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{{short description|American musician}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Kid Congo Powers
| name = Kid Congo Powers
| image = Kid Congo Powers 01.jpg
| image = Kid Congo Powers 01 (cropped).jpg
| image_upright = 0.9
| caption = Kid Congo Powers in 2009
| caption = Kid Congo Powers in 2009
| image_size =
| background = solo_singer
| background = solo_singer
| birth_name = Brian Tristan
| birth_name = Brian Tristan
Line 11: Line 13:
| death_date =
| death_date =
| instrument = Guitar, piano, keyboards, vocals
| instrument = Guitar, piano, keyboards, vocals
| genre = [[Punk rock]], [[post-punk]], [[alternative rock]], [[garage rock]]
| genre = {{Hlist|[[Punk rock]]|[[post-punk]]|[[alternative rock]]|[[garage rock]]}}
| occupation = Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist,
| occupation = Musician
| years_active = 1979–present
| years_active = 1979–present
| label = [[Mute Records|Mute]]
| label = [[Mute Records|Mute]]
| associated_acts = [[The Gun Club (band)|The Gun Club]], [[Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds]], [[the Cramps]], the [[Divine Horsemen]], [[Congo Norvell]], Kid Congo Powers and the Pink Monkey Birds
| associated_acts = [[The Gun Club (band)|The Gun Club]], [[The Cramps]], [[Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds]], the [[Divine Horsemen]], [[Congo Norvell]], Kid Congo Powers and the Pink Monkey Birds
| website = [http://kidcongopowers.blogspot.com Official website]
| website = {{URL|kidcongopowers.blogspot.com}}
}}
}}


'''Brian Tristan''' (born March 27, 1959) better known by his [[stage name]] '''Kid Congo Powers''' ,<ref name="Strong">Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, {{ISBN|1-84195-335-0}}, p. 25, 41, 359</ref> is an American [[rock guitarist]] and singer, best known as a member of [[The Gun Club]], [[the Cramps]] and [[Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds]]. He has also played with the [[Divine Horsemen]], the [[Angels of Light]], [[Die Haut]], and [[Knoxville Girls]].<ref>{{cite web|title="Music to Remember Him By" Solo, Die Haut, and Congo Norvell and the emergence of Kid Congo Powers as a singer and songwriter (1988 - 1998)|url=http://www.newyorknighttrain.com/zine/issues/2/kidhautnorvell.html|work=KID CONGO POWERS PT 2 ORAL HISTORY|publisher=New York Night Train|accessdate=13 May 2012}}</ref>
'''Brian Tristan''' (born March 27, 1959), better known by his [[stage name]] '''Kid Congo Powers''',<ref name="Strong">Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, {{ISBN|1-84195-335-0}}, p. 25, 41, 359</ref> is an American rock guitarist, singer, and actor best known as a member of [[The Gun Club]], [[the Cramps]] and [[Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds]]. He has also played with the [[Divine Horsemen]], the [[Angels of Light]], [[Die Haut]], and [[Knoxville Girls]].<ref>{{cite web|title="Music to Remember Him By" Solo, Die Haut, and Congo Norvell and the emergence of Kid Congo Powers as a singer and songwriter (1988–1998)|url=http://www.newyorknighttrain.com/zine/issues/2/kidhautnorvell.html|work=KID CONGO POWERS PT 2 ORAL HISTORY|publisher=New York Night Train|access-date=May 13, 2012}}</ref>


As of January 2015, Powers' primary musical project is the band The Pink Monkey Birds.<ref name="Marszalek">Marszalek, Julian (2009) "[http://www.spinner.com/2009/11/30/kid-congo-powers-pays-tribute-to-mentors/ Kid Congo Powers Pays Tribute to Mentors]", ''Spinner'', 30 November 2009, retrieved 2010-01-30</ref>
As of January 2015, Powers' primary musical project is the band The Pink Monkey Birds.<ref name="Marszalek">Marszalek, Julian (2009) "[http://www.spinner.com/2009/11/30/kid-congo-powers-pays-tribute-to-mentors/ Kid Congo Powers Pays Tribute to Mentors] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025163753/http://www.spinner.com/2009/11/30/kid-congo-powers-pays-tribute-to-mentors/ |date=2020-10-25 }}", ''Spinner'', November 30, 2009, retrieved January 30, 2010</ref>


