Kaki King Brings Live Feel to 'Junior' -- Exclusive Video

Posted on May 14th 2010 2:00PM by Adam Horne
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Few guitarists can boast a resume as impressive as Kaki King's. Since her days of busking as a New York University student, the Georgia-born musician has gained a reputation as one of independent music's leading talents, receiving praises from Dave Grohl to Timbaland, and even earning Rolling Stone magazine's coveted 'Guitar God' title in 2006. Known by many for her unmatched percussive playing style, King showcases her impressive songwriting chops on her fifth full-length album, 'Junior,' released last month on Rounder.

Listeners familiar with King's work will notice a striking shift in the aural aesthetic of 'Junior,' as she explained to Spinner during a recent interview. Where as 2008's 'Dreaming of Revenge' featured layers upon layers of ambient sonic experimentation, "for this record it just made sense to have three people in a room at the same time and recording at the same time and have it feel much more live," she says. For the first time, King says she recorded the album as a band with Dan Brantigan and drummer Jordan Perlson. And while 'Junior' still features dreamy compositions and prodigious guitar playing fans have come to love, the record also explores more aggressive hard rock sounds. ("I bought a distortion pedal. Changed my life.")

As her career continues to grow, King has been fortunate as an artist to be able to apply her talents to different genres and across multiple mediums. Much of her work has been featured on the big screen in indie films, documentaries and major Hollywood releases alike. More recently, she has made a foray into the world of hip-hop, sitting in with the Roots on an episode of 'Late Night With Jimmy Fallon' and clocking studio time with Timbaland for a track that ended up as a Miley Cyrus collaboration. "It's funny that it's me and Hannah Montana but really, I wouldn't want to have it any other way," she tells Spinner. "It's another sort of tick on my sort of weird life musical story."

Despite her success, King admits she still faces the stigma against female guitarists in a typically male-dominated industry. "Five records in, who cares?" she tells Spinner. "There still is this weird kind of, 'Oh yeah, you're good for a girl' thing. I'm not sure why people are still so fascinated by that concept." In a world where women like Marnie Stern and Orianthi are receiving constant praises for their guitar chops, it does seem strange that a talented female guitarist is still a novel concept to some. "Maybe I'm just good for being 30 years old and having done it since I was five years old," she says. "Maybe that's why I'm good."