King storms the Moose; Almost Equinox from JHSO; students jam

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

By Aaron Davis

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-When you are the first woman to make the “Guitar God” list in Rolling Stone Magazine, you are a badass. Turning heads and dropping jaws is nothing new to the fret slapping, finger picking, and percussive thumping styles of New York City dweller Kaki King.

The more I watch King’s live performances on YouTube, the more I respect what she brings to not only the six-string, but her technical ability on the lap steel and her intricate usage of loops and effects. Beautiful and bizarre become interchangeable when listening to her music - which was loosely described by the New York Times as “the abstract, dreamy and hypnotic end of alternative rock.”

King’s first two albums featured mostly instrumental acoustic compositions, but the addition of a live band, electric guitars and loops propelled the artist further into the rock spectrum. She contributed two songs to the 2007 film “Into the Wild” and actually appears in the film “August Rush” as the main character’s hands playing his guitar parts. Her new album, “Dreaming of Revenge,” was released last week and appears to concentrate more on mood and soundscapes than guitar mastery.

“This record feels different and poppy, it’s dark but doesn’t seem introspective as previous records,” King stated in her “Making of Dreaming of Revenge” video. “But the lyrics are far more personal than anything I’ve ever written or talked about.”
On her way across the country, and before she journeys to Australia to tour with the Foo Fighters, King will join forces with Texas blues rocker Chris Duarte for a full night of guitar magic here in Teton County. And as talent buyer Dom Gagliardi put it, “this is a very, very lucky show for the Moose.”

Kaki King and Chris Duarte will take the stage at 10 p.m. tonight at the Mangy Moose in Teton Village. Tickets are $15 and available online at www.mangymoose.net or at the door.

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From lush to rousing, the Jackson Hole Symphony Orchestra will reach the senses tonight when they perform their Almost Equinox Concert. The community ensemble is lead by conductor Vince Gutwein, who also conducts strings in the middle and high schools and performs with the orchestra as a cellist. The JH Brass quintet will also perform.

“This concert is really special because we’re bringing in the entire Jackson Hole High School String Orchestra, so there will be over sixty string players,” said Mimi Smith, the principal violinist. “It’s really difficult to teach these pieces to students. Grand Teton Music Festival gave money to bring in additional teachers to the schools, so we have spent a lot of time preparing.”

Among the evening’s varied pieces is a fiddle jig by Gustav Holst that is based on the “Greensleeves” theme, and a challenging arrangement for Mendelssohn’s Octet for Strings.
“[It] is an incredibly difficult piece and will be a chance to show off some of our talent,” Smith said.

The Almost Equinox Concert will begin at 7 p.m. tonight in the Center for the Arts Theatre. Admission is free, though donations are graciously accepted at the door. For more information, call Mimi at 413-0458.

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March is nationally recognized as Music in Our Schools Month, and the Grand Teton Music Festival has arranged for their eccentric Percussion Ensemble to perform two school assemblies especially for area students. Fifty instruments have been shipped to Jackson especially for the occasion, which will feature original compositions, Russian and Mexican folk music, and traditional military-style drumming.

The free hour-long assemblies take place at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. today in Walk Festival Hall in Teton Village. Invitations were made to all schools in the Jackson and Victor area.

The program will be repeated as a two-hour performance for the public at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday in Walk Festival Hall. An adult with accompanying student (ages 6-18) is $15, each additional student is $5, and regular adult admission is $25. Tickets are available by calling 733-1128 or visiting www.gtmf.org.

A primary part of GTMF’s mission is providing access to music and music education in local school.

Courtesy photo
Kaki King. Guitar god.

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King storms the Moose; Almost Equinox from JHSO; students jam | Planet JH News Article: Music Box

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