==Early life==
== Early life ==
Born in [[La Puente, California|La Puente]], [[California]], Powers is a second generation [[Mexican American]]. His earliest childhood influences were the Southern California Chicano rock band [[Thee Midniters]]. In 1976, he was president of [[The Ramones]] fan club, then ran a [[fanzine]] for [[The Screamers]].<ref name="Remezcla">[http://remezcla.com/features/music/kid-congo-powers-interview/ Remezcla.] ''Punk Was Always Gay: Kid Congo Powers on the Genre's Queer Beginnings.'' June 30, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2016.</ref>
Born in [[La Puente, California|La Puente]], [[California]], Powers is a second generation [[Mexican American]]. His earliest childhood influences were the Southern California Chicano rock band [[Thee Midniters]]. In 1976, he was president of [[The Ramones]] fan club, then ran a [[fanzine]] for [[The Screamers]].<ref name="Remezcla">[http://remezcla.com/features/music/kid-congo-powers-interview/ Remezcla.] ''Punk Was Always Gay: Kid Congo Powers on the Genre's Queer Beginnings.'' June 30, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2016.</ref>


==Music==
== Career ==


===1979–1987: The Gun Club and The Cramps===
=== 1979–1987: The Gun Club and The Cramps ===
After traveling to London and New York City he returned to L.A. and in 1979 met [[Jeffrey Lee Pierce]].<ref>{{cite web|title="Rock And Roll High School": Kid Grows Up (1960 – 1979)|url=http://www.newyorknighttrain.com/zine/issues/1/kidpregun.html|work=KID CONGO POWERS ORAL HISTORY Pt 1|publisher=New York Night Train|accessdate=13 May 2012}}</ref> Pierce taught him to play guitar using [[open tuning]], and they formed The Creeping Ritual, which became The Gun Club.<ref name="Strong" /> Powers left that group before their recording debut, instead joining New York-based band The Cramps in December 1980.<ref name="Strong" /><ref>{{cite web|title=The Gun Club, Pt 1: "Preachin' the Blues" Creeping Ritual and the Genesis of The Gun Club (1979 – 1980)|url=http://www.newyorknighttrain.com/zine/issues/1/kidgun1.html|work=KID CONGO POWERS ORAL HISTORY PT. 1|publisher=New York Night Train|accessdate=13 May 2012}}</ref>
After traveling to London and New York City he returned to L.A. and in 1979 met [[Jeffrey Lee Pierce]].<ref>{{cite web|title="Rock And Roll High School": Kid Grows Up (1960–1979)|url=http://www.newyorknighttrain.com/zine/issues/1/kidpregun.html|work=KID CONGO POWERS ORAL HISTORY Pt 1|publisher=New York Night Train|access-date=May 13, 2012}}</ref> Pierce taught him to play guitar using [[open tuning]], and they formed The Creeping Ritual, which became The Gun Club.<ref name="Strong" /> Powers left that group before their recording debut, instead joining New York-based band The Cramps in December 1980.<ref name="Strong" /><ref>{{cite web|title=The Gun Club, Pt 1: "Preachin' the Blues" Creeping Ritual and the Genesis of The Gun Club (1979–1980)|url=http://www.newyorknighttrain.com/zine/issues/1/kidgun1.html|work=KID CONGO POWERS ORAL HISTORY PT. 1|publisher=New York Night Train|access-date=May 13, 2012}}</ref>


