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Live Music Friday – Kaki King, live at Ironhorse

Welcome back to another Live Music Friday here at Burgo’s Blog. For today’s post – and largely due to the fact that I’ve just watched “August Rush” again – I thought I would post something slightly different; a 2004 show, where guitar virtuoso Kaki King performed, lived at the Ironhorse.

Live Music Friday - Kaki King, live at Ironhorse

Now, I’m pretty sure this show isn’t going to appeal to everyone. It’s not always “easy listening” music. But, especially if you’re a guitarist, I implore you to listen to this show.


Kaki King
is one of those rare musicians who comes along, and you just know there’s something otherworldly there. There’s an emotion, and an intelligence behind her compositions that is few and far between in current music. With a sound that involves fret-tapping, slap bass, percussive guitars and – lately – sound layering and looping, Kaki King is reminscent of Michael Hedges, Preston Reed and Andy McKee.
In short… that’s bloody heady company.

In the last 2 years, particularly, Kaki has been getting some major mainstream exposure; not only is her music featured in the film “August Rush” – in fact, she was actually Freddy Highmore’s “action hands” – but she also contributed tunes to the, quite frankly, brilliant “Into the Wild” soundtrack. Add into that mix some major support from the Foo Fighters, and in particular Dave Grohl, and you can see this girl’s ready to hit it large.


While in the last few years, Kaki King has made an obvious effort to step back from the “solo instrumental artist” label that was beginning to attach itself to her – take one listen to her new single, “Pull Me Out Alive, from her new album, “Dreaming Of Revenge“, and you’ll see what I mean –  this show from 2004 was more in her original style. There’s minimal vocals, acoustic guitar… and it remains one of my favourites.


If nothing else, make sure that you listen to the track, “Lies”. It’s pure poetry.


Listen. Love. Support.

Kaki King, live at Ironhorse, 10 June, 2004

1. Intro/Georgia On My Mind
2. All the Landslides Birds Have Seen
3. Playing With Pink Noise
4. Neanderthal
5. Solipsist
6. Ingots
7. Untitled
8. Lies
9. Can the Gwot Save Us
10. My Insect Life
11. Magazine
12. Doing the Wrong Thing
13. Carmine Street

 

Thanks go to the original taper, and thanks to Phil for originally turning me on to her music.

By Burgo

Once upon a time was in a band. Now writes (all too infrequently) about good music at Burgo's Music Blog; about personal musings at The Home of Matt Burgess; and about marketing at Conversation Media.

6 replies on “Live Music Friday – Kaki King, live at Ironhorse”

I’m jealous that it is Friday in your world. Still hanging on to the final few hours of Thursday here.

Not really hanging on, just stuck here. I want that Friday thing of which you speak, now!

Thanks for the credit Burgo, i’ve no doubt you would have heard of Kaki King eventually :)

And thanks for putting me onto the Kaki King latest single Pull Me Out Alive! You’re certainly right about her sounding a little more mainstream; with the increased vocals and layering – still very cool, but yea… i think it will appeal to a different listener?

Listening to the live show as i type – definitely more my type of thing. She needs to pick up a Fender; I would pay to see that!

@Kalena and @Horse,
Yeah, that new single isn’t exactly my cup of tea, although I think that might just be because it’s such a radical step away from her earlier stuff that I’d heard.

Thanks both for stopping by!

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