Pawns or Kings is a Gothic Country Folk duo from the Ozark Mountains of Southern Missouri. Edward Stengel and Benjamin Bigelow have played together in various bands and projects for over 14 years ranging from prog rock to lofi hip hop but their uniting love is the dark country sound that binds Pawns or Kings together. Their music reflects the harsh beauty of the Boston Mountain range and the people who live within it, the Ozarks often feeling like a forgotten piece of US History with the landscape scattered with boarded up mine shafts and rotting wild west era buildings. Pawns or Kings has existed in some form for 10 years with various members to the lineup coming and going, only Stengel and Bigelow remaining core members of the group. They chipped away in obscurity for most of that time before going viral on TikTok and later on Instagram lead to their their fervent following of 400k+ on social media today. 11 years after being named "The Young Band to Watch" by WhatstheRuckus, Pawns or Kings are finally getting recognized for their unique and uncompromising sound in the modern social media age. Highly inspired by The Steel Woods Colter Wall Old Crow Medicine Show Flatland Cavalry Drayton Farley Tyler Childers and Cody Jinks