King Kong to trample The House on June 1

DeKALB - King Kong is playing at 8 p.m. June 1 at The House Cafe, 263 E. Lincoln Highway. Tickets are $7. Ethan Buckler of King Kong is famous for being the original bassist of Slint who went on to a less serious variety of music. Buckler has outdone himself with a more mature, classic rock driven record with longtime bassist Willy Maclean and the debut of Louisville veteran Peter Townsend on drums. Audiences will hear more traditional King Kong songs that reconnect with its punkish outrage. In 1988, Louisville youth and punk-rocker Buckler wrote an essay for his friends about how King Kong represented his philosophy of life; he also decided to call his new band King Kong. The band's debut release was the “Movie Star” 7-inch single in 1989, and the first album was “The Old Man on the Bridge.” In 1993, the concept album “Funny Farm” started a new era and was the first King Kong record on the Drag City label. It was followed by a rock opera, “Me Hungry,” the story of love between a caveman and a yak. The parts were sung by Buckler and Amy Partin Ritchie, whose singing has been a part of King Kong since 1993. Following “Me Hungry, Buckler refocused King Kong's vision to one song at a time, which made for an album full of great songs with no particular theme. “Kingdom of Kong” was released in 1998, and the band toured Europe that year as well. In the new millennium, Buckler formed a newer, smaller Kong with the addition of a computer. For “The Big Bang,” he dreamed up a new concept of a spaceman on a feverish trip to Planet Kong. The new album “Buncha Beans” is a return to classic King Kong sound - guitar, bass and drums, with keyboards and female vocals. “Buncha Beans” already has been hailed as “crazy good” by the Louisville Courier Journal. More information is available at (815) 787-9547 or www.thehousecafe.net.