Powers rejoined the Gun Club briefly in 1983,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Gun Club Pt 2 "Walkin’ With the Beast The Las Vegas Story (1984)|url=http://www.newyorknighttrain.com/zine/issues/1/kidgun2.html|work=KID CONGO POWERS ORAL HISTORY PT. 5|publisher=New York Night Train|accessdate=13 May 2012}}</ref> touring with Pierce's band in Australia the following year,<ref name="Pat" /> and then again between 1985 and 1988.<ref>{{cite web|title="City of Refuge" Berlin and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (1986 – 1990)|url=http://www.newyorknighttrain.com/zine/issues/2/kidbadseeds.html|work=KID CONGO POWERS PT 2 ORAL HISTORY|publisher=New York Night Train|accessdate=13 May 2012}}</ref>
Powers rejoined the Gun Club briefly in 1983,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Gun Club Pt 2 "Walkin' With the Beast The Las Vegas Story (1984)|url=http://www.newyorknighttrain.com/zine/issues/1/kidgun2.html|work=KID CONGO POWERS ORAL HISTORY PT. 5|publisher=New York Night Train|access-date=May 13, 2012}}</ref> touring with Pierce's band in Australia the following year,<ref name="Pat" /> and then again between 1985 and 1988.<ref>{{cite web|title="City of Refuge" Berlin and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (1986–1990)|url=http://www.newyorknighttrain.com/zine/issues/2/kidbadseeds.html|work=KID CONGO POWERS PT 2 ORAL HISTORY|publisher=New York Night Train|access-date=May 13, 2012}}</ref>


===1988–1996: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds===
=== 1986–1996: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, The Gun Club reunion, Congo Norvell ===
Powers joined Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in [[Berlin]], Germany, around 1988 for several albums and corresponding tours.<ref name="Strong" /> Powers recorded the ''Tender Prey'' and ''The Good Son'' albums with Cave and his band, and he said in early 2015 that he "loved" the "primaeval element of rock'n'roll" that they had a firm grasp of.<ref name="Pat">{{cite news|author1=Patrick Emery|title=Kid Congo Powers and the Pink Monkey Birds perform in Australia in late January|url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/kid-congo-powers-and-the-pink-monkey-birds-perform-in-australia-in-late-january-20141229-12evkz.html|accessdate=6 February 2015|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=1 January 2015}}</ref>
Powers joined Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in [[Berlin]], Germany, September 1986 initially as a short-term replacement for [[Hugo Race]]. Powers ultimately recorded and toured with the Bad Seeds for four years.<ref name="Strong" /> Powers recorded the albums ''[[Tender Prey]]'' (1988) and ''[[The Good Son (album)|The Good Son]]'' (1990) with Cave and his band. Powers recalled in early 2015 that he "loved" the "primaeval element of rock'n'roll" expressed by the band.<ref name="Pat">{{cite news|author1=Patrick Emery|title=Kid Congo Powers and the Pink Monkey Birds perform in Australia in late January|url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/kid-congo-powers-and-the-pink-monkey-birds-perform-in-australia-in-late-january-20141229-12evkz.html|access-date=February 6, 2015|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=January 1, 2015}}</ref>


During April 1990 Powers amicably left the Bad Seeds to rejoin The Gun Club, which he had reconvened with Jeffery Lee Pierce in 1989. Powers was active with the Gun Club until their 1996 dissolution, and Pierce died in 1997.
⚫
===1997–2009: JLP tribute albums, The Pink Monkey Birds and ''Dracula Boots''===

⚫
For his next project, The Pink Monkey Birds, Powers initially collaborated with New York City guitarist Jack Martin,<ref name="Marszalek"/> who he has also collaborated with for the [[Congo Norvell]] and [[Knoxville Girls]] projects.<ref>{{cite web|title="Black Bag" Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds (2001 - Present)|url=http://www.newyorknighttrain.com/zine/issues/2/kidpmb.html|work=KID CONGO POWERS PT 2 ORAL HISTORY|publisher=New York Night Train|accessdate=13 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title="NYC Briefcase Blues" Knoxville Girls (1998 - 2001)|url=http://www.newyorknighttrain.com/zine/issues/2/kidknox.html|work=KID CONGO POWERS PT 2 ORAL HISTORY|publisher=New York Night Train|accessdate=13 May 2012}}</ref> Then, in 2009, Powers recruited Kiki Solis on bass, Ron Miller on drums, and Jesse Roberts on guitar and keyboards. The band moved to In The Red Records and released the much acclaimed debut studio album, ''Dracula Boots'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Dracula Boots|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/dracula-boots-r1490636/review|work=All music|publisher=Rovi Corporation|accessdate=13 May 2012|author=Thom Jurek}}</ref> which was called a "return to form."<ref>{{cite web|title=BREAKING SOUNDS: Kid Congo Dracula Boots LP|url=http://www.victimoftime.com/articles/breaking-sounds-kid-congo-pink-monkey-birds-lp/|work=Victim of Time|publisher=Victim of Time|accessdate=13 May 2012|author=Todd Killings|format=Article|date=5 June 2009}}</ref>
Parallel to his final stint in the Gun Club, Powers formed [[Congo Norvell]] with vocalist Sally Norvell. The band explored a fusion of cabaret and rock styles from 1993 to 1998, and released three full-length albums.

