Videos from Purgatory: King's X at Woodstock

Following up on my recent article on the documentary Electric Purgatory which explores the difficulties of Black Artists who dare to defy conventional wisdom and genre-restrictions by playing Rock and Alternative Music I will now be posting Videos of some of these artists both to highlight their talent and to counter those who would claim the only reason for their lack of greater noteriety and success is because they someone fail to "Measure Up".

First : King's X from Woodstock '94, Fifteen Years ago with a Cover of Jimi Hendrix Manic Depression between performances by Sheryl Crow and Blues Traveler.



This is a band I've actually following and personally known since before this video was shoot - I met this guys in Sacramento after a performance at the Boardwalk in Orangevale, my first time there, while they made a stop during the Gathering of the Tribes Tour, which also featured Fishbone and Primus.

Fans on the GOTT tour hadn't been treating the band well, I specifically recall lead singer dUg Pinnick calling out in comment to one guy who was very obviously reading a newspaper during their performance. In response the guy made a big show of turning the pages and continuing to ignore them.

At the Boardwalk it was different, it was swelteringly hot - somewhere around 120 degrees that Summer - and incredibly humid. The club was packed literally to the gills making the entire place one big Mosh, and the band was totally energized to have a crowd so INTO what it was they do - and believe me they were.

To. This. Very. DAY. I don't think I've had and seen a more intense - near religious - musical experience. It was frankly Amazing.

After the show we met the band in the parking lot next to the trailer park and they talked with all the fans for hours and hours... totally enjoying everyones company. They were cool, smart, funny, completely unpretensious and fantastic musicians.

I've considered them friends of mine ever since. A couple years later, in 1992, during their next tour we had one friend of our fly out from England to L.A. to join us (me, my wife and step-son) following the band on as many of their tour stops as possible - we did four of them. L.A., Fresno, San Francisco and Denver. It got to the point where their Bus Driver knew who we were, and at one stop where we had planned to drive all night long the band - actually dUg - offered to let the four of us stay in his hotel room, while they slept on the bus since they only rented the rooms to take a shower after the gig. So we did, then followed them on the next town to another great show. When we arrived the venue said it wouldn't honor our tickets - because the show had moved from another location at the last minute - and that we'd have to fix it at "The point of sale".

Well, that was 200 Freaking Miles Away - we'd pretty much miss the whole show driving their and back.

The band stood up for us, first Ty the Guitarist, then Dug, and then finally their Road Manger Jay Feebus said something to the club owner that completely chilled his shit - and got us into the gig. That's why I say these guys are my friends, because they've proven they are.

THAT is who King's X is - don't forget it.

Vyan