Up Close and Personal with Little Vicious’ Marguerite Von King

by Avalon Clare

“I never wanna be bored. Ever.”

Marguerite Von King is leaning across the table at The Whisk(ey) on a Tuesday. Her band, Little Vicious, is playing that night at the bar’s weekly punk/metal show. Better known by her chosen nickname “Daisy,” Von King stands out like a peacock feather in a down comforter. Her bright turquoise hair spills out from under her floppy hat and her eyes are anime caliber big.

It’s obvious that she’s different, and even with her feminine hat she’s definitely punk. Manic energy bubbles out of her every time she talks. As a child, a slight speech impediment made pronouncing her birth name more difficult than it was worth, so she began crafting her own personas. “Marguerite is the Spanish word for daisy, so I loved pairing such a sweet name with the whiskey drinking, cigarette smoking, music-pirate that I am.”

Raised in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Daisy moved to Colorado two years ago. If being raised in a town with a rich music history didn’t ensure her a life in music, her huge Irish family confirmed it. Their holidays spent outside of Boston were filled with song.

As a young Irish Catholic not yet saved by punk, church was a drag. Her mother gave her an ultimatum: sit still in the pews or join the choir, and she chose the latter. Her formal music education formed a foundation that she still relies on today. As a multi-instrumentalist, Daisy factors in drum parts as well as bass, guitar, and her voice when she writes her songs. As far as lyrics are concerned, she says different words until the right ones stick.

Clearly influenced by the greats, Daisy’s favorite album of all time is Led Zeppelin II. “There’s no one else that sounds like Robert Plant,” she said, in awe of those singers whose voices are unmistakably theirs. However, she has the utmost respect for all true performers, whether she likes their music or not. As a teen she recalled watching a Foo Fighters concert DVD with her dad, and as Dave Grohl thrashed about onstage like a maniac she said, “I wanna do that.”

When she steps onto the stage at The Whisk(ey) later that night, her persona comes crisply into focus. It’s not just her looks that are powerful, but her voice. She howls with a precise ferocity that marks her as a force to be reckoned with. At just 23 years old, the timbre of her voice has a grit to it that is uncommon. Standing at 6’1”, there isn’t much that is common about her.

The formation of Little Vicious with drummer Eric Pierce and bassist Brian Miller was organic and easy. “It’s the perfect band,” she said, adding that their connection allowed them to write music together immediately. As for the name, it came about just like their music: with ease, and fueled by alcohol in a garage. ”Like we’ve been doing with our music, when you’ve got something good, don’t throw something in there just to muck it up in an attempt to look cool. Odds are, you’ve already got the perfect idea in your head. You just gotta remember to let it out once in awhile.”