Naked, stripped down and aching with adrenaline is the rawness of Leopold and his Fiction. Originally formed as an outlet for Daniel James Leopold to exercise his lessons from his formative years in Detroit, the seminal force of Leopold and his Fiction is the catalyst for soul-drenched, bare-bones rock ‘n’ roll that shakes with the power of ’73-era Stooges while seducing with the rhythm and blues of Motown. “The band elicits a power when it’s time to perform that is unable to be harnessed in any other medium short of a fist fight,” says Leopold. “Whether that’s on stage or in a recording studio it’s almost hard to contain it. It’s more life than I’ve ever felt before.”
Leopold and his Fiction have been working with GRAMMY®–nominated producer Chris “Frenchie” Smith (The Datsuns, Slayer, Jet, The Dandy Warhols, etc.) in recording and capturing a captivating musical journey that is as relentless as it is inspiring. “Frenchie saw our show and listened to our records,” says James. “He was very blunt and said, ‘I’m confidant I can make you guys shine!’ He brought a lot out of me and the band. The energy was very positive and the songs are confident, edgy and packed with emotion.” Amidst the band’s hook-filled party rock, Leopold is also able to refine his more melodic Neil Young / Jackson Browne side.
The next Leopold and his Fiction album promises a full pallet of artistry from America’s deep, dark underbelly and rootsy fabric to a revival of an R&B, backwoods charm. It goes back to the days when Motown and Stax loaded singles with a shaking groove on the A-side with B-side ballads clearly as comfortable in the same skin.