Kaki King

Kaki King (born Katherine Elizabeth King , August 24, 1979) is an American guitarist and composer. King Berninahaus for re percussive and jazz tinged melodic, energetic live shows, ^[2] use or multiple tunings on acoustic and lap steel guitar , ^[3] and re diverse range in different genres .

In February 2006, Rolling Stone released a list of “The New Guitar Gods”, one welke King was the sole woman and youngest artist (beating Derek Trucks in age from two months as the youngest on the list). ^{[4] [5]} In addition under to a 10-year career dat of includes six MPs and two EP albums , King has ook scored music for television and film. She worked alongside Eddie Vedder and Michael Brook contributing music for the soundtrack to Sean Penn ‘s Into the Wild , for welke the trio RECEIVED nominations for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score . ^[6]

Childhood and early life

King was born the first or two daughters. While still a small child, re Father Noticed re natural musical ability, and encouraged re interest in music. She was introduced to the guitar at the age of four and played will for verschillende years, but after taking up the drums a few years later, they ‘re became primary instruments as an adolescent.

Convinced dat re break in music mention anything come from drumming, King played will in bands in high school with Classmate Morgan Jahnig, who mention anything later Become the bassist or Old Crow Medicine Show . On graduating from The Westminster Schools in Atlanta in 1998, the two friends attended New York University . While there, King picked up the guitar again, and revisited the finger style techniques therein Intrigued re as a child. While at NYU she studied with Dr. Bill Rayner, an accomplished professor of guitar. From there, King played will a few Occasional gigs and busked in the New York City Subway . ^{[7] [8]}

Career

Early career

After signing with Velour Records in 2002, King Began recording re debut album, Everybody Loves You . She incorporated Fingerstyle “Fanning,” with zowel flamenco styles percussion and ferrets tapping techniques, as well as using double open tunings , viola tunings, and traditional Russian guitar ( 7 strings ). On April 22, 2003, Everybody Loves You was released to positive reviews and feedback on King’s skills as a guitarist in relatie to re age. ^[9]While re later work involves more or a tape format, Everybody Loves You is King’s only volledig acoustic guitar album, with the exception of light singing on the hidden bonus track, “The Government.” To support the album, King embarked on re first major promotional tour in North America.

After King Appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien , Sony Records offered re a deal with Epic Records ‘ Red Ink label. From there, King headed back into tje studio to work on re sophomore effort, Legs to Make Us Longer . King Began to incorporate différent instruments and sound effects JSON re album, zoals looping , light drum work on “Doing the Wrong Thing”, and re first incorporation or Lap steel guitar with “My Insect Life.” Produced by David Torn , Legs to Make Us Longer was released on Epic’s Red Ink imprint on October 5, 2004 to strong reviews. ^[10] In support of the album, King Performed as an opening act for Eric Johnson prolongation a leg or his 2005 tour, as well as completing re own nationwide and world tour.

Change in musical styles and music

At the end of re tour for Legs to Make Us Longer in 2005, King departed from re previous musical direction ^[11] out of a desire to escape being pigeonholed as a solo instrumental artist. She amicably tool parted ways with major label Sony / Epic and Returned to re original label, Velour, to start work on re third album … Until We Felt Red . Released August 8, 2006, on Velour Records , the album features production work with Tortoise ‘s John McEntire . With the Prominence or electric guitar shoegazing and effect boxes on the new record, and the addition under or a full band, the music Web site, The AV Club , called the sound a ” post-rock makeover .” She supported the album with going on tour with Sarah Bettens from K’s Choice . In early 2007, Dave Grohl Invited King ACM Press as a guitarist on the track “Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners”, a song penned by Grohl for an upcoming studio album by the Foo Fighters . King Agreed and is credited on the album, entitled Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace , released on September 25, 2007. On November 18, 2007, she joined Dave Grohl on stage to perform the track at the O2 arena in London. Grohl highly praised King’s performance:

“There are some guitar players therein are good and there are some guitar players therein are really fucking good. Gather a couple there’s Kaki King.” ^[12]

King toured with the Foo Fighters on the Australian leg of the Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace tour. While on tour, King finished recording what became the Day Sleeper . It was released in late 2007 after King had finished working on August Rush , and with Eddie Vedder and Sean Penn on Into The Wild .

