[title subtitle=”words: Anita Paddock images: Jeremy Scott and courtesy Brandon King”][/title]
When Brandon King was a blond-haired boy of twelve, he spent a good deal of time at the Fort Smith Library. At the time, he liked philosophy books, and he liked to play the violin, a combination that seemed to say a lot about this bright young boy who loved learning. As his talent grew, he began to perform at library functions, playing both classical music and bluegrass.
Today, at the age of thirty, he has grown into a stellar musician. His blond hair has darkened to light brown, and curls fall over the forehead as he speaks. He smiles often, especially when he talks of performing. On stage, with his violin under his chin, and his bow in his hand, blistering the strings with energy and melodic bliss, he’ll mesmerize you with his talent.
Brandon has loved music since he was old enough to pick out tunes on his family’s piano. In the fifth grade, he joined Fort Smith’s Children’s Orchestra, and fell in love with the violin, due partially to the orchestra’s conductor, Chris Pinkston. “He was the best teacher I ever had,” Brandon says. “He was patient and kind, but yet, he pushed me at the same time.”
Later, Brandon was first chair violin in the Fort Smith Youth Symphony and played in a high school quartet that performed at functions throughout the city.
When he was in college in Conway, he began playing in a bluegrass band out of Fayetteville called Shady Groove. That’s when he and his audience began calling his violin a fiddle. “I nearly killed myself, driving back and forth from Conway to Fayetteville and back, but I just loved it. We had a great time playing at a lot of places in Fort Smith.”
Brandon’s played with several groups since his college days, and a year ago he joined a seven-member band called Foley’s Van, which formed in 2012 and is headquartered in Fayetteville. “We play what could be called Progressive Jamgrass. It’s a combination of Irish folk music, bluegrass, rock, and funk.” They have played at notable venues such as Bikes, Blues & BBQ; Wakarusa on Mulberry Mountain; and Harvest Fest on Mulberry Mountain. “Those are really big time shows with famous musicians playing around the clock. You wouldn’t believe the number of people who come. It’s really neat to play on a stage in front of all those people.”
He is such a natural on stage that he loses himself in the music and plays a lot of improvised tunes. In October of last year, while at Harvest Fest, the fervor of the foot-stomping music took over and he jumped off the stage and onto the shoulders of a gorilla-costumed fan. “That was so cool. I didn’t really think about what I was doing; I continued jamming all the time I was on his shoulders.”
Brandon laughs when he tells the story, and he is beaming. It was the kind of performance he would have never imagined when he was a young boy just learning the basics of the violin.
Having fun while playing great music has helped Foley’s Van grow in popularity. Certain fans come to every performance. Brandon smiles and shakes his head, as if to say he can’t believe their good fortune. “One guy comes from Texas to each and every performance. I guess that’s why we keep doing what we’re doing. Our fans make us want to get up on the stage and entertain them.”
The band has gotten so popular, they’ve hired a production firm, Blisterfoot Productions, to handle their bookings. This one decision has helped them stay on track, working on new songs and developing their sound, instead of spending time scheduling places to play and working out the logistics. This month they’re on the road, going from New Orleans through the Southeast and ending up in Memphis.
There’s a lot of work that goes into being on tour, and part of that is figuring out what makes an audience happy. He thinks he’s ahead of the game because not only is he in Foley’s Van, he also works backstage at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, as much as he can. There he studies how “Broadway show folks” do things. “Since this is probably what I’ll be doing for a long time, I want to keep learning and getting better. That’s why we all like to watch other performers.”
And while he learns from big artists who travel through our area, a great deal of his support comes from his family. Brandon’s mom and dad live out in the country near Huntington, not far from Fort Smith, and they are so proud of their son. His grandmother, Louellen King, still lives in Fort Smith. “She’s my biggest fan. Her favorite song is ‘Orange Blossom Special.’ Always has been. If she’s in the audience, it will always be on my list of songs to play.”
It may be surprising to learn that Brandon doesn’t come from a musical family. “I’m the only one,” he says. What he does know is that when he was a little boy, he liked how each key on the piano sounded. He listened to the music on children’s television shows and duplicated the tunes on the piano. He loved taking violin lessons from a kind and patient teacher. He loved performing with the Youth Symphony, and when he grew up he loved entertaining people who seemed to love how he played the fiddle.
It may be equally important to note how much he loved books and the buildings that housed them. “I always loved libraries. Now that I live in Fayetteville, I go to the Fayetteville Public Library nearly every day. It’s an awesome place. All libraries are awesome.”
He smiles again, thinking back on those good times. He bundles up, ready to go outside, eager to finish up plans for the tour that will take him to New Orleans and Memphis, where people he’s never met will hear him play, and the band he’s so proud to be a part of will perform in places they’ve not yet seen. It’s going to be a good year, he predicts, and it’s impossible to see it any other way, for this fiddle player who grew up in Fort Smith.
To hear Foley’s Van’s music and see their concert schedule, find them on Facebook or reverbnation.com/foleysvan.