ìThatís the most new-agey thing youíll hear tonight,
so I hope you enjoyed it. The rest will be hip-hop,î she jokes after playing the
meditative number ìCarmine St.î Despite her delicate and nimble technique (which
she credits to pre-show jumping jacks and push-ups) along with a style that might
draw technical guruís to dissect her approach, Kaki would appreciate diversity over
genre explicit ears.
ìUnfortunately, if either of those audiences are there to see new-age music or if
they are there to see technical music that I would tell them to go home,î Kaki says.
ìWhat I want to do is move people, freak them out, and make them cry. Iím not going
to do it through pretty guitar sounds, and Iím not going to do it through technique.
Itís going to happen, if at all, through compositionÖthatís what Iím struggling with,
to write beautiful compositions that last beyond the technical or beautiful sound
to them.î
Due to her appearance at Bonnaroo as well as shows opening for many ìjamî friendly
acts over the past year, like Soulive, the Slip, and Mike Gordon, Kaki is proud to
have the younger, adventurous group on her side, explaining, ìitís good, although
itís not what Iím about, or the music I relate to, but itís a group of people who
are just down, and can freak out to almost anything.î
Developing a ìcan you top thisî book of unorthodox guitar techniques and altered
tunings, she is quickly redefining the way we listen to and generally perceive acoustic
guitar. Although her primary influences involve six string acoustic honchos, Leo
Kottke, Alex de Grassi, Michael Hedges, and Preston Reed, the primarily self-taught
King is the first to admit what sheís doing isnít absolutely unique.
ìI didnít develop my own style, I learned from other people, listening to their records
ó Alex de Grassi, Michael Hedges. I think Iím at the stage now, where Iím really
trying to find my own voice. Thereís certain records that you put on and it just
sounds like that guitar player. Iím still in the ësounds likeí phase, even though
a lot of people havenít heard of these other players.î
Guitar is rarely considered a solo instrument, you have classical and flamenco guitar,
alongside finger picking and folk. But itís a style that she became comfortable pursuing
upon meeting Reed at the 1998 Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville, North Carolina. And
so, began a style that King has used to transform herself into a prodigy by performing
ìbackwardsî from the stuffy techniques found in your common ìhow toî book or instructorís
lesson plan. Similar to playing the piano, Kaki places her left hand over the neck,
so her middle three fingers can top out lines on the strings, freeing her right hand
to continuously finger pick or move onto the neck and tap out its own lines.
By incorporating altered tunings into her repertoire, in echo of British pop bands
like Smiths and Blur, the Kaki King style moved forward with a distinguished signature.
On ìLate Night with Conan OíBrienî she performed, ìClose You Eyes & Youíll Burst
Into Flames,î a song that nearly does just that, a string tapping fiesta, never losing
its harmony, building up into a gregarious collective ìwow!î
Tonight, when she concludes the same song, she proudly reminds the audinece, ìI did
that song on Conan OíBrien.î A grand achievement for someone who just a couple years
ago, was over-indulged at having her own night at the jazzy Knitting Factory in New
York City.
ìDid you like it?î asks a curious audience member, in retort to Kakiís remark about
her national television debut.
Kaki reflects upon the experience, verbalizing about the appearance happening too
fast to fully comprehend the illustrious opportunity. Although if 2003 is a harbinger,
there will be many more moments for Kaki in the limelight. Much like her playing
style, everything has indeed happened so undeniably fast.
ìI was on the road all year long and I finally got off. I came home and looked around
at my crappy apartment and there was stuff everywhere, ìKaki explains about 2003.
ìWhat is so weird is, if I wanted this when I was a little kid, and I was a singer
and it happened, it would be totally different. But itís like all I really wanted
was to play guitar and I still want that. I havenít really totally admitted to myself
that I am a musician and this is my life now.î
Sometimes that sense of innocence makes all the difference. |
