Growing up in Buckhead, Kaki King took an interest in music at a young age, first as a guitarist, then as a drummer. Eventually switching her focus back to the guitar as a teen, her unique percussive style of playing, which includes plucking the strings and smacking the body of the guitar, has set her apart from other guitarists.
Now calling New York home, the diminutive musician never expected to receive the musical accolades that have been bestowed upon her in recent years. Having been named a Guitar God by Rolling Stone magazine in 2006 (the first time that honor has been given to a female) and publicly applauded by the likes of Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters, this girl and her guitar have become indie rock favorites across the United States and beyond.
While her musical experimentation began when she was still attending the Westminster Schools, King’s first legitimate shows did not happen in the local club scene.
“I played school parties and people’s garages and talent shows,” she recalls. “It wasn’t until I went to college that I did a proper show in a venue. A lot of it was just being too young.”
But being too young to perform in clubs didn’t stop her from seeing favorite Britpop bands like Lush, Suede and Oasis in the '90s.
“I was still under 18 when I left for school, but there were plenty of venues I snuck into,” she says with a laugh. “I was able to get into the Point when that was still around, I saw some shows at Eddie’s Attic and I snuck into the Masquerade multiple times. It was kind of hard because I would not only have to sneak out of the house, but I’d have to find a friend who was old enough to drive, then I’d have to sneak into the venue.”
In college, King began busking on New York streets before graduating to the stage, releasing her first album “Everybody Loves You” in 2003. She has since had a steady ascent from small solo shows to large festivals, the addition of a backing band and a 2007 Golden Globe nomination for her contributions to the film score for “Into the Wild.”
“All of a sudden I was thrown into the world of doing interviews and people reviewing my record,” she says. “It astounded me that someone playing solo guitar would garner any attention. I had just gotten out of school and all this was happening, so things were a bit weird. But I just said, ‘Well, I’ll just keep doing this until it’s not really doable anymore.’”
It has obviously continued to be doable, and those who saw her early tour stops at the Red Light Café and other local venues can attest to why.
“She was very captivating,” says Lisa Miller of the Variety Playhouse, where King will be performing on May 1. “There are very few female guitarists who get the kind of recognition she does.”
“I saw her open for David Lindley at the Red Light Café after her first CD came out in 2003,” says Decatur CD owner Warren Hudson. “She could definitely play guitar. He’s a master guitar player and she got a good response from his crowd, so she was definitely impressive.”
On her rare hometown stops, King enjoys seeing familiar faces, sleeping in her old bed and partaking in Harold’s Barbecue with her family. But with another month of touring, followed by European festival shows, this week’s hometown show will see her being whisked away once again to share her talents elsewhere.
Her latest album “Junior” is her first to be written and recorded with a backing band, with which she is also touring. Released April 13, “Junior” features a more structured pop format than her previous releases. And despite the album’s themes of leading a double life, King says that has nothing to do with being an openly gay girl from the South.
“I was never leading any sort of secret lifestyle,” she says. “I was going through a rough patch while making the record and felt like I was sort of becoming another person. It was just one of those times where there was day-after-day of waking up and just really not wanting to have to be myself that day.”
Having already received critical praise for “Junior,” it seems that being Kaki King these days is no longer such a bad thing.
Kaki King with An Horse
8:30 p.m. May 1. $15 in advance, $17.50 day of show. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave. Atlanta, GA 30307. 404-524-7354. www.variety-playhouse.com
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