KID STUFF
NEWS, GOSSIP, PHILOSOPHY AND UNDERWEAR FROM KID CONGO POWERS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2005

THANKS FOR COMING OUT TO TONIC NYC

Thanks to everyone who came out to the show Sunday at Tonic, in NYC . It was a great night. We played 2 sets , the first one easy and sleazy and the second one harder and faster. In the middle was a hysterical rockin set by Rob Kay and The Workdogs. Was good to see lots of friends, Larry from INTHERED , Chris Campion in from his new home of Berlin, Piggy Paul, Bob "BB GUN" Bert, Ron Ward from Speedball Baby, Kelly and the crew from The Poconos, and many others. Oh yeah, amazing pineapple treats made by Sue P.! YUM! A great night, even if the soundman fell asleep! He was tired... Luckily we were joined by Little Annie (Legally Jammin, On-u-Sound, and Crass) for "The Weather The War" . Below are some pics taken by our friend Danny Hole check his site at http://dannyhole.blogspot.com/

Posted at 07:12 PM

THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2005

SHOW JULY 3 AT TONIC NYC

TONIC is at 107 Norfolk Street between Rivington and Delancy St. in the Lower East Side. check out www.tonicnyc.com for finer details.
WE have another live show at TONIC on Sunday July 3, for NYC folks... Glad to be sharing the bill with the legendary Rob Kay and THE WORKDOGS. www.workdogs.net. See you there. more news soon.
Here is a new Pick of us by Tim Soter

Posted at 01:25 PM

THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2005

JUNE IN JUNE

What a busy month I just had, since the end of May. Our shows were really fun and thanks to all who came out, especially The Mercury Lounge show with Autodrone and the fantastic El Radio Fantastic from New Orleans.
In the last month I also did some recording with Little Annie and Christian Jendreiko , who was here with his art collective, The Hobbypop Museum, for the new Legally Jammin album. For those of you that don't know, Little Annie and the Legally Jammin are Annie, Christian and my techno brother Khan, and their first album on Itallic Records is a masterpiece of dub techno poetry disco weirdness that is so intoxicating and... amazing! Not just becausedi know them! The new stuff we recorded in my studio, The Chocolate Factory, in Bed Sty, Brooklyn, which give a certain flavor to the rest that was recorded in Berlin! Talk about cross-cultural. I have no idea when it will come out or anything like that, but i WILL let you know when i find out.

WHAT I DO KNOW is that "Philosophy and Underwear" by KId Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds will be out in September 2005 on Trans Solar records. We just finished the artwork which is very sexy. wait till you see it! The next KC & the PMB show is July 3 in New York City, with Rob Kay and The Workdogs at Tonic. check www.kidcongopowers.com for details. It is sure to be a fun rockin night.
thats it for now but i will post a picture of the band taken by our friend Yoshi backstage at the Mercury Lounge..... more soon.

keep safe KID

Posted at 11:40 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2005

NYC SHOW 5/15/05

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
KID CONGO AND THE PINK MONKEY BIRDS 10:30pm
AUTODRONE 9:30pm check out www.autodrone.com
EL RADIO FANTASTIQUE 8:30pm
RANDI RUSSO 7:30pm

SUNDAY MAY 15 2005 AT THE MERCURY LOUNGE
217 E. HOUSTON SHOW STARTS 7:30 P.MKID CONGO AND THE PINK MONKEY BIRDS WILL BE PERFORMING SONGS FROM THEIR JUST FINISHED ALBUM, “PHILOSOPHY AND UNDERWEAR” TO BE RELEASED SEPTEMBER 2005 ON TRANS SOLAR RECORDS.KID CONGO AND THE PINK MONKEY BIRDS
“PHILOSOPHY AND UNDERWEAR”

