Sunday, June 27, 1999 | 4:35 a.m.
First published September 2, 1998.
Chris King looks at the crowd gathered at a local coffeehouse and waits for the applause to subside. He and the King Cartel have just finished a playing a European blues tune, infusing it with an eclectic groove-rockabilly spice that rolls menacingly underneath lyrics King sings in French.
"Thanks for coming out tonight. And I wanna thank Cafi Copioh for letting us have the show! Wait...Uh, where are we? Espresso Roma! I mean Espresso Roma...Shit! Management, I apologize."
Such are the antics at a King Cartel show--a show that always changes, evolving each night right alongside the group's still-developing musical style. Made up of Jampot Records founder Don Hartley on drums, percussion and saxophone; Mark Sjafi on string bass and King on vocals, harmonica, trumpet and guitars; Chris King and the King Cartel are quickly becoming one of Las Vegas's most popular bands.
Word is spreading fast about both the musical chemistry between the three and the strength of King's songwriting--he was voted 1997 Solo Artist of the Year by Las Vegas Weekly readers and is the main songwriter in the group. He's complemented perfectly by the personalities and musicianship of Hartley and Sjafi who, aside from their instruments, add essential character to the band's presence and sound--a sound they're taking plenty of time to develop, holding off on recording until they're satisfied with the blend. This is an interesting attitude in a town where every musician seems to want to rush to get signed and record, often before they're ready and sometimes to their detriment.
"We just wanna wait a little bit," says King. "We've been together three months--we're still a new band, and we've been throwing these new and exciting ideas out on the table that we like, and they're gonna take a little time to implement. Like infusing some electronic beats and drum rhythms, some synths to the tracks and horns and effects and stuff like that but doing it in a way that it's not too much; it's not overkill, you know? It's very raw right now, has a hard edge to it, yet it's still got some jazzy elements, blues and rock."
Those different elements are a central part of the band's appeal. There is no typical "King Cartel Sound" as of yet--the guys might, for instance, do a song that begins with King and Hartley on horns, playing lines or mood textures. They may follow that with a rockabilly jam, highlighted and driven by Sjafi's bass, or instead dive into a sexy funk groove, in which King "scratches" the strings of his guitar, playing it like a turntable. They may churn out a biting guitar-based rock tune, or instead play a radio-friendly introspective number--or even opt for a jazz standard such as "My Funny Valentine."
Some of this musical variety can be attributed to King and his early musical experiences. As the son of jazz singer Sonny King--who was prominent in Las Vegas lounges and showrooms during the Rat Pack era--he spent his childhood on the road, singing backup in his father's band. His mother, now deceased, was a showgirl in Les Folies Bergere, and his godfather was the legendary Dean Martin.
"It was second nature to me," says King. "Being on the road and meeting all those stars, being on stage with my dad and seeing tuxedos and dirt on the carpet floor and the saxophone behind me and the piano and stand-up bass--I just felt at home."
He spent his high school years in France, staying with his mother's family. Upon his return, he was unsure of his direction. "I went through a period where I hated what my dad did, and I didn't want to go into show business, so I joined the military," explains 25-year-old King. "Eventually, though--well, it's in my blood."
After the military, King returned to Europe, traveling for a year and busking in subways and on street corners.
"I made $20 or $30 a day, but I was writing a lot. All I did was write songs and sit around and play all day, so after about six months my songwriting got really good because I consistently worked at it. Now I have the voice and guitar to bring my own songs out--the challenge is arranging around it."
Thus began the search for the future members of King Cartel. "It wasn't about chops or finding great musicians," says King. "I mean, they are great musicians, but it was more about finding soulmates."
That he found the chemistry he was looking for is plainly evident at King Cartel shows, where musical diversity serves as a springboard for King's evocative and quirky songwriting.
"I write about the soul, about the personal endeavors that we pursue everyday," explains King. "I don't write about love too much, just about people and the problems we have."
And politics?
"No politics--politics you can see on TV," says King. "See, folk singers of the past were like news anchor people in a way. They came from different parts of the country, and they'd go around and sing about problems in, say, the South--different problems of this and that. And it was an interesting way to hear a culture. Now everything's on CNN, so it's like--what is music about now? The most important music in the world has a message. It's about the last frontier: the human mind, the soul.
"Mostly I write about things that I feel when I talk with other people, things that seem mutual--like a worldwide feeling. I remember going to Europe, and I had a girlfriend there. And it was interesting because we're from different cultures, but I realized that people are the same everywhere...I thought, this is important for writing songs--because I'm from Las Vegas and I wanna write folk music, but not in the folk vein--not like Dylan, but I wanna write music from our town, what this town is about, where I live."
King, because of his background and experiences, may be in a unique position to do that. He may be the first native Las Vegas musician to attempt to codify the unique experience that is his hometown into a recognizable sound--one that aurally describes what people experience here physically and emotionally every day.
"When people listen to me, it's traditional," he says. "It's not a made-up joke. It's the true spirit of a person who lives in Las Vegas. I mean, it's the city of America--it encompasses everything, all the greatness and all the badness of America. And it's quick--you see people go down fast; you see the worst in man and the best in man. It's a great town for inspiration because there's a lot of shit going on here."
Dignified soul--indeed, an apt description for Chris King. The singer-songwriter knows that Las Vegas is considered by many to be the city of the future, and with the King Cartel, he's getting ready--ready to give Las Vegas a defining sound.
"I write pop songs," he explains. "Every song is like a different world, a different package. A pop song is like life--there's a beginning, middle and an end. I'm not a great guitar player, and there are a million better vocalists than me, but my vision is my concept. That's where the power is."
He considers for a moment. "It's my rhythm of life."
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