Justin King (guitarist)
Encyclopedia
Justin King is an American
musician and artist from Eugene, Oregon
, recognized as a pioneering guitarist for his percussive "tapping" playing style which consists of a variety of influences ranging from Flamenco
to Celtic music
. Currently, King is still recording music as well as doing part-time war photojournalism in places like Iraq
and Afghanistan
.
name. King attended O'Hara Catholic School from the first grade through the eighth grade. He later attended Marist High School before attending South Eugene High School. He dropped out of high school as a sophomore and entered the San Francisco Art Institute to study painting. He began playing drums and guitar around age 14 and wrote and performed songs with his current bassist, Drew Dresman. King began to focus on acoustic guitar at age 19, and in 1999 he released his self-titled album, followed by Opening in 2000. In 2001, after traveling through Europe, Ireland and Great Britain, King recorded "Le Bleu"--an instrumental acoustic guitar record which featured long-time friends and James West on percussion, Troy Sicotte on bass and Linh Renken on violins. Le Bleu was recorded at Peter Gabriel's "Real World Studios" just outside of Bath, England.
Inspired by Real World Studios, King returned to the US and began construction on his own studio "Blackberry Hill". The studio took about two years to complete during which time King toured the country as a solo guitarist opening for James Taylor
, BB King, Diana Krall
, North Mississippi All-Stars, Al Green
and others. Just after building Blackberry Hill King recorded another instrumental record, "I-XII", with James West, renown bassist Michael Manring and European guitarist Carlos Vamos. Shortly after that King started a band with James West (later replaced by Nadir Jeevanjee), Troy Sicotte (later replaced by Drew Dresman) and Ehren Ebbage (later replaced by Chris Plank). The band toured the country for about one year before being signed to a major label record deal with Epic Records in 2006.
The band recorded the self titled "Justin King and the Apologies" record at Justin's Blackberry Hill studio as well as studios in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. The recording process took more than a year during which time the band continued to tour extensively throughout the nation as well as some international performances. After a large shakeup at Epic Records in which the president and the band's A&R representative left the company the band stayed on in limbo with Epic for about one more year before requesting to be let go from the label. Epic gave the master recording rights to the band and the album was released independently by the band shortly thereafter. After touring tirelessly throughout the year the band broke up around the end of 2007.
Since the disbanding of The Apologies, King has pursued an interest in photojournalism, having spent August 2008 in Iraq embedded with the Oregon National Guard at Balad Air Base. He accompanied the US military on patrols and raids as well as medevac missions and convoys. His photos appeared on the BBC's website http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/08/middle_east_0my_iraq_adventure0/html/1.stm and his stories were featured in Oregon's mainstream news publications.
King is currently finishing a degree in oil painting and photography at Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon.
, which was a mostly instrumental album featuring only one track with vocals ("Ashes"). It dramatically showcased his skills on acoustic instruments, and although the album was independently released, it would receive critical acclaim. However, the biggest boom to his music career was the release of live videos on the Internet. The first, and most famous, was a clip of the credits from a documentary on Jean Larrivée
guitars. In it, King plays an energetic, fast-paced version of "Phunkdified," which served to introduce younger, web-savvy players to King's unique playing style. His live performance of "Knock on Wood" at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts
in Eugene introduced the Doolin double-neck acoustic guitar.
Following the release of Le Bleu, King began several new projects including an electronic remix of Le Bleu by the Raging Family, and another instrumental project with Carlos Vamos and Michael Manring
. His primary focus, however, was a songwriting-based album. He assembled a new band with longtime friends Ehren Ebbage (lead guitar) and Drew Desman (bass). In 2005, drummer James West and was replaced by Nadir Jeevanjee. King's endeavor in rock music also features a return to playing piano on several songs. Justin's latest music maintains his complex musical style despite acquiring a more mainstream sound.
. The band felt that the label took away a considerable amount of freedom in deciding how the music should sound, as well as showing little interest in King's musical ambitions. The band released a five-song EP, Fall/Rise, in spring 2007 before resuming touring, which included several performances in South Korea
. The band's debut album, Justin King And The Apologies, was released on September 28, 2007.
, drums, keyboard
, bass
, and guitar
. In addition to playing all the instruments, King engineered and produced the record. His Myspace page announced the title of the new album as Humilitas Occidit Superbiam, and it was subsequently released digitally
in November 2009.
s, as well as the electric guitar
s he has owned and performed with.