The retro haze has obscured some of the original "new wave" era's more risk-taking artists, especially those from the West Coast. As a member and co-founder of the legendary/seminal The Gun Club with Jeffrey Lee Pierce, Kid Congo Powers made a unique brand of rock that mixed blues, campy theatrics, nihilistic punk and tribal beats. Yet unlike other acts making a revival, Powers never truly went away. Quite a resume this "Kid" has, considering he has been a Co-conspirator of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, The Cramps, Khan, The Knoxville Girls, Foetus, Lydia Lunch, Die Haut, Little Annie , Julee Cruise, and Michael Gira. Kid has continued to find the most interesting partners with whom he creates a varied batch of devilish sounds. Which is exactly what he is doing with his band Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds now in 2005 in New York City, his home of the last 10 years. KCP & The PMB’S have just finished recording their first album, “Philosophy and Underwear” to be released on Trans Solar records in September 2005. As the title may lead one to believe, the album is a highbrow , and often humorous, viewpoint of a tough and sleazy low life world Kid’s character’s inhabit. Hurbert Hunke’s 1940’s Times Square in “Johnny” , Shakespeare’s Richard III unrequited loves haunt modern guys in “Richard Three” S&M Leather Men’s inner struggles in “Even Though Your :Leather is Cliché” Or the post 9/11 breakup of a relationship in “The Weather The War” . Although heady, and heavy subjects, the music is a mélange of stomping soul swagger, angular No-Wave, Glam era Lou Reed “Transformer” celebrations and New York stories. Guitars scream like banshees, drums swing from the rafters, bass lines snake charm, and electronics reference more Roxy Music Eno than the over exhausted electroclash. Mixed with Kid’s casual laconic and resonant talk/sing style ,whether dueting with a Little Annie or doing it solo, Kid gives heartfelt performances, his inspiration carefully skirting ironic tendencies that lesser artists would mistake as "camp", which is a delicate artform in and of itself. Rather than presenting from the side, he stands behind the characters and themes of his songs. ...................... "Screw James Brown. The title of Hardest Working Man in Show Business truly belongs to Kid Congo Powers." KURT B. REIGHLEY SEATTLE WEEKLY
KID CONGO AND THE PINK MONKEY BIRDS ARE:
KID CONGO POWERS vocal and guitar
JACK MARTIN guitar and vocal
JEROME O’BRIEN bass and vocal
JOSH BELKNAP drums and percussion
JORGE VELEZ texture and electronics
ALSO AT LIT LOUNGE TUESDAY MAY 17 with Dan Melchoir and Electroputas
http://www.litloungenyc.com/lit_home.htm
www.kidcongopowers.com
http://homepage.mac.com/kidcongo/iblog/B1444305190/index.html

Posted at 03:18 PM

THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2005

CINCO DE MAYO

hi. more music news soon, first a little history lesson . .

found on http://latino.sscnet.ucla.edu/cinco.html

Cinco de Mayo is a date of great importance for the Mexican and Chicano communities. It marks the victory of the Mexican Army over the French at the Battle of Puebla. Althought the Mexican army was eventually defeated, the "Batalla de Puebla" came to represent a symbol of Mexican unity and patriotism. With this victory, Mexico demonstrated to the world that Mexico and all of Latin America were willing to defend themselves of any foreign intervention. Especially those from imperialist states bent on world conquest.

Cinco de Mayo's history has its roots in the French Occupation of Mexico. The French occupation took shape in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War of 1846-48. With this war, Mexico entered a period of national crisis during the 1850's. Years of not only fighting the Americans but also a Civil War, had left Mexico devastated and bankrupt. On July 17, 1861, President Benito Juarez issued a moratorium in which all foreign debt payments would be suspended for a brief period of two years, with the promise that after this period, payments would resume.

The English, Spanish and French refused to allow president Juarez to do this, and instead decided to invade Mexico and get payments by whatever means necessary. The Spanish and English eventually withdrew, but the French refused to leave. Their intention was to create an Empire in Mexico under Napoleon III. Some have argued that the true French occupation was a response to growing American power and to the Monroe Doctrine (America for the Americans). Napoleon III believed that if the United States was allowed to prosper indescriminantly, it would eventually become a power in and of itself.

In 1862, the French army began its advance. Under General Ignacio Zaragoza, 5,000 ill-equipped Mestizo and Zapotec Indians defeated the French army in what came to be known as the "Batalla de Puebla" on the fifth of May.
In the United States, the "Batalla de Puebla" came to be known as simply "5 de Mayo" and unfortunately, many people wrongly equate it with Mexican Independence which was on September 16, 1810, nearly a fifty year difference. Over, the years Cinco de Mayo has become very commercialized and many people see this holiday as a time for fun and dance. Oddly enough, Cinco de Mayo has become more of Chicano holiday than a Mexican one. Cinco de Mayo is celebrated on a much larger scale here in the United States than it is in Mexico. People of Mexican descent in the United States celebrate this significant day by having parades, mariachi music, folklorico dancing and other types of festive activities.