⚫
=== 1997–2009: The Pink Monkey Birds and ''Dracula Boots'' ===
[[File:Kid Congo Powers 02.jpg|thumb|Kid Congo Powers performing in 2009]]
⚫
For his next project, The Pink Monkey Birds, Powers initially collaborated with New York City guitarist Jack Martin,<ref name="Marszalek" /> who he has also collaborated with for the [[Congo Norvell]] and [[Knoxville Girls]] projects.<ref>{{cite web|title="Black Bag" Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds (2001 – Present)|url=http://www.newyorknighttrain.com/zine/issues/2/kidpmb.html|work=KID CONGO POWERS PT 2 ORAL HISTORY|publisher=New York Night Train|access-date=May 13, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title="NYC Briefcase Blues" Knoxville Girls (1998–2001)|url=http://www.newyorknighttrain.com/zine/issues/2/kidknox.html|work=KID CONGO POWERS PT 2 ORAL HISTORY|publisher=New York Night Train|access-date=May 13, 2012}}</ref> Then, in 2009, Powers recruited Kiki Solis on bass, Ron Miller on drums, and Jesse Roberts on guitar and keyboards. The band moved to In The Red Records and released the much acclaimed debut studio album, ''Dracula Boots'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Dracula Boots|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/dracula-boots-r1490636/review|work=All music|publisher=Rovi Corporation|access-date=May 13, 2012|author=Thom Jurek}}</ref> which was called a "return to form."<ref>{{cite web|title=BREAKING SOUNDS: Kid Congo Dracula Boots LP|url=http://www.victimoftime.com/articles/breaking-sounds-kid-congo-pink-monkey-birds-lp/|work=Victim of Time|access-date=May 13, 2012|author=Todd Killings|format=Article|date=June 5, 2009}}</ref>


''Dracula Boots'' was coproduced by Jason Ward and recorded in a former high school gymnasium in Harveyville, Kansas, which is now an artists' retreat called "The Harveyville Project." ''Dracula Boots'' consists of numerous genres, including southern soul, 60s Chicano rock, and psychedelic imagery. British magazine ''N.M.E.'' wrote: "In short, on ''Dracula Boots'' Kid Congo Powers has once again found the juicy jugular of soul-fired, funked-up rock'n'roll. You'd be foolish not to take a bite."{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}
''Dracula Boots'' was coproduced by Jason Ward and recorded in a former high school gymnasium in Harveyville, Kansas, which is now an artists' retreat called "The Harveyville Project." ''Dracula Boots'' consists of numerous genres, including southern soul, 60s Chicano rock, and psychedelic imagery. British magazine ''N.M.E.'' wrote: "In short, on ''Dracula Boots'' Kid Congo Powers has once again found the juicy jugular of soul-fired, funked-up rock'n'roll. You'd be foolish not to take a bite."{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}


===2010–present: ''Gorilla Rose''===
=== 2010–present: ''Gorilla Rose'' ===
In 2011, Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds released their second album, ''Gorilla Rose'', which was also on the In The Red Records label. [[Eamon Carr]] of ''[[The Herald (Ireland)|The Dublin Evening Herald]]'' said of ''Gorilla Rose'', "Having a working band is paying off. ''Gorilla Rose'' elevates seedy go-go weirdness to the level of high art."{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}
In 2011, Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds released their second album, ''Gorilla Rose'', which was also on the In The Red Records label. [[Eamon Carr]] of ''[[The Herald (Ireland)|The Dublin Evening Herald]]'' said of ''Gorilla Rose'', "Having a working band is paying off. ''Gorilla Rose'' elevates seedy go-go weirdness to the level of high art."{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}