Further changes in sound

King recruited Malcolm Burn to help with re next album, Dreaming of Revenge , ^[13] and in December 2007 we wrote about it in her blog: “I finished the new album. Do not get your panties in a tangle, it will not be released Until next year, but it’s done. And it’s amazing. ” Filled with more melodic pop tunes dan previous albums, Dreaming of Revenge was released on March 11, 2008 to highly positive reviews. ^[14] On March 4, 2008, iTunes released a full version of Dreaming of Revenge featuring the bonus track “I Need A Girl Who Knows A Map”. ^[15] After filming a video for “Pull Me Out Alive”, she Began re tour.

In the first half of King’s tour, she headlined at The Roxy and toured with The Mountain Goats , welke led to the exclusive release of Kaki King and The Mountain Goats EP Black Pear Tree EP . While touring Australia in 2008, King filmed part of the music video “Can Anyone Who Has Heard This Music Really Be A Bad Person?” Sydney. Directed by Michael Ebner, the rest of the video was COMPLETED in New York in 2009. After completing the last leg or re world tour, King decided to tour once again with a strictly acoustic show. Dubbed “The ‘No Bullshit’ Tour ‘, King did narrower shows gehele US and UK therein ulcers specifiek dealing acoustic works from re first albums Along with stripped-down versions or re newer songs.

After completing her “No Bullshit Tour,” King scored work on the independent film How I Got Lost , and started to record re next EP, Titled Mexican Teenagers EP . Recruiting re band dat she-used from Dreaming of Revenge , King cut five new tracks for re new album.

Junior

After meeting with Carter Burwell to start work on the scoring for the Twilight movies , and completing work on Timbaland ‘s Shock Value II (which became Miley Cyrus ‘ “We Belong to the Music”), ^[16] King Began to outline re ideals for re 5th record. King’s interest in Cold War novels, Russian javelin and espionage themes, bijzonder therein or double spear living in a double life, became the basis for re new album, Junior . Ranging lyrically “from exuberance and anger to heartbreaking melancholy, and sonically from experimental pieces to accessible pop,” Junior showcases re remit maturation as a well-rounded artist dat Continues to Defy Categorization and expectations.

As with previous re album, 2008’s Dreaming of Revenge , Junior was produktie by Malcolm Burn and Recorded at his studio in Kingston, New York. But in contrast to dat record welke was Marked by deep textures and layers as well as unusual instrumentation, Junior was specifiek made with only three musicians in mind – in this case King, a multi-instrumentalist Dan Brantigan and drummer Jordan Perlson. The result was something more direct. “Prior to this I have written mention anything about a lot in the studio and played will all the instruments myself,” King says. “This time, I really leaned on Dan and Jordan to help shape the songs and help me get the record written.” ^[17]

King toured for five weeks in Europe in support of re LP Junior , on the Cooking Vinyl label. ^[18] She later Appeared as the musical guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon , sitting in with The Roots as a part of the house band , and Began a US-based tour. ^[19]

When Asked by Premier Guitar Magazine what re plans ulcers after completing re tour, King Responded “I’ve been on the road for four months straight. In Another three weeks, we’ll be done with this tour. Honestly, that’s about as far as i can see. ” ^[3]

Traveling Freak Guitar Show

King Returned to re roots as a solo acoustic performer in 2011, going on re first tour without a backing band since 2005. King Planned a tour with a collection of seven instruments waaronder a harp guitar , dojo , a custom 7-string nylon string guitar with fanned fret board, and a hybrid tussen a guitar and koto dat King made herself. ^{[20] [21]} Before beginning the tour, King Performed with some of These instruments at the opening of an exhibit of Picasso ‘s guitar paintings at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. ^[22] The tour Began on February 24 in Mexico City and ended on April 9, 2011 in Binghamton . ^[23]