Posted at 11:43 AM

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005

MARCH 05 INFO

Still been taking care of business behind the scenes. The recent article on Jeffrey Lee Pierce and The Gun Club in MOJO magazine has made me start receiving a lot of emails. thanks everyone who had such kind words. am still getting back to folks and trying to answer all. Have had a great fun last few weeks as well here in freezing cold NYC as DJ's Twitch and Johnny Wilkes from OPTIMO in Glasgow did two amazing sets at Tribeca Grand and in Brooklyn at The Glasshouse Gallery. Both were packed and people were blown away and had a great time. I had a GREAT time I took first timers Little Annie (sans the Legally Jammin) and my pal Ryan with me and they were truly amazed and really shook a tail feather..But anyone who has been to OPTIMO in Glasgow could have told you so!. I have played there with KID&KHAN three times already and always have the BEST time.. Quite simply they have the best taste in music of any DJ's I have encountered. They are number one in my book, that is for sure check out their new mix cd How To Kill The DJ Pt. 2 on Tiger Sushi records http://www.optimo.co.uk/killthedj.htm. or next time you are in Glasgow on a Sunday night, stop by OPTIMO and groove! ...... Then the same week my longtime pal LYDIA LUNCH was in town for a reading at North Six in Brooklyn for another spine chilling/blood boiling story telling session. Ahh how I love them! Maybe the spine chilling was really do to the blizzard and sub zero wind chill factors that night, but it is always great to get yelled at by Lydia!

I have been getting a lot of letters asking where People can order my latest stuff online. Here Are Some Useful Links to BUY "BAD ENGLISH" By KID&KHAN on Trans Solar Records. hopefully these links work. if not, do a little bit of fooling around the sites and you will find the record.

IN THE US :
http://stickfig.securesites.net/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=5201

IN THE UK : http://shopping.kelkoo.co.uk/sitesearch/go.jsp?offerId=3940423150701uk2796260803&orw

IN GERMANY: http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002QXSA6/qid=1110781732/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i3_xgl/028-2327733-7157300

IN JAPAN : http://info.hmv.co.jp/p/a/000000000219/490.html

...Sorry it's been a bit quiet on the updates. Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds have been locked down in the studio, and have finished our first album, "Philosophy and Underwear." It will be on Trans Solar records and am looking at a release by summertime. Will post the exact date when it is officially set. Yes, very exciting. Should be mastering this week ...... The track listing will be:

1. The History of French Cuisine
2. Black Bag
3. Johnny
4. Richard Three
5. La Historia De Un Amour
6. Why Hurt Flesh
7. Even Though Your Leather is Cliche....
8. The Weather The War (duet with Little Annie)
9. The Last Word
10. And The Evening Sun Turned Crimson
11. Black Bag - epilogue

ALSO Look for the new KID&KHAN 12 inch of WASHING MACHINE on Trans Solar out now!
http://www.transsolarrecords.de/bandsites/kid.html remixes by KAOS, Gianni Vitello, and Jendreiko/Studio Apartment
all this info and some new links will be posted on www.kidcongopowers.com in the next days in case you want to get back to it later.

thanks again and will keep the updates coming keep safe, KID

Posted at 10:40 PM

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2005

PINK MONKEY BIRDS SHOW IN NYC/BROOKLYN SATURDAY FEB 12

an announcement for all you in the NYC area also some other record news!

Hello Friends ...Kid here to tell you that my band KID CONGO & THE PINK MONKEY BIRDS are playing live at THE HOOK in Redhook, Brooklyn on this Saturday Feb 12, This club is great, great sound, great stage great vibe altogether.. and somewhere DIFFERENT! We have just finished recording our first album, titled "Philosophy and Underwear" due out in May 2005 and are itching to hit the stage again and party party party. if you want to hear a taste of what we have been up to , we have a few mp3's up at http://www.myspace.com/kidcongoandthepinkmonkeybirds

Also on the bill are RISE NYC featuring Die J Mars (www.myspacemusic.com/risenyc + www.risenyc.com) at 10pm and also from Boston, Fluttr (www.fluttr.com) at 11pm.

