INTERVIEW
hen Kaki King started circulating a home-brewed
CD of acoustic guitar instrumentals in 2002, she
could hardly imagine it would lead to a record
deal, national tours, and enthusiastic media attention. But the
response to her music was so positive that the 23-year-old
New Yorker suddenly found herself swimming in the deep
end of the solo-guitar pool. Re-released in 2003 as Everybody
Loves You, her self-produced debut featured a mind-blowing
range of techniques. With its intricate, slapped-body percus-
sion and overhand fretted melodies, the album’s opening track,
“Kewpie Station,” heralded the arrival of a major new guitar
talent. Though King had clearly absorbed ideas from Michael
Hedges, Preston Reed, and Leo Kottke, her playing was dis-
tinctive and unique.
On her second album, 2004’s Legs to Make Us Longer, King began
weaving other instrumentation into her music. The subtle sounds
of cello, violin, upright bass, drums, and lap steel highlighted her
skills as a composer and also signaled her desire to venture beyond
the realm of solo guitar. King’s restless creativity became more
evident on her next two albums, Until We Felt Red and Dreaming
of Revenge. On both discs she played drums and percussion, bass
and baritone guitars, keyboards, synthesizers, lap steel, and electric
guitar. She also increasingly began featuring songs with lyrics and
vocals. Some fans of her early solo acoustic guitar pieces were dismayed when they heard her loops and heavily textured sounds. But
other listeners were drawn to the innovative spirit at the core of her
music, and King’s audience continued to grow.
Given that history of musical morphing, it shouldn’t come as
a surprise to discover that, once again, King has embraced
change. On her latest album, Junior, King makes an abrupt
shift away from the overdubbing approach she has pursued
in recent years. Opting to record with a rhythm section, King
enlisted drummer Jordan Perlson and multi-instrumentalist Dan
Brantigan to lay down the basic tracks for Junior.
To learn more about these sessions—and to get the lowdown
on her current tunings, gear, and songwriting approach—PG
caught up with King on the final leg of an extended tour that
included Australia, Europe, the UK, and the US.
