MOLLIE KING- singer, guitarist, songwriter. Moving from Fairyland on top of Lookout Mountain, Georgia to New York at seventeen, she was the singer and lyricist for many different bands back in the day on the Lower East Side, including the jazz/hip-hop/metal of Kingstone and was the first lead singer in the psych/blues/improv of the Elliot Sharp band-Terraplane. She also sang and recorded with the heavy rock band- Ten Ton Gusto, led by Claudius King. The lead guitarist for Kingstone and Ten Ton was Huey Morgan who went on to front-The Fun Lovin' Criminals. After four years in NYC, Mollie left for Europe- played at festivals, made her first solo record in Hamburg, sang a duet with Reverend Al Green at the Royal Festival Hall in London and performed on live radio in Prague. At the free town of Christiania in Copenhagen, Mollie met a circus-Arkaos-punk band from London called the Thunderdogs and joined their European tour. After returning to the States, she continued to travel, living and playing in Austin, Seattle, Hawaii, San Francisco and Los Angeles. For two years she was a vocalist in the revolutionary group Freedom Tribe. Mollie performed at Native American and Tibetan benefit concerts, including a performance at the 1998 Sundance film festival at a party for the opening of the award winning film "Smoke Signals." While in Los Angeles, she did backing vocals on two songs for the classic Lysa Flores debut album "Tree of Hope." The drummer of Lysa's band is the legendary DJ Bonebrake of X. Mollie was transformed into a cartoon on MTV for "Project Incognito" by genius animator Bob Sabiston of the Richard Linklater films "Waking Life" & "Scanner Darkly." She also belly danced in Ben Harper's video "Faded." For the last ten years, Mollie has collaborated with the fashion phenomenon, Elisa Jimenez and the HungerWorld. Modeling and orchestrating the music for her NYC fashion week performances, two shows in Los Angeles and one in Austin during SXSW 2007. Mollie played an hour long live solo radio show on WBAI 99.5FM NYC. She was the central character of a documentary film about NYC women in rock called "Fireflies." Mollie made another art & music movie called "Afternoon at the Lotus Palace," filmed at the Chelsea Hotel where she wrote most of the songs for the first band album. Mollie produced the 11 track LOTUS 33 debut CD "Song of the Cyclone," including the fantastic playing of lead guitarist- Henry Gutierrez, drummer-Hector Becerra and bassist- Brett Bass. Mollie also released a 5 song solo CD "Seed." LOTUS 33 was awarded "Band of the Year 2003" by NYC magazine Talent In Motion. Henry and Mollie played in Union Square Park for the Not In Our Name Rally Against the Death Penalty. In 2004, they performed together in Scotland at a castle for the fairytale Wallace wedding and at clubs in England and Spain. NYC-performances at Joe's Pub, Mercury Lounge, The Delancey, CBGB's & CBGB Gallery, Piano's, Brownie's, Sine, Rothko, Tonic, Makor, Arlene Grocery, The Knitting Factory, Lit, Fez, Fontana's, The National Underground, Public Assembly and also a sold out night at the legendary Antone's in Austin, TX. The end of LOTUS 33 became a new band- STARCHILD. The electric explosion of Henry Gutierrez and his mind-blowing music. Mollie sang back-up/duets & lead on the songs that she wrote and contributed to the project. STARCHILD performed at ABC Studios for a Grammy Party celebrating Native American Music and their show was broadcast live on the Jumbotron overlooking Times Square. STARCHILD returned to NYC in '05 & '06 to play packed shows at LIT- with mod-rockstars HEADQUARTERS, CBGB's - made a live record, and at The Delancey- to our surprise, opening for Norah Jones's mystery incognito glam punk band- El MAD MO. In Sept.'06 MK & STARCHILD played ACL Festival after-parties in Austin & toured the South. In March '06, '07 & '08, MK & STARCHILD played SXSW in Austin. STARCHILD released a 7 song debut CD. Henry is now a one man monster funk band- Henry and the Invisibles. Mollie is a solo acoustic artist now and will be recording her new record in NYC, Spring 2011.
RECENT MUSICAL ADVENTURES-
Oct. '08 MK performs as the Lady Echo in an Elisa Jimenez & the Hungerworld Fantasy Rock Opera exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tuscon, AZ sponsored by the Andy Warhol Foundation.
Dec. '08- The Starchild song "After All" was remixed and released by The Future Sound of London on the double CD compilation "A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble." The U.K. press shout out "the best psych music compilation ever released!" It also includes songs by Donovan, Miles Davis, Hawkwind, Tim Buckley, Devandra Banhart & Mahavishnu Orchestra. Liam Gallagher of Oasis chose "After All" as the song for the video of the launch party of his new clothing line- Pretty Green in London. Feb. '09- MK performed three sets at the Mystic Garden Party Festival in Maui, Hawaii. A sold out, four day event. She also performed in a reunion with Freedom Tribe.
March '09- MK plays two hour solo acoustic live from Maui radio show, that is broadcast internationally. June '09- MK played a solo set the opening night of the Riverbend Festival in her hometown of Chattanooga,Tennessee. Later on that night Willie Nelson played! September '09 MK toured Europe, playing in Switzerland, Austria and Denmark. Her show in Vienna was filmed and she was interviewed for the new music Documentary by Katharina Cibulka. She also ran around in the woods with a pack big black wolves. Spring 2010, MK plays a three month Sunday night residency at the new Knitting Factory NYC. Summer 2010, she plays two shows on the deck of the historic Delta Queen Riverboat and also an outdoor 4th of July Festival in Chattanooga, TN. Fall 2010- MK performs with Nicole Atkins and David Pattillo at a musical memorial and tribute to her dear friend Zach Arrias at Pianos NYC. Winter 2010-2011 she returns to the South to play more shows in Tennessee plus two weeks of music, performing solo shows and in bands with old friends in Austin & San Antonio, Texas.
"Songs that go deep, sung in a voice that strokes the soul"-Frederick Geobold WBAI 99.5 FM NYC
