Louisville rock-reggae band King Kong has not released an album in nearly 14 years. Yet, the band somehow made their way into the spotlight on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on March 8th.
King Kong is a project founded by Ethan Buckler, who was also the bassist for fellow Louisville post-rock outfit Slint. The group made their way onto The Tonight Show when they were featured on Fallon’s reoccurring segment “Do Not Play List,” in which he highlights “real songs from the bands that [he] think[s] you should avoid.”
However, when the title track from King Kong’s debut album, Old Man on the Bridge, began playing, Fallon and The Roots reacted differently than the segment’s title alludes they may.
“This one’s growing on me. It’s kind of a jam,” Fallon said as he bopped along to the reggae and skat-driven tune.
After the segment aired on Monday night, Dave Pajo, who was also a member of both King Kong and Slint, took to Instagram to respond. “Old Man on the Bridge came out (pretty much) thirty years ago. I played congas on this song and drew the cover art,” Pajo wrote. “I like these little glimmers from our growing up being noticed, decades later!”
A great cache of underground post-rock bands has made their mark on the Kentucky music scene, many going unnoticed. Some recognition, even if it was somewhat backhanded, for this era of music is very refreshing.
Watch the segment from The Tonight Show below, with the King Kong appearance beginning at the 5:41 mark.
