Few artists have gone into hiding with fame on their doorstop like Justin King. His debut album, Le Bleu, and a spell opening for Diana Krall brought Justin King serious notoriety in 2001, but King chose to hang out in the Northwest and give guitar lessons for $200 from his Eugene, Oregon, home.
King's career was rescued from obscurity by mass internet circulation of a video demo of "Phunkdified," a track off Le Bleu that was recorded in 2004.
King, seated with a Martin acoustic guitar, begins the song with a sort of tribal percussion beat. As soon as the funky slap guitar theme begins, there is no doubt about his guitar virtuosity. His right hand flailing all over the guitar neck, King employs unusual chord strumming techniques and beats the fret board for emphasis. The theme alternates with portions of electric-style tapping, building in energy to a percussive climax.
All around, King's playing is lightning fast and gets cleaner as the song progresses. The variety of sound he is able to coax out of an acoustic instrument is astonishing.
Though guitarists will be most impressed with King's instrumental chops, his work with a full band is probably more accessible for the average listener. His band mixes mainstream music reminiscent of Coldplay or The Fray with the complex sounds of King's guitar.
Fresh off a tour with Mat Kearney, The Justin King Band (www.justinkingband.com) comes to The Philadelphia Bar & Grille (412 West Girard Ave in Fishtown) on February 28.
