2/27/02

What follows was written quickly by somebody who isn't in the band so there's a lot missing and probably a bit of inaccuracy as well. Matthew is supposed to be working on a new version so we'll see if he ever gets that done.

Three-fourths of Kinski began playing together sometime in 1998, calling themselves Klauskinski for reasons that may or may not be obvious. By the end of the year, after dropping "Klaus" from the name, the band had started working on the debut album.

During 1999, a few Seattle area clubs allowed Kinski to degrade the hearing of concertgoers in opening slots for other local bands. In September, North By Northwest (RIP) lured them south for their second show in Portland. SpaceLaunch For Frenchie was completed and self-released to be sold at shows and in a few local record shops.

A second guitarist (Matthew) joined at the start of 2000, adding new twists to old songs and allowing for more experimentation on new ones. Many live shows followed, including appearances at CMJ's Changemusic Seattle, North By Northwest, and Terrastock 4. Their second album was recorded in the early part of the year. An east coast tour with Hovercraft and west coast tour with Silkworm gave them a chance to break in the new van and play to some new audiences. While in New York during the Hovercraft tour, they made an appearance at the annual CMJ conference. In September, a sold-out Crocodile Cafe saw the members of Voyager One join Kinski onstage to finish their set with a half hour of brilliant noise. An appearance at the Loveless Records' My Bloody Valentine covers night gave Kinski a chance to tear through Feed Me With Your Kiss and You Made Me Realise.

After playing much of the album at live dates throughout the previous year, Be Gentle With The Warm Turtle was released on Pacifico Records in the first part of 2001. Those who made it to the CD release show were treated to a blazing set and an encore of covers. An appearance on local station KCMU's "The Live Room" gave Seattle listeners an hour long performance, including a new improvisational piece. Sub Pop chose Kinski for their May singles club release, featuring two brand new songs. In June, Kinski took part in a fancy multimedia event in the Sky Church at Experience Music Project where they performed two improvisational sets with Climax Golden Twins.

Kinski hit the road in the Fall of '01 for a 5 week tour of the U.S. and then hit the sky for a two week tour of Japan. Once they returned home, it was time again to enter the studio and begin working on their third album. As in the past, they had been playing many of their new songs throughout the previous year and were anxious to get these songs on record. If the March issue of Alternative Press is any indication, Kinski should be a "band to watch" in 2002. Then again, they were pretty good last year too.

Want to know more? A nice interview with the band may be found at Fake Jazz. But the best way to find out more about them is to go to one of their shows or listen to one of their albums.

(here's a picture of the band)

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