When music is your vice, there are no regrets: a talk with Kid Congo.
The renowned musician Kid Congo will go on stage in Mexico for the first time in his career alongside his band The Pink Monkey Birds. This will happen in the 2nd edition of the Monkeybee Festival next December 9 at Forum 28. Therefore, in Indie Rocks! We interviewed him to find out all the surprises of his show.
Kid Congo is a guitarist and singer who belonged to bands like The Gun Club, The Cramps and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, which allowed him to travel the world and belong to cities like Berlin, London and New York. However, the time came for him to take the reins of the music and build his own melody.
“It took me a while to discover my essence, because I was struggling not to sound like the other bands. So on my first album, in the first songs I tried to do it differently until I went to see The Cramps in one of his last shows… I couldn’t believe what I was seeing; It was the first time I saw them and I was shocked,” she says, “they were sounds out of this world, but at the same time it seemed like heaven and it was all thanks to their personalities: they were free. It was a great lesson,” she shares.
Until I was 40, I realized that I just had to be myself.”
Since then, Kid Congo has another perspective. “Music gives me hope, energy and I really believe that music is a magical means to communicate with people and with my audience; It’s a way to talk to them and have a good time being weird, free with a little humor and theatricality. But at the same time it is a serious conversation with people who are disadvantaged or who feel alienated from society.”
I always liked the idea of mixing styles, that attracted me to The Cramps: psychedelia, rockabilly and their attitude. It was something that no one had at that time, they mixed it and they were successful.”
In 2008, Kid meet the drummer Ron Miller and 10 years later to the guitarist Mark Cisneros (current lineup of the band), with whom the chemistry resulted in a unique sound for their new album that will be released for the first time in April 2024.
“We don’t see each other, everyone has another band or does other things. We always work fast for our economy, but it’s simply the way we work and we trust the universe to make things happen and… they happen. This time we did different things like collaborating with Alice Bag who wrote 2 songs for this album. “It was a very timely and beautiful collaboration, so we hope that the doors can be opened to spread our wings and explore new directions, instead of doing the same thing.”
Now I am in the desert, far from the city. So our sounds are like the open heavens and the endless lands.”
Despite residing in the big cities where electronic and industrial music has ruled, the mystique of Kid Congo leads us through an essence that encompasses soul, jazzhe funk and part of his Mexican ancestry that injects the tasty touch. All this endures despite his change of residence to Arizona that has allowed him to draw inspiration through his surroundings and the recent publication of his book to add more layers to his music.
“I wrote a book and it was published last year. This one helped me connect with my Mexican roots because I talk about my childhood, what it’s like to grow up in Chicano culture, and how, despite being born in the United States, I feel Mexican. “I always grew up with a foot here and there that led me through an identity crisis, before it bothered me but as I got older I realized that it is incredible to be part of the world and have more than one nationality, which is why arriving in Mexico is special,” tells us.
“I am queer, Chicano, a musician and I have made things happen for me despite the opposition.”
After years of experience, it will be the first time that Kid experience the adrenaline of the Mexican public from the stage and in which we can listen to some of their new songs that, until now, are not on platforms.
“I hope it will be a great party. I have been there other times as a tourist, but I have never played in Mexico, I love the country and I feel comfortable there. I’m happy it’s this time and it’s hard to know or anticipate, but I’m really excited about what’s going to happen.
Be part of the celebration and don’t miss the party we will have soon at the Monkeybee Festival.
