meeting Mama Rogee, transforming into animal totems. It’s a groove-laden, horn-sizzlin’, drum beatin’, rumble in the jungle fight song, and the film clip we’re launching with it has come up spectacularly—a triumph of animation!
Is this an indication of more music to come? If so, what can we expect?
Most definitely. “Duke it Out” is the first single from our full album that we’re planning to unleash in early 2014. This album will change lives. We’re very proud of it!
Why do you think the kind of music you’re making resonates so well with people?
Calypso is the music of the people; back in the day, it functioned as the people’s news, a way to communicate daily affairs with the masses, in an informal, and often tongue in cheek kinda way. I think we retain some of that ethic, though we’re not really communicating the news, so as much as oddball tales of romantic and sexual misadventure. Ultimately, calypso is easy to shake your ass to, easy to listen to, and visually, people seem to really get down to five dapper cruise ship escapees decked to the nines in white. It’s what the people want!
What does the future hold for Mighty Duke & The Lords?
A life of great adventures, my friend! Voyages beyond imagination, epic rum-soaked journeys, voodoo romance, jungle delights! Monkeys! Lots of monkeys! Eventually, through all these tales of trepidation, triumph and adversity on the high seas and beyond, perhaps even the lofty heights of posthumous immortality!
And last question: if you were stranded on a deserted island in the Carribean, what three things would you hope to have with you and why?
1. Endless supply of rum and Passiona (or ALDI tru blu passion), to create life batch of “Passion of the Lord,” the official MD&TL beverage
2. A box of 150 Leis
3. Dry cleaner specialising in white linen.
Listen to the just-launched single below.