with an excellent reputation, to build a double-neck steel-string guitar. Justin wanted a guitar with two identical DADGAD-tuned necks to expand on his unique two-handed tapping style. The challenge was to design an instrument that could handle 340 pounds of string tension and yet still be acoustically responsive. The instrument features many of Doolin's innovations, including a pinless bridge, and adjustable neck angles. Doolin and King chose an instrument with a modified jumbo-style body, cocobolo (rosewood) back and sides, and a redwood top. The redwood is incredibly strong and stable, while at the same time being dynamic and possessing a rich acoustic tone. They also decided on using B-Band acoustic pickups, which are known for their excellent fidelity. The result is an unprecedented instrument, completely unique, with a wonderful tone. This can be seen on the song 'Crown', which is available on YouTube.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician and artist from Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
, recognized as a pioneering guitarist for his percussive "tapping" playing style which consists of a variety of influences ranging from Flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
to Celtic music
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
. Currently, King is still recording music as well as doing part-time war photojournalism in places like Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
Background and Current Activities
Born on June 13, 1979 in Palmer, Alaska, King comes from a family well known in the wine business under the King EstateKing Estate Winery
King Estate Winery is a winery located southwest of Eugene, Oregon, United States near the community of Lorane. Matt Kramer of The Oregonian considers King Estate the benchmark producer of Pinot gris in the country...
name. King attended O'Hara Catholic School from the first grade through the eighth grade. He later attended Marist High School before attending South Eugene High School. He dropped out of high school as a sophomore and entered the San Francisco Art Institute to study painting. He began playing drums and guitar around age 14 and wrote and performed songs with his current bassist, Drew Dresman. King began to focus on acoustic guitar at age 19, and in 1999 he released his self-titled album, followed by Opening in 2000. In 2001, after traveling through Europe, Ireland and Great Britain, King recorded "Le Bleu"--an instrumental acoustic guitar record which featured long-time friends and James West on percussion, Troy Sicotte on bass and Linh Renken on violins. Le Bleu was recorded at Peter Gabriel's "Real World Studios" just outside of Bath, England.
Inspired by Real World Studios, King returned to the US and began construction on his own studio "Blackberry Hill". The studio took about two years to complete during which time King toured the country as a solo guitarist opening for James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
, BB King, Diana Krall
Diana Krall
Diana Jean Krall, OC, OBC is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer, known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 6 million albums in the US and over 15 million worldwide; altogether, she has sold more albums than any other female jazz artist during the 1990s and 2000s...
, North Mississippi All-Stars, Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
and others. Just after building Blackberry Hill King recorded another instrumental record, "I-XII", with James West, renown bassist Michael Manring and European guitarist Carlos Vamos. Shortly after that King started a band with James West (later replaced by Nadir Jeevanjee), Troy Sicotte (later replaced by Drew Dresman) and Ehren Ebbage (later replaced by Chris Plank). The band toured the country for about one year before being signed to a major label record deal with Epic Records in 2006.
The band recorded the self titled "Justin King and the Apologies" record at Justin's Blackberry Hill studio as well as studios in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. The recording process took more than a year during which time the band continued to tour extensively throughout the nation as well as some international performances. After a large shakeup at Epic Records in which the president and the band's A&R representative left the company the band stayed on in limbo with Epic for about one more year before requesting to be let go from the label. Epic gave the master recording rights to the band and the album was released independently by the band shortly thereafter. After touring tirelessly throughout the year the band broke up around the end of 2007.
Since the disbanding of The Apologies, King has pursued an interest in photojournalism, having spent August 2008 in Iraq embedded with the Oregon National Guard at Balad Air Base. He accompanied the US military on patrols and raids as well as medevac missions and convoys. His photos appeared on the BBC's website http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/08/middle_east_0my_iraq_adventure0/html/1.stm and his stories were featured in Oregon's mainstream news publications.
King is currently finishing a degree in oil painting and photography at Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon.
Le Bleu and various side projects
In 2001, King released Le BleuLe Bleu
Le Bleu is the third and best known solo album by acoustic guitarist Justin King.Le Bleu, is the name of the street on which King lived during his childhood, and thus the inspiration for the album title. Released in 2001, it was only available on King's website, since he was not signed to a label...
, which was a mostly instrumental album featuring only one track with vocals ("Ashes"). It dramatically showcased his skills on acoustic instruments, and although the album was independently released, it would receive critical acclaim. However, the biggest boom to his music career was the release of live videos on the Internet. The first, and most famous, was a clip of the credits from a documentary on Jean Larrivée
Jean Larrivée
Jean Larivée is a Canadian luthier specializing in guitars.He was originally trained as an auto mechanic, but began making guitars in 1967.-Early career:...
guitars. In it, King plays an energetic, fast-paced version of "Phunkdified," which served to introduce younger, web-savvy players to King's unique playing style. His live performance of "Knock on Wood" at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts
Hult Center for the Performing Arts
The Hult Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts facility in Eugene, Oregon, that opened in 1982.It is located adjacent to the Eugene Hilton and the Eugene Community Conference Center, which were also completed in 1982, as part of the same urban renewal project.The Hult Center and the...
in Eugene introduced the Doolin double-neck acoustic guitar.
Following the release of Le Bleu, King began several new projects including an electronic remix of Le Bleu by the Raging Family, and another instrumental project with Carlos Vamos and Michael Manring
Michael Manring
Michael Manring is an American electric bassist from the San Francisco Bay Area, .-Biography:...
