Christone "Kingfish" Ingram Premieres First Video At RollingStone.com
CHRISTONE "KINGFISH" INGRAM RELEASES VIDEO FOR OUTSIDE OF THIS TOWN
DEBUT ALBUM, KINGFISH, SET FOR MAY 17 RELEASE
RollingStone.com Premieres Video On May 16
Stop-Motion Video Created and Directed By Lyndon Barrois
Shot With One-Inch Miniatures Handmade From Gum Wrappers
Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, the 20-year-old blues guitar prodigy from Clarksdale, Mississippi, has today released his first video for the radio single, Outside Of This Town. His highly-anticipated debut CD, Kingfish, will be released on Alligat or Records on May 17.
RollingStone.com is premiering the video here.
NPR Music's First Listen is hosting a full album stream (until release date) here.
The video -- shot and edited using iPhones -- was created and directed by acclaimed visual artist and animator Lyndon Barrois (The Matrix Revolutions, The Matrix Reloaded, The PJs). For the video, Barrois created one-inch miniature sculptures handmade from chewing gum wrappers -- a medium he's worked with since age 10 -- and filmed using stop-motion animation, where the video is shot one frame at a time.
The Outside Of This Town video tells the story of miniature Kingfish living inside of a guitar at a music store and dreaming of one day taking his music all across the globe. Barrois mixes the gum wrapper miniatures with real world objects, drawing the viewer deep into this imaginary, complex universe. The short film took Barrois over six months to complete, and is the first music video he's created in over 20 years. "Kingfish operates at genius level," Barrois says."Offstage he's a sweet 20-year-old kid. Onstage he's much older. He channels the music."
Sprung from the same earth as so many of the Delta blues masters, Kingfish comes bursting out of Clarksdale, Mississippi, just ten miles from the legendary crossroads of Highways 61 and 49. A student of the Delta’s musical history, he is acutely aware of the musicians and the music that emerged from his corner of the world. “I do think I have an old soul, that I’ve been here before,” he says. “I’m moving forward with one foot in the past. You don’t see too many kids into blues music. In my town, every kid wants to be a rapper – I wanted to do something no one else was d oing.” And although he grew up near the crossroads where Robert Johnson allegedly cut a deal with the devil, Kingfish insists he didn’t do any of that to make his guitar howl the blues. “I just practice all the time,” he says, “that’s the only deal I made, and it’s with myself."
Funk music superstar Bootsy Collins began sharing Kingfish’s YouTube videos online (some with millions of views each), telling his followers, “this is how a child can influence others.” Rapper The Game did the same. Christone’s appeal beyond blues was immediate. He appeared on The Rachael Ray Show as well as The Steve Harvey Show. He was cast in season two of the Netflix program Luke Cage after the series lead producer saw one of his videos. Two of his cover songs appear on the show’s soundtrack album, which introduced him to a young audience. Kingfish also performed in an NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert with rap legend Rakim, who also appeared in Luke Cage.
Kingfish was produced by two-time Grammy winner Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, Susan Tedeschi, Joe Louis Walker, George Thorogood). It showcases Ingram’s blistering, raw and inspired guitar playing, soulful, deep vocals and memorable songwriting. He co-wrote eight of the album’s twelve tracks. Kingfish will be performing at festivals and headlining his own shows thi s summer as well as opening select dates for Vampire Weekend. Blues legend Buddy Guy says, "Kingfish is the next explosion of the blues."
