This is the first series of a periodic feature showcasing local musicians who are rising, and may be headed for bigger and better things. They perform locally on a regular basis in Buffalo, and are some of our best cultural assets. These are our “must see” musicians… catch them while you can. – Elías Damián Benavídes
Savannah King
The first time I met Savannah was at a club in Niagara Falls earlier this year, I was part of the production team. She was out in the audience, in support of one of her friend’s band. My first impression upon introduction was she’s kinda got this Stevie Nicks thing going on, and there’s a nice buzz about her going on too. A few weeks later, we had the opportunity to work together at a show. My thoughts were, “This was better than advertised…”
I caught up with Savannah King last night at Central Park Grill. The 20 year old singer/songwriter was performing on a bill featuring Davey O, Jacob Peter, and Evan Laedke called 4Buffalo Music Acoustic Jam. After an hour long performance which featured several originals and some covers spanning from Katy Perry to Black Sabbath, we chatted about her road to professional musicianship, to plans on the horizon.
Savannah grew up in Wilson, NY, and was first introduced to music at age 4. Mom was a singer, and dad a bass player. She took piano lessons at 4 years old, then on to violin. “I found a guitar at home one day that belonged to my mom, and I started playing it”, she tells me. Joni Mitchell was a huge influence. “At a very young age, my mom always had Joni Mitchell, Aretha Franklin, James Taylor playing. My dad is also a huge music fan, playing everything from Prince, to Jimi Hendrix, everything”, she says.
Savannah started attending open mics at Nietzsche’s at 14 or 15. Michael Meldrum got her started with her first gig. He was doing a Songwriters series at Babeville and included her. This led to her first EP called Throwing Stones. She was 16 upon its release. This recording was followed up by She Sends Her Love.
A tour followed in 2013 which took her through Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and eastern New York. During that tour, Savannah put together an internet collection of videos called The Alphabet Project. Basically, a video was released every Sunday with a song for every letter in the alphabet. It was a creative way to showcase cover music along with her original works. It also gave her the opportunity to work with other musicians.
Recently Savannah became a part of the Northeastern Regional Folk Alliance. There, she became familiar with the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas, signed up, and made it to the final 32 of over 800 entrants. Nice feather in the hat…
Her new EP just came out this week, and it’s called The Acoustic Collection, and a tour is scheduled for this September. She has a tremendous passion for playing and performing. “I want to sustain this as a career. I love writing music. I love performing music, it’s an art form unto itself.”
Savannah will be performing today (Saturday) at Kleinhans Music Hall as part of the Garden Walk Folk Fest between 4 and 6:30 pm (see more). Her work ethic and attitude complement her talents quite nicely. Working hard and staying humble are her keys to success. Bring that Stevie Nicks vibe with you.
Follow Savannah at www.savannahkingmusic.com
Also see backstage with Zuri Appleby