Since her last album, Glow in 2012, Brooklyn-based guitarist Kaki King has been up to some interesting things. She’s created an incredible live experience called The Neck is a Bridge to The Body, which I wrote about quite some time ago, before it even really existed. She also just released Everybody Glows, which is a compilation of B-sides, live and rare unreleased tracks. I’ll take a look at both of these in today’s Mundo.
I was lucky to catch the first performance Kaki King’s The Neck is a Bridge to The Body in Brooklyn in March of this year. The Neck is a Bridge to The Body is not a typical concert experience, it’s as visual as it is musical. King’s guitar acts as a projection screen in front of a larger projection screen and there’s a story told by the music and the visuals. For example, King would scratch her guitar and dust would appear, every note had an effect on the visuals. I’m not going to give away much, but one thing I’ve always enjoyed about King’s shows is her humour, and that comes through a few times in The Neck Is a Bridge to the Body, which features a song and visuals about a day in the life of a guitar. It had the BRIC house laughing at loud and you could see King was having a lot of fun performing it. Musically, it’s all instrumental and it’s totally phenomenal, King proves why she deserves to be considered one of the modern guitar greats with her creativity and undeniable prowess. Check it out in person if you have a chance, The Neck Is a Bridge to the Body is coming to San Francisco in December and there will be an official release sometime in 2015.
This week, Kaki King released Everybody Glows, a collection of b-sides and rarities, released through her bandcamp. This is a really cool compilation that some long time Kaki King fans will really love. Like I said earlier, King is one of the most talented guitarists out there today, and her live shows are absolutely impressive to witness, and I feel like the live tracks stand out here quite a bit. “Zamzam Well” has that trademark Kaki King fingerpicking style, as does the live version of “Sad American” which features King’s impressive speed. I’ve seen Kaki King maybe 15 times in concert, and one of my favorite tours was when she toured with a full band featuring EVI (Electronic valve instrument, kinda like an electric saxophone) player Dan Brantigan and drummer Matt Hankle, Everybody Glows features a live performance of “Goby” from this tour that’ll show you exactly why this was a great trio. She’s also quite impressive just on record, songs like “Sunrise at Wildflower Hill Retirement Center”, “Tunnel”, and “So Much for So Little” show off her skills as a guitarist. Everybody Glows also features an official release of King’s cover of Justin Timberlake’s “Lovestoned”.
If you’re already a Kaki King fan, check out Everybody Glows, it’s a really cool listen. And even if you’re not, it has some incredible tracks that are sure to win you over. Kaki King is one of the most creative musicians out there, both musically and with the way she presents her art. She’s played a guitar while painting it pink at the same time, she’s toured with a “traveling guitar freak show”, and she’s created an awesome experience with The Neck is A Bridge To the Body. Please visit her website and show her some support and be sure to check out The Neck Is a Bridge to The Body if Kaki King tours it your way.
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