KID CONGO AND THE PINK MONKEY BIRDS will be on at the stroke of midnight, quite naturally. Would love to see you all and help us celebrate the completion of our album.

Any reason to celebrate, right?...so take that snarl out of your winter wig and head on down to REDHOOK (ya know, like in LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN by Hubert Selby Jr.). below are the simple directions.

SATURDAY FEB. 12
THE HOOK
18 Commerce Street
REDOOK BROOKLYN
718 797 3007
wwwthehookmusic.com

Thanks, see you there. your pal, KID

from Manhattan:

By Train:
Take the F to Carroll Street. Walk over to Henry Street and 4th Place. Proceed to walk over the Coles St. footpath. Make a left on the sidewalk. Make a soft left on Luquer Street which turns into Commerce Street at Columbia Street. The club is located between Richards St. and Columbia St on Commerce.

Via the Brooklyn Bridge:
Stay to the left at the end of the span, continue going straight for eight lights, and make a right onto Atlantic Avenue. After going under the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (278) make a left onto Columbia Street and stay on it until it ends. Make a right onto Hamilton Avenue and a left onto Van Brunt Street at the traffic light. Make a left onto Commerce Street and the club is located between Richards St. and Columbia St. (You can also take 278 West and follow those directions.)Via the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel:
Exit Hamilton Ave. Continue on Hamilton. Make left under highway. Make Left on Hamilton. Make Left on Van Brunt. Make Left on Commerce St. The club is located between Richards St. and Columbia St.Via the Manhattan Bridge:
Follow signs for 278 West and then follow 278 West directions.From the 278 West:
Take 278 west to Atlantic Avenue. Make a left off the exit on Columbia Street. Make a right onto Degraw, a left on Van Brunt and another left on Commerce St. The club is located between Richards St. and Columbia St.

From 278 East:
Exit 26B, Hamilton Ave. Continue on Hamilton . Make Left on Van Brunt. Make Left on Commerce St. The club is located between Richards St. and Columbia St.By Bus:
Take the B61 to Van Brunt and Commerce Streets. The club is located between Richards St. and Columbia St on Commerce

Posted at 11:14 PM

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2005

TODAY WED JAN 19 - Happy Birthday Edgar!

Edgar Allan Poe
1809–1849, American Writer.

American poet, short-story writer, and critic, b. Boston. He is acknowledged today as one of the most brilliant and original writers in American literature. His skillfully wrought tales and poems convey with passionate intensity the mysterious, dreamlike, and often macabre forces that pervaded his sensibility. He is also considered the father of the modern detective story.

Poe's literary executor, R. W. Griswold, overemphasized Poe's personal faults and distorted his letters. Poe was a complex person, tormented and alcoholic yet also considerate and humorous, a good friend, and an affectionate husband. Indeed, his painful life, his neurotic attraction to intense beauty, violent horror, and death, and his sense of the world of dreams contributed to his greatness as a writer. Such compelling stories as “The Masque of the Red Death” and “The Fall of the House of Usher” involve the reader in a universe that is at once beautiful and grotesque, real and fantastic.

His poems (including “To Helen,” “The Raven,” “The City in the Sea,” “The Bells,” and “Annabel Lee”) are rich with musical phrases and sensuous, at times frightening, images. Poe was also an intelligent and witty critic who often theorized about the art of writing. The analytical mind he brought to criticism is evident also in his famous stories of ratiocination, notably “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and “The Purloined Letter.” Poe influenced such diverse authors as Swinburne, Tennyson, Dostoyevsky, Conan Doyle, and the French symbolists.Bibliography:
See his collected poems and stories (3 vol., 1969–78); his letters, ed. by J. W. Ostrom (2 vol., 1948, repr. 1966); biographies by Julian Symons (1981), Dwight Thomas and David K. Jackson (1987), and Kenneth Silverman (1991); studies by Daniel Hoffman (1972), B. L. Knapp (1984), and J. Gerald Kennedy (1989).

Posted at 06:28 PM

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