. His primary focus, however, was a songwriting-based album. He assembled a new band with longtime friends Ehren Ebbage (lead guitar) and Drew Desman (bass). In 2005, drummer James West and was replaced by Nadir Jeevanjee. King's endeavor in rock music also features a return to playing piano on several songs. Justin's latest music maintains his complex musical style despite acquiring a more mainstream sound.
Sony BMG/Epic Records battle
On March 20, 2007, Justin King and his band, after a long struggle, ended their contract with Sony BMG/Epic RecordsEpic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
. The band felt that the label took away a considerable amount of freedom in deciding how the music should sound, as well as showing little interest in King's musical ambitions. The band released a five-song EP, Fall/Rise, in spring 2007 before resuming touring, which included several performances in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. The band's debut album, Justin King And The Apologies, was released on September 28, 2007.
Humilitas Occidit Superbiam
King's latest record is another solo effort, released independently, and features King on a broad range of instruments, including celloCello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, drums, keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
. In addition to playing all the instruments, King engineered and produced the record. His Myspace page announced the title of the new album as Humilitas Occidit Superbiam, and it was subsequently released digitally
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
in November 2009.
Guitars
Justin has admitted to have spent "more than his means" on his gear. The following list includes some of his acoustic guitarAcoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
s, as well as the electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
s he has owned and performed with.
Acoustic
- 1952 MartinC. F. Martin & CompanyC.F. Martin & Company is a US guitar manufacturer established in 1833 by Christian Frederick Martin. Martin is highly regarded for its steel-string guitars, and is a leading mass manufacturer of flattop acoustics with models that retail for thousands of dollars and vintage instruments that often...
00 spruce/mahogany - 1957 Martin D-28 spruce/rosewood
- 1995 Martin 00 spruce/rosewood
- 1956 Martin D-21
- 1956 GibsonGibson Guitar CorporationThe Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
SJ - LowdenGeorge LowdenGeorge Lowden is a guitar maker, luthier, based in Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland. He constructs acoustic guitars, steel and nylon strung.-Company:...
0-25 C cedar/rosewood - Lowden 0-25 C cedar/rosewood, fingerboard extension
- Melville Guitars of Australia spruce/rosewood, fingerboard extension, wide neck
- BreedloveBreedlove Guitar CompanyBreedlove is a US guitar company based in Bend, Oregon that specializes in custom, fingerstyle guitars.-History and Background:Breedlove Guitar Company was established in 1990 by luthiers Larry Breedlove and Steve Henderson, while working at Taylor Guitars. After moving to Oregon, Breedlove and...
custom 7-string spruce/rosewood - Daryl Perry Flameco spruce/ash
- Doolin Double Neck
Electric
- Moollon Narcis
- Fender Telecaster (assembled from other parts) with SuhrSuhr GuitarsSuhr Guitars is an American company that manufactures electric guitars and basses, guitar amplifiers, and effect units...
pickupsPickup (music technology)A pickup device is a transducer that captures mechanical vibrations, usually from suitably equipped stringed instruments such as the electric guitar, electric bass guitar, Chapman Stick, or electric violin, and converts them to an electrical signal that is amplified, recorded, or broadcast.-... - Gibson 1959 ES-335 reissue
- Gibson ES-126
- Gibson SG
- Various off-brands from the 60's
Doolin double neck
Justin first approached Mike Doolin, an innovative luthierLuthier
A luthier is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc...
with an excellent reputation, to build a double-neck steel-string guitar. Justin wanted a guitar with two identical DADGAD-tuned necks to expand on his unique two-handed tapping style. The challenge was to design an instrument that could handle 340 pounds of string tension and yet still be acoustically responsive. The instrument features many of Doolin's innovations, including a pinless bridge, and adjustable neck angles. Doolin and King chose an instrument with a modified jumbo-style body, cocobolo (rosewood) back and sides, and a redwood top. The redwood is incredibly strong and stable, while at the same time being dynamic and possessing a rich acoustic tone. They also decided on using B-Band acoustic pickups, which are known for their excellent fidelity. The result is an unprecedented instrument, completely unique, with a wonderful tone. This can be seen on the song 'Crown', which is available on YouTube.
Solo albums
- Justin King (1999) (out of print)
- Opening (2000) (out of print)
- Le BleuLe BleuLe Bleu is the third and best known solo album by acoustic guitarist Justin King.Le Bleu, is the name of the street on which King lived during his childhood, and thus the inspiration for the album title. Released in 2001, it was only available on King's website, since he was not signed to a label...
(2001) - Humilitas Occidit Superbiam (2009)
Justin King and the Apologies
- Justin King and the Apologies (2007)
- Pilot (2003) (EP)
- Bright And Dirty Lights (2005) (EP)
- Bright And Dirty Lights Taster Disc (2005)
- C-Sides (2006) (EP)
- Fall/Rise (2007) (EP)