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<blockquote>I think the Pink Monkey Birds conjures up all the best aspects of primal rock'n'roll ... Lyrically, I'm speaking in images, and from a very skewed viewpoint, whatever the subject may be. I still have the passion and the incentive to make music that's different, but still within the confines of a punk rock language people will know and understand.<ref name="Pat" /></blockquote>
<blockquote>I think the Pink Monkey Birds conjures up all the best aspects of primal rock'n'roll ... Lyrically, I'm speaking in images, and from a very skewed viewpoint, whatever the subject may be. I still have the passion and the incentive to make music that's different, but still within the confines of a punk rock language people will know and understand.<ref name="Pat" /></blockquote>


The Pink Monkey Birds, whose name Kid credits to inspiration from [[David Bowie]],<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://kidcongopowers.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-pink-monkey-birds-would-not-be-so.html |title=Kid Stuff: The Pink Monkey Birds would not be so named without you David Bowie! R.I.P |website=Kidcongopowers.blogspot.com |date=2016-01-19 |accessdate=2016-05-26}}</ref> has been an evolving unit since their earliest albums, and as of 2016 the touring members are bassist Kiki Solis, drummer Ron Miller, and guitarist Mark Cisneros.
The Pink Monkey Birds, whose name Kid credits to inspiration from [[David Bowie]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kidcongopowers.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-pink-monkey-birds-would-not-be-so.html |title=Kid Stuff: The Pink Monkey Birds would not be so named without you David Bowie! R.I.P |website=Kidcongopowers.blogspot.com |date=January 19, 2016 |access-date=May 26, 2016}}</ref><ref>The lyrics to Bowie's song "[[Moonage Daydream]]" include: "You're talking like a pink monkey-bird."</ref> has been an evolving unit since their earliest albums, and as of 2016 the touring members are bassist Kiki Solis, drummer Ron Miller, and guitarist Mark Cisneros.


Kid Congo Powers was profiled by [[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]] in late April 2016 while promoting their fourth album,<ref>{{cite web|author=Kristin Anderson |url=http://www.vogue.com/13429213/kid-congo-powers-interview-style-la-arana-es-la-vida-record-release/ |title=Punk Legend Kid Congo Powers on His Style Throughout the Years |publisher=Vogue |date=2016-04-25 |accessdate=2016-05-26}}</ref> where he was noted for his iconic sense of punk style. In his Vogue interview he mentions the aesthetic importance of tying the look of the band to match the music.
Kid Congo Powers was profiled by [[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]] in late April 2016 while promoting his band's fourth album.<ref>{{cite web|author=Kristin Anderson |url=http://www.vogue.com/13429213/kid-congo-powers-interview-style-la-arana-es-la-vida-record-release/ |title=Punk Legend Kid Congo Powers on His Style Throughout the Years |publisher=Vogue |date=April 25, 2016 |access-date=May 26, 2016}}</ref> In the interview, he was noted for his iconic sense of punk style and he mentions the aesthetic importance of tying the look of the band to match the music.


<blockquote>For me, the whole art of being a band—and I do think it's an art—is to create a whole world, a whole language, that is every aspect. [[The Gun Club]], we kind of made it up as we went along, but what I learned from [[The Cramps]] and [[Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds]] is that they created a whole uncompromising world, and it's all kind of sprung out of that. You want to communicate with people, and I think through all aesthetics—artwork, the look, and music—you get to keep your world, and you get to let people enter your world and live in your world with you.</blockquote>
<blockquote>For me, the whole art of being a band—and I do think it's an art—is to create a whole world, a whole language, that is every aspect. [[The Gun Club]], we kind of made it up as we went along, but what I learned from [[The Cramps]] and [[Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds]] is that they created a whole uncompromising world, and it's all kind of sprung out of that. You want to communicate with people, and I think through all aesthetics—artwork, the look, and music—you get to keep your world, and you get to let people enter your world and live in your world with you.</blockquote>


