Oswego Native Releases Debut Rock Album, Plans Local Shows

OSWEGO, IL — Courtney King grew up in Oswego before enlisting in the Air Force, touring in bands and living across the world as an Air Force wife. Now, King is channeling that experience — plus her years playing guitar and flute — into her debut album.

King has released her first ever solo album "Feel Good Swiller," an alt-rock album that features her guitar and flute chops front-and-center. King has played in touring bands, including in the Air Force, for years. "Feel Good Swiller" shows playing skill honed over years while also displaying her talent for song writing.

The album is available now, and King will play songs from the record at a local show on Saturday, Nov. 9 at Tavern on LaGrange in Countryside.

King grew up in Oswego and attended DePaul University in Chicago, studying flute. She and her husband, Gene King, in 2001 auditioned for the Air Force Band of Flight in Dayton, OH, and they both were accepted.

That meant becoming an active service member, going through basic training and playing for presidents and other dignitaries.

“I attended basic military training and learned to shoot an M-16 – just so I
could play music for a living," King said in a press release. "That’s how much I love music.”

After having a child, King decided not to re-enlist in the Air Force. Her husband stayed in the military. The family was transferred to a number of different cities, including St. Louis, where King joined the band Slow Down Scarlett, which toured the Midwest.

When the family moved to an Air Force base in Germany, King started working as a solo artist.

“I had journals and things that I wrote to keep myself creating during a time when I was feeling quite isolated," King said. "Being pulled out of the busy existence and set down in the middle of a German village surrounded by green hills and the smell of cows, I got to work making music in my basement.”

Those sessions helped produce the songs on "Feel Good Swiller." Songs reflect the longing and isolation of living in another country. The album is "about making a choice to take charge," King said.

To listen to or buy the album, click here.