In the wide world of music, the solo-acoustic-fingerstyle-guitar market is relatively quiet. When New York based Kaki King entered the scene a short time ago, not many were prepared for what she was delivering. By the time some of us caught wind of her, she was ready to move on to other forms, composing vocal pieces and performing on electric and slide guitars, recording with a band. Here in San Francisco this weekend with her band for the Outside Lands Festival in Golden Gate Park, she agreed to a rare performance at a house concert, solo and acoustic. Few concerts rivaled this for the sheer thrill factor: up close with about 60 other people, every nuance delivered straight from her fingers to our eyes and ears. As a guitarist, I place the event equal to seeing John McLaughlin with Shakti at the Great American, Leo Kottke at Berkeley, Tony Rice with the David Grisman Quintet, and of course Hendrix in ’68.
Opening for Ms. King was fingerstyle whiz Teja Gerken. Though disarmingly humble, he was in superb form tonight, entertaining us with stories about lost boots, and playing a selection of originals and arrangements of tunes by local Celtic master Steve Baughman and the Irish trad duo Martin Hayes/Dennis Cahill.
Besides Gerken, who is its senior editor, several other staff/contributors to the Marin-based Acoustic Guitar Magazine were of course present for this rare event. Even one guitarist from Germany was lucky enough to be among the 60 here tonight. If it is true that Kaki King is permanently leaving the solo-acoustic arena, it is a sad day, and I pity the billions of others who missed this set. If not, thank your lucky stars and get in line for your ticket now.
Article comments
1 - Joanne Huspek
Great review. She sounds like someone worth watching. But take heart; not all of us can be Michelango. (Spoken by one of the hapless studio painters.)