Justin King (guitarist) Justin King is a self-taught guitarist, renowned for his percussive acoustic style which mixes elements of Flamenco, Jazz, Celtic, Classical, African, Mainstream and Rock Music. Background & Early Musical Projects Born in Eugene, Oregon in 1980, Justin comes from a family well known in the wine business under the King Estate name. (In fact, two of his songs appeared in television commercials for them.) He began playing guitar around age fourteen, having been influenced, like many adolescents growing up in the 1990s, by Nirvana and most likely, Jeff Buckley. Le Bleu & Beyond 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, and that his major-label debut would be released in 2006. His album has been in progress for nearly four years, and most likely because King wanted to sign with a major label. Recently he finished a brief tour on which he opened for Mat Kearney, following a successful tour in the western and northeast United States. Currently the band is back in Eugene, Oregon, recording the last tracks for the album. His major-label debut album, Bright and Dirty Lights (tentatively titled), is scheduled for release sometime in early 2007. Andy McKee (1979, in Topeka, Kansas) is an American acoustic guitarist. He is currently signed to CANdYRAT Records and has a large online fanbase - a live clip of him performing his song "Drifting" was a Featured Video on YouTube, achieving over 2,000,000 views since November of 2006. As of January 18, 2007, it is the highest rated music video on YouTube (English or otherwise), as well as the 8th highest rated clip on the entire site. Life and Career McKee played his first guitar, an Aria nylon string bought by his father, at age 13. Initially underwhelmed by his guitar lessons, McKee's cousin inspired him to continue learning, and he earned his GED at age 16 in order to focus on guitar full-time. After seeing a local guitarist named Preston Reed perform live at a clinic, McKee bought an instructional videotape from him and began to learn more complex guitar techniques. For the next five years, he continued to improve while taking inspiration from guitarists such as Michael Hedges, Don Ross, Billy McLaughlin, Pat Kirtley, and Tommy Emmanuel. In 2001, McKee released his first album, entitled Nocturne. That same year, he placed third at the National Fingerstyle Guitar Competition in Winfield, Kansas, the youngest competitor to ever place so highly.[1] In 2003, McKee toured in Taiwan with Jacques Stotzem, Isato Nakagawa, and Masaaki Kishibe, and earned first place in Kansas' Miscellaneous Acoustic Instrument contest with a Ron Spillers harpguitar he purchased from Steven Bennett in 2002. [2] The instrument can be seen in a number of his songs, such as "Into The Ocean" and "Gates to Numeria". McKee released his sophomore album, Dreamcatcher, in 2004, using the title track to win the opportunity to perform with bassist Michael Manring, whom he has toured with multiple times since. Additionally, he placed first in the Kansas Fingerstyle Guitar Competition and second in the Canadian Fingerstyle Guitar Competiton. His most recent CD, Art of Motion, was released on CANdYRAT Records in 2005 and has earned considerable praise from established acoustic guitarists such as Don Ross, whom McKee is currently on the same label with and has noted as one of his favorite artists. YouTube Fame and Beyond Self-described as "just this guy from Topeka, Kansas who kind of blew up on the Internet about a week before Christmas," McKee became an online sensation after videos of his performances were posted to YouTube by his record label. The video for "Drifting" was massively upvoted by users at Digg, spreading McKee's fame even further.[3] Since then he has appeared by invitation on Woodsongs as well as Last Call with Carson Daly, and his online store has completely sold out of his various guitar tablature books. Influences McKee's influences include, but are not limited to: Michael Hedges, Don Ross, Preston Reed, Billy McLaughlin, Bjork, Eric Johnson, Imogen Heap, Metallica, Joe Satriani, Iron Maiden, Pantera, Steve Erquiaga, Vince Di Cola, Toto, Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, Primus, Neil Young, SRV, and Dream Theater.[4][5] Discography Cover Art Album Title Year Andy_Mckee_Nocturne.jpg Nocturne 2001 Andy_Mckee_Dreamcatcher.jpg Dreamcatcher 2004 Andy_Mckee_ArtofMotion.jpg Art of Motion 2005