Justin King

Justin King is a self-taught guitarist, renowned for his percussive solo acoustic style which mixes elements of Flamenco, Jazz, Celtic, Classical, and African music.

In 2001, King released Le Bleu. Named after the road on which he lived growing up, Le Bleu dramtically expanded on his acoustic instrumental abilities; out of the nineteen tracks, only one (Ashes) features vocals. The album, though independently released, would receive critical acclaim from many who heard it[citation needed] , and helped to expand Justin's fanbase. However, the biggest boon to his music was the release of live videos on the internet; Albinoblacksheep still hosts the infamous video of Le Bleu track "Phunkdified", which served to introduce younger, web-savvy players to King's music. His live performance of "Knock on Wood" at the Hult Center in Eugene, OR., introduced the notorious double-neck acoustic, further exposing his music.

Following the release of Le Bleu, Justin set his sights upon several 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 rock album. Justin assembled a new band with longtime friends Ehren Ebbage (lead guitar) and Drew Desman (bass.) In 2005, drummer James West, uncomfortable playing in a rock band, departed and was replaced by Los Angeles native and delinquent Berkeley Physics PhD student Nadir Jeevanjee. Somewhat reminiscent of modern bands like Coldplay, Death Cab For Cutie, and The Fray, his new music also features him playing piano on several songs. Although more mainstream sounding than his previous efforts, Justin's newer music maintains his complex musical style. Although King had travelled worldwide during his solo years, he embarked on long US tour to promote his new music. Touring almost exclusively for over a year, his official web site was not updated for many months, causing some fans to wonder what had happened to him. In summer of 2005, King announced that he had been picked up by Epic Records, although this would eventually end in failure and result in King parting with the major label. The band's debut album is scheduled to be released in August 2007.