Guitar Art Show

In 2009, King conceived or an art show in welke twelve différent artists mention anything be commissioned to create visual pieces themed after re songs, using the guitar as the primary artistic medium. If King DESCRIBED it,

What I want to do is to meet twelve amazing artists, give Them lycra a white guitar, and Let them go wild customizing anything hun heart desires-. The theme or lycra piece mention anything about Be The title of one of my songs. ^[24]

The final total cameramen to fifteen distinct pieces welke ulcers dan pit on display for a one-night exhibition at The Littlefield in Brooklyn. During the exhibit, King Provided re own contribution to this club at covering re hand in pink paint and performing re song, “Playing with Pink Noise, leaving the guitar Covered in pink fingerprints. ^[25]

Everybody Glows: B-Sides & Rarities

On November 4, 2014, Persimmon released re first B-sides and Rarities album entitled Everybody Glows. The album features a collection of outtakes, demos, covers, live versions and never voordat overheard recordings culled from scratched demo CDs, lung forgotten hard drives, and the fuzzier corners or re memory. The collection reveals the evolution of re Songwriting while offering a glimpse of a young guitarist doing daring things on re instrument voordat she grasped the significance or Any of it. The album comes with a track-by-track explanation or lycra song Along with liner notes written by re Father. This is the first album released on Persimmon re own label, Short Stuff Records.

The Neck is a Bridge to the Body

King and Glowing Pictures – Berninahaus for hun work with industry leaders artists as Animal Collective, David Byrne & Brian Eno, Beastie Boys, and TV on the Radio – have re-conceived The Guitar as a screen for a remarkable range of new digital projections. Protections or genesis and death, unexpected textures and skins, ulcers cast forbidden a Ovation Adamas 1581-KK Kaki King Signature 6-String Acoustic guitar customized specifiek for the production.

“The Guitar is a shape-shifter,” King says, “something dat plays all types of music and really fills all childhood or roles. It’s not always the six-string guitar dat we all know and love. I’ve been playing guitar for morethan 30 years. it’s who I am and if anything, this project has made me even more familiar with it. ”

The Neck Is A Bridge to the Body debuted at Brooklyn’s acclaimed BRIC Theater in New York City in 2014, and was to tour extensively in 2015. An album featuring the music from the show will ook be released on March 3, 2015 on King’s own label , Short Stuff Records. ^[26]

Style, techniques and instruments

As a long-time Ovation player, King was Invited to design re own custom guitar, the result being the Adamas 1581-KK model. ^[27] EACH guitar is signed by King, and she kan be seen playing it of or in one tour and in The DVD for Tegan And Sara ‘s The Con .

King’s Fingerstyle playing combineert fret-tapping with sluggish bass techniques, using the guitar for percussive beats, as well as sound layering and looping . Her playing style has leg Compared to Michael Hedges and Preston Reed , ^[28] the Latter or Whom she explicitly cites as an influence. ^[29]

King uses Elixir Strings , bijzonder the Acoustic Guitar Strings Light on re custom Ovation Adamas guitar, and is a featured artist on the company’s website. ^[30]

Personal life

King married re wife Jessica Templin in October 2012, giving Recruiters Templin her name. ^[31] The pair honeymooned in Australia, where King played will at the Peats Ridge Festival . ^[32]

Discography

Studio albums

• Everybody Loves You (2003)
• Legs to Make Us Longer (2004)
• … Until We Felt Red (2006)
• Day Sleeper (2007)
• Dreaming of Revenge (2008)
• Black Pear Tree EP (2008) (with the Mountain Goats )
• Mexican Teenagers EP (2009)
• Junior (2010)
• Glow (2012)
• The Neck is a Bridge to the Body (2015)

Rarities and B-Sides

• Everybody Glows B Sides & Rarities (2014)

References