King Pari is like potato chips, popsicles, velcro, slinkies — joyful inventions born from happy accidents. Joe Paris Christensen and Cameron Kinghorn had been playing in the same Twin Cities scenes for years, but when Joe sent Cameron a new tune he’d whipped up on a tape machine, something clicked. “This sounds like how my brain feels,” Cameron said. That session grew into the first King Pari song.
The band’s Minneapolis funk pedigree anchors their music. Both Joe and Cameron played alongside some of Prince’s closest associates, and Joe’s previous band was among the last that Prince personally invited to play at Paisley Park. They’ve also been tapped into the national funk and jazz scenes from the beginning – King Pari’s first gig was opening for Kamasi Washington, before they’d even landed on a name.
Having moved to Los Angeles and signed with Stones Throw, King Pari is starting a new chapter. On their latest song “Wait A Minute” – written in response to anxieties and emotions related to the 2020 Minneapolis uprising for George Floyd – Cameron sings “Broke and breakin’ / Don’t know if we’re gonna make it / It’s so hard to take it / But what else are you gonna do?” While the song’s subject matter is serious, the music video reveals King Pari’s freewheeling sense of fun, with Cameron and Joe playing spacemen trapped in a strange dance.
“Wait a Minute” is out now on all streaming platforms and limited 7-inch single. Look out for more from King Pari very soon.