==Personal life==
== Personal life ==
Kid Congo Powers is openly gay and is married.<ref name="Remezcla"/> During the 1980s, he was involved with the [[ACT UP]] advocacy group.<ref name="Remezcla"/>
Kid Congo Powers is gay and is married.<ref name="Remezcla" /> During the 1980s, he was involved with the [[ACT UP]] advocacy group.<ref name="Remezcla" />


==Selected discography==
== Selected discography ==
*1981 [[The Cramps]] - ''[[Psychedelic Jungle]]''
*'''1981''' [[The Cramps]] – ''[[Psychedelic Jungle]]''
*1984 The Cramps - ''[[Smell of Female]]''
*'''1983''' The Cramps – ''[[Smell of Female]]''
*1984 [[The Gun Club]] - ''[[The Las Vegas Story (album)|The Las Vegas Story]]''
*'''1984''' [[The Gun Club]] – ''[[The Las Vegas Story (album)|The Las Vegas Story]]''
*1987 The Gun Club - ''[[Mother Juno]]''
*'''1987''' The Gun Club – ''[[Mother Juno]]''
*1990 The Gun Club - ''Pastoral Hide and Seek''
*'''1990''' The Gun Club – ''Pastoral Hide and Seek''
*1991 The Gun Club - ''Divinity'' EP
*'''1991''' The Gun Club – ''Divinity'' EP
*1985 The Fur Bible EP
*'''1985''' The Fur Bible EP
*1988 [[Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds]] - ''[[Tender Prey]]''
*'''1988''' [[Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds]] – ''[[Tender Prey]]''
*1990 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - ''[[The Good Son (album)|The Good Son]]''
*'''1990''' Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – ''[[The Good Son (album)|The Good Son]]''
*1988 [[Barry Adamson]] - ''[[Moss Side Story]]''
*'''1988''' [[Barry Adamson]] – ''[[Moss Side Story]]''
*'''1994''' [[Congo Norvell]] – ''[[Music to Remember Him By]]''
*1998 [[Mark Eitzel]] - ''[[Caught in a Trap and I Can't Back Out 'Cause I Love You Too Much, Baby]]''
*'''1998''' [[Mark Eitzel]] – ''[[Caught in a Trap and I Can't Back Out 'Cause I Love You Too Much, Baby]]''
⚫
*2005 Kid Congo Powers - ''Solo Cholo''
*'''2004''' Kid & [[Can Oral|Khan]] – ''Broken English''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/de/master/76781-Kid-Khan-Bad-English|title=Kid & Khan|website=discogs.com}}</ref>
⚫
*2006 Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds - ''Philosophy and Underwear''
⚫
*'''2005''' Kid Congo Powers – ''Solo Cholo''
⚫
*2006 Madrugada - ''Live at Oslo Spektrum'' [DVD]
*2009 Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds - ''Dracula Boots''
*'''2006''' Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds – ''Philosophy and Underwear''
⚫
*'''2006''' Madrugada – ''Live at Oslo Spektrum'' [DVD]
⚫
*2011 Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds - ''Gorilla Rose''
*2013 Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds - ''Haunted Head''
*'''2009''' Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds – ''Dracula Boots''
*2016 Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds - ''La Araña Es La Vida''
*'''2011''' Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds – ''Gorilla Rose''
⚫
*'''2013''' Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds – ''Haunted Head''
⚫
*'''2016''' Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds – ''La Araña Es La Vida''
*'''2021''' Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds – ''Swing from the Sean DeLear''
*'''2024''' Kid Congo Powers and the Near Death Experience – ''Live in St. Kilda''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://intheredrecords.com/products/kid-congo-powers-the-near-death-experience-live-in-st-kilda|title=Kid Congo Powers & the Near Death Experience - Live in St. Kilda|website=Intheredrecords.com}}</ref>


