The following is an interview by Lokal Loudness, a local music alliance in Augusta, GA.

When Jessica King sings she sings from the soul. At an age when most gals are consumed with shopping and getting ready for their learners permit King was already a fixture on the Atlanta music scene. A tryout for Lilith Fair and a relocation later this singer-songwriter is belting out for Augusta music fans.

LL-For those unfamiliar with Jessica King how about a history lesson.

JK – Born in a small, farm town in southwest Georgia. Started playing piano at age 2 and got really bored with that at 12. Found a guitar at age 12 and just started playing. Began playing “professionally” at 15 and was touring the Atlanta scene before I could even drive myself to gigs. Took a detour to Hollins University for 4 years to do the college thing, and then came here to Augusta. Music is in my core and always has been. I discovered in college that computer programming was also hiding in there – handy since music doesn’t pay very well.

LL-I was reading on your website about tryouts that you performed at for Lilith Fair. How did that come about?

JK – [laughs] Lots of memories with that one… I was a finalist out of about 20k submissions for the Atlanta shows. It was a really fun experience, and I ended up being selected as the runner up. There were 2 winners since there were 2 shows in Atlanta. The winners got to play at Lilith Fair and hang out backstage with all of the major artists. The runner up got some lawn tickets and a t-shirt. Nice, right? It was awesome though. I learned a lot through that experience, especially about a certain lead singer of a certain winning band.

LL-So how was that whole experience? What was the vibe like with the other performers?

JK – Oh, so you want the juicy details? [laughs] Well, most of the artists were great and there was great sense of camaraderie there. Some of the other artists weren’t so friendly, but that’s life. I was a true fan of Soul Miner’s Daughter (Jennifer Nettles and Cory Jones), one of the two winning bands. When we were up on stage (the winners & runner-up), we were all congratulating each other. Well, not everyone; instead of congratulating me, Jennifer thanked me for coming to see her show. wow.

LL-So you released a CD entitled Tequila Mockingbird a while back. Any particular meaning behind the title?

JK – Not really. I mean, maybe, somewhere? But really, it was just hard to come up with a title to sum everything up. When that happens, you just pull something out of the air. That particular title wasn’t even my idea.

LL-How do you feel you have changed between that CD release and now?

JK – Wow. There are probably 20 albums worth of material to write about between then and now. I was in a totally different place then. Since that release, I’ve done a lot and gone through a lot…I could probably write a whole album just about college. [laughs]

LL-Now I know many, including myself, have been asking when you’re gonna release another CD. Any hope for that happening anytime soon?

JK – I know, I know. I need to get something put together. I’m thinking I may do a live album, actually. I absolutely love performing live, and audiences are so much more fun and interesting to look at than a sound engineer. So, yeah, I’ll get to work on that.

LL-So it seems like you’ve had many bright musical moments the past few years. Anything stand out as the top moment of them all?

JK – That’s a hard one. A big one for me was winning an open mic night at Eddie’s Attic in Atlanta. Eddie’s is legendary, and getting to come back with my name (albeit with 2 others) on the bill was awesome. Performing is such an integral part of who I am, though, that every performance is important to me. I love it!!

LL-Some folks have also noticed that in addition to your originals you play a pleasantly untypical mix of covers. Any reason why those particular songs?

JK – I play solo, acoustic, pop/folk/rock. I’ll admit – it can be boring at times. I like to shake things up and play some things you might not expect, like Gnarls Barkley, Bon Jovi, or Michael Jackson. I think you can take any good song and make it your own – play it in your own style. I have a Janet Jackson cover on my cd, actually. Its really fun for me, challenging, and people seem to enjoy it.

LL-Any of those artists direct influences on Jessica King?

JK – I have so many influences it’s crazy. Around my house growing up, I heard everything from Allman Brothers to Mary Chapin Carpenter to Fats Domino. I think my early influences were the most important – some rock combined with some country with a little blues thrown in. Other artists like Shawn Colvin and Mike Doughty have made big impressions as well, but the core of my sound has stayed true to those roots.

LL-As we head into the close of 2007, what can we expect from Jessica King in 2008?

JK – Dude, I don’t even know what to expect. Life flies by so fast, I’m just looking forward to enjoying it. What am I expecting? Lots of fun, some surprises, and hopefully more live shows. I’ll see what I can do about recording some things as well.

LL-Thanks so much for taking the time to answer these questions!

JK – No problem! Stop by jessicaking.com to get the latest updates and to find out where I’m playing next or just what I’m up to. Yikes – that sounded like a commercial. Sorry about that.