Commotion PR : KING WILKIE

[01] 40 West MP3
[03] Broke Down And Lonesome MP3
[10] Lee & Paige MP3
[11] Drifting Away MP3

"The band blends a respect for the music -- it's named after Bill Monroe's favorite horse, for goodness' sake -- with a youthful energy that's bringing new fans to the most tradition-bound branch of country music."
Shay Quillen, SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS

“The sextet fires off fiddle-and-banjo assaults as frenzied as the best of them, but its distinction lies in Reid Burgess and John McDonald's vocals, which provide endless marvels of adenoidal harmony, counterpoint and rounding rhythm.”
Bob Strauss, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS

"...without new blood like King Wilkie, any traditional music form like bluegrass will eventually stagnate and die."
Dave Tianen, MILWAUKEE JOURNAL

"A band of twentysomethings performing traditional bluegrass, not as some kind of audio punch line, but deep, mossy, from-the-heart-and-out-the-nose bluegrass — now that's rarer than sunshine in some dark hollow."
Jay Votel, WASHINGTON TIMES

"The young (they're all in their 20s), Charlottesville, Va.-based six-some brings a youthful enthusiasm to this old-time style, tweaking tradition just enough to keep it fresh while honoring bluegrass greats like Bill Monroe."
Aiden Vaziri, SAN FRANCISCO BAY EXAMINER

"All hail King Wilkie. With their MTV-ready looks and obvious musical talent, the members of King Wilkie could probably enjoy more success doing the rock thing, but ....Dressed in suits and ties and playing with the kind of passion that comes from someplace other than a paycheck, the Charlottesville-based band freshened up the requisite bluegrass handbook."
Buzz McClain, WASHINGTON POST

VIDEO / CMT's New Voices No Cover

KING WILKIE break out of the gate with Rebel Records debut set for April 20th
Band's busy touring features key summer bluegrass festivals

Nashville, TN (February 24 2004)-- Rebel Records, one of the world's premier bluegrass imprints, proudly announces the upcoming release of King Wilkie's label debut, Broke. Due in stores April 20, Broke displays a hard-charging mix of genre standards, sublime, overlooked chestnuts and a half-dozen jaw-dropping, in-the-tradition originals.

Based in storied Charlottesville, Virginia, King Wilkie is a sextet of young turks (ages 21 to 26) who inject their bodacious chops and knowing interplay with an electrifying youthful energy that spikes the punch of the bluegrass music's time-honored recipes.

Taking their name from Bill Monroe's favorite steed, the boys in King Wilkie eschew needless showboating and stylistic tweaking, instead allowing their young blood, razor-sharp musicianship, and edgy, passionate harmonies to inject timeless themes of love (won and lost), loneliness, spirituality (and crippling lack thereof) and death with a freshness and energy that's as vital and relevant as any cutting-edge indie rockers could deliver.

Lead vocals are shared by Reid Burgess (mandolin) and John McDonald (guitar), Ted Pitney provides lead guitar and harmony vocals, and Abe Spear (banjo), Nick Reeb (fiddle) and Drew Breakey (upright bass) round out the band.

King Wilkie cut their live indie debut, True Songs, in 2003. That homemade biscuit, along with a series of live performances that repeatedly underscored the band's ability to grab and takeover diverse audiences (jam, rock, pop and trad-'grass), caught the ear and attention of Rebel Records.

Recorded at Overdub Lane Studios in Raleigh, NC by veteran producer Bob Carlin (John Hartford), Broke is bracketed by high-stepping instrumental takes on Ralph Lewis' "40 West." In between, there are

knockout covers of Jimmie Rodgers' "Blue Yodel #7," Governor Jimmie Davis' "Where The Old Red River Flows," "Sparkling Brown Eyes"(a hit for both Wanda Jackson and Webb Pierce), the Monroe Brothers' "Some Glad Day (Afterwhile)" and the ageless traditional, "Little Birdie."

Each of the above is a gem-cut beauty, but it's the stunning originals that serve clear notice that these boys have something truly special goin' on Finely-drawn, honest, humble and shamelessly irony-free, the four tunes by Ted Pitney and two by Reid Burgess are sparkling examples of down-home tunesmithing that are sure to have even the sagest musicologists scratching their heads and scurrying for their reference tomes.

There you have it, folks: clearwater picking and high lonesome singing--all presented with grace, flair and enough juice to launch one of them rocket ships. It may be Broke, but it sure don't need fixin'...

Kay Clary ~ Commotion PR kay@commotionpr.com 615.467.6677