== Selected filmography ==
==References==
*'''1987''' ''[[Wings of Desire]]''
⚫
{{Reflist|30em}}
*'''1999''' ''Modern Young Man'' (film short)<ref>{{Citation |last=Smith |first=Harris |title=Modern Young Man |date=May 8, 1999 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0217657/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_5 |type=Short, Drama |publisher=Modern Products |access-date=October 13, 2022}}</ref>
*'''2000''' ''Once and Future Queen''<ref>{{Citation |last=Verow |first=Todd |title=Once and Future Queen |date=March 12, 2000 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0238474/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_4 |type=Drama |publisher=Bangor Films |access-date=October 13, 2022}}</ref>
*'''2000''' ''Hair Burners''<ref>{{Citation |last=Ambler |first=Ned |title=Hair Burners |date=August 15, 2000 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388987/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_3 |type=Comedy |publisher=Ned Ambler Pictures |access-date=October 13, 2022}}</ref>
*'''2017''' ''[[Scumbag (film)|Scumbag]]''
*'''2022''' ''[[The Resort (TV series)|The Resort]]'' (TV Series)


==External links==
== References ==
⚫
{{Reflist}}
⚫
*[http://kidcongopowers.blogspot.com Official website]

== External links ==
{{cc}}
⚫
*[http://kidcongopowers.blogspot.com/ Official website]
*[http://www.newyorknighttrain.com/recordings/kcpbio.html New York Night Train profile page]
*[http://www.newyorknighttrain.com/recordings/kcpbio.html New York Night Train profile page]
*[http://www.rockerzine.com/index.php/2013/03/kid-congo-powers/ 2013 ''Rocker Magazine'' interview - video and print]
*[http://www.rockerzine.com/index.php/2013/03/kid-congo-powers/ 2013 ''Rocker Magazine'' interview – video and print]


{{Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds}}
{{Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds}}
Line 92: Line 112:


{{DEFAULTSORT:Powers, Kid Congo}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powers, Kid Congo}}
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[[Category:1959 births]]
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American indie rock musicians]]
[[Category:American indie rock musicians]]
[[Category:American blues guitarists]]
[[Category:American blues guitarists]]
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[[Category:Punk blues musicians]]
[[Category:Punk blues musicians]]
[[Category:The Cramps members]]
[[Category:The Cramps members]]
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[[Category:1961 births]]
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American musicians of Mexican descent]]
[[Category:American musicians of Mexican descent]]
[[Category:LGBT musicians from the United States]]
[[Category:American LGBT musicians]]
[[Category:LGBT people from California]]
[[Category:LGBT people from California]]
[[Category:LGBT Hispanic and Latino American people]]
[[Category:LGBT Hispanic and Latino American people]]
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[[Category:Hispanic and Latino American musicians]]
[[Category:Hispanic and Latino American musicians]]
[[Category:In the Red artists]]
[[Category:In the Red artists]]
[[Category:Mute Records artists]]
[[Category:The Gun Club members]]

Latest revision as of 21:18, 21 April 2024

Kid Congo Powers
Kid Congo Powers in 2009
Kid Congo Powers in 2009
Background information
Birth nameBrian Tristan
Born (1959-03-27) March 27, 1959 (age 65)
La Puente, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Guitar, piano, keyboards, vocals
Years active1979–present
LabelsMute
Websitekidcongopowers.blogspot.com

Brian Tristan (born March 27, 1959), better known by his stage name Kid Congo Powers,[1] is an American rock guitarist, singer, and actor best known as a member of The Gun Club, the Cramps and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. He has also played with the Divine Horsemen, the Angels of Light, Die Haut, and Knoxville Girls.[2]

As of January 2015, Powers' primary musical project is the band The Pink Monkey Birds.[3]

Early life[edit]

Born in La Puente, California, Powers is a second generation Mexican American. His earliest childhood influences were the Southern California Chicano rock band Thee Midniters. In 1976, he was president of The Ramones fan club, then ran a fanzine for The Screamers.[4]

Career[edit]

1979–1987: The Gun Club and The Cramps[edit]

