“We’re kind of just going to be fooling around, well I am, she might not fool around a lot, but we are just going to have fun.” King said before the show started. Such was the setting for the early evening performance at the Cutting Room on Monday April 24 of Kaki King and her girlfriend, the experimental musician Kelli Rudick.

They started off playing with King on drums and Rudick with a nail violin—a small box that has a sound like a xylophone that would echo in the resonator. “We didn’t start to practice for this till yesterday.” King reveled to the crowd lightening the mood before relinquishing the stage to Rudick. It seemed to work at first, taking any pressure away, because Rudick seemed quite in her element as she picked up the acoustic guitar. Earlier Rudick had said that the mood she tends to portray on stage, “would have to be one of nervousness.”

Confidently Rudick worked the acoustic guitar strumming and pounding on the side at the same time. The juxtaposition of the high notes—the multiple guitar sounds produced—hand strumming and alternating full rhythms and melodies simultaneously. Rudick balanced a definite finesse and aggression with the guitar at the same time.

When that was over Rudick left the stage to applause and King then played solo on the electric guitar—working a slide with it creating a very oriental sound—like a bow across a metal strip. King utilized the delicate hollow echo creating an electric beat like a synthesizer.

Really giving the audience a treat, King played a cover of the Smith’s song, “Please Please Please, Let Me Get What I Want.” She delicately sang the Morrissey lyrics as she gave a slow, poignant version of Johnny Marr’s guitar chords, a musician King has always she admired.

The night unfortunately wrapped up with Rudick not returning to the stage, attempts were made however to no avail. King played one of her most well known songs, “Playing with Pink Noise,” a jumping, piece that quickens and slows at any minute, that shows the real dexterity of her fingering and epitomizes her freewheeling double melodic creations on the guitar.

King ended up the night improvising on the electric guitar; at one point creating an obvious rock riff that was so poignant in the jazz setting and with no accompanying instruments. Satisfied with her set, time expired for the two artists with a unanimous applause by all. Everyone was fulfilled with the intimate night of songs and improvisation or the two artists, just trying to keep on doing what they love and letting others witness their passion.

Kaki King will be performing four nights at the Living Room is July, she is currently on tour in Italy; her albums are available on Velour Records.

Check out Kelli Rudick at: www.myspace.com/kellirudick1