King Kong

The rock band King Kong was formed in Louisville, Kentucky, in early 1989 by Ethan Buckler, the original bassist in the band Slint. The core trio for many years was made up of Buckler, Willie McClean (bass), and Ray Rizzo (drums). Over the course of its existence King Kong has been joined by Todd Hildreth (keys), Suki Anderson (add'l vocals), Amy Greenwood (add'l vocals), Andy Hurt (percussion), and Dave Pajo (drums). There are many others too numerous to list although a page which contains a list of the rotating cast of contributors can be found on the website: www.kingkongtheband.com.

King Kong's magnum opus was its third full-length effort, Me Hungry. A fully-conceived rhythm-and-blues opera concept album, the work tracks the crossing tales of a cave man and a yak as they navigate the onset of the ice age: their situation is complicated by a sabre-toothed tiger and a cave woman. The work's theme of the development of the use of tools and its impact upon human evolution echos themes explored in films such as Quest for Fire, the first act of 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Caveman.

After a four-year hiatus King Kong returned with "The Big Bang," another in a long line of concept albums. This one was concerned with space travel although an underlying theme of sexual intercourse could be deduced.

Drag City released "Buncha Beans" in March 2007.