Kaki King brings ‘Wild’ music to SXSW

AUSTIN, Texas - Kaki King, the acclaimed guitarist nominated for a Golden Globe for her work on the “Into the Wild” score, is marking her fourth year at the South by Southwest music festival — and she can chart her growth in success by the number of shows she’s performing over the five-day festival.

“The first time I played once or twice, I hung around for the week,” she told The Associated Press after performing at the BMI & Billboard showcase Friday afternoon. “This time it’s been a full week — been doing two to three shows a day, loads of interviews ... I’m definitely doing things and am in situations that I certainly didn’t do the first time around.”

The 26-year-old, who just released her latest album “Dreaming of Revenge,” was nominated for best original score at the Golden Globes for collaborating with Eddie Vedder and Michael Brook on the music for the Sean Penn-directed film “Into the Wild.”

King — who also wrote music for the film “August Rush” — said the nomination definitely raised her profile.

“Everyone knows who Eddie Vedder is, but for myself and Michael, (people might say), ‘Oh wow, who are these young artists’ and probably went and checked us out,” she said. “It’s really just kind of a nice feather in my cap.”

King, who also collaborated with the Foo Fighters on their Grammy-winning album “Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace,” said her new album helped challenge her as a musician.

“I’ve had to learn new techniques,” she said. “The thing about guitar is that you’re always learning no matter what, and you never stop learning. No one has ever mastered the guitar, because you change one little thing ... there’s always something totally new to learn.

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