After traveling to London and New York City he returned to L.A. and in 1979 met Jeffrey Lee Pierce.[5] Pierce taught him to play guitar using open tuning, and they formed The Creeping Ritual, which became The Gun Club.[1] Powers left that group before their recording debut, instead joining New York-based band The Cramps in December 1980.[1][6]

Powers rejoined the Gun Club briefly in 1983,[7] touring with Pierce's band in Australia the following year,[8] and then again between 1985 and 1988.[9]

1986–1996: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, The Gun Club reunion, Congo Norvell[edit]

Powers joined Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in Berlin, Germany, September 1986 initially as a short-term replacement for Hugo Race. Powers ultimately recorded and toured with the Bad Seeds for four years.[1] Powers recorded the albums Tender Prey (1988) and The Good Son (1990) with Cave and his band. Powers recalled in early 2015 that he "loved" the "primaeval element of rock'n'roll" expressed by the band.[8]

During April 1990 Powers amicably left the Bad Seeds to rejoin The Gun Club, which he had reconvened with Jeffery Lee Pierce in 1989. Powers was active with the Gun Club until their 1996 dissolution, and Pierce died in 1997.

Parallel to his final stint in the Gun Club, Powers formed Congo Norvell with vocalist Sally Norvell. The band explored a fusion of cabaret and rock styles from 1993 to 1998, and released three full-length albums.

1997–2009: The Pink Monkey Birds and Dracula Boots[edit]

Kid Congo Powers performing in 2009

For his next project, The Pink Monkey Birds, Powers initially collaborated with New York City guitarist Jack Martin,[3] who he has also collaborated with for the Congo Norvell and Knoxville Girls projects.[10][11] Then, in 2009, Powers recruited Kiki Solis on bass, Ron Miller on drums, and Jesse Roberts on guitar and keyboards. The band moved to In The Red Records and released the much acclaimed debut studio album, Dracula Boots,[12] which was called a "return to form."[13]

Dracula Boots was coproduced by Jason Ward and recorded in a former high school gymnasium in Harveyville, Kansas, which is now an artists' retreat called "The Harveyville Project." Dracula Boots consists of numerous genres, including southern soul, 60s Chicano rock, and psychedelic imagery. British magazine N.M.E. wrote: "In short, on Dracula Boots Kid Congo Powers has once again found the juicy jugular of soul-fired, funked-up rock'n'roll. You'd be foolish not to take a bite."[citation needed]

2010–present: Gorilla Rose[edit]

In 2011, Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds released their second album, Gorilla Rose, which was also on the In The Red Records label. Eamon Carr of The Dublin Evening Herald said of Gorilla Rose, "Having a working band is paying off. Gorilla Rose elevates seedy go-go weirdness to the level of high art."[citation needed]

Powers returned to Australia for the first time in 25 years—when he toured with Cave's Bad Seeds project—at the end of January 2015. The band played at Melbourne's "Summersalt Festival" and the Sydney Festival.[8] In a promotional interview for the Australian shows, Powers spoke in regard to his new band:

I think the Pink Monkey Birds conjures up all the best aspects of primal rock'n'roll ... Lyrically, I'm speaking in images, and from a very skewed viewpoint, whatever the subject may be. I still have the passion and the incentive to make music that's different, but still within the confines of a punk rock language people will know and understand.[8]

The Pink Monkey Birds, whose name Kid credits to inspiration from David Bowie,[14][15] has been an evolving unit since their earliest albums, and as of 2016 the touring members are bassist Kiki Solis, drummer Ron Miller, and guitarist Mark Cisneros.

Kid Congo Powers was profiled by Vogue in late April 2016 while promoting his band's fourth album.[16] In the interview, he was noted for his iconic sense of punk style and he mentions the aesthetic importance of tying the look of the band to match the music.

For me, the whole art of being a band—and I do think it's an art—is to create a whole world, a whole language, that is every aspect. The Gun Club, we kind of made it up as we went along, but what I learned from The Cramps and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds is that they created a whole uncompromising world, and it's all kind of sprung out of that. You want to communicate with people, and I think through all aesthetics—artwork, the look, and music—you get to keep your world, and you get to let people enter your world and live in your world with you.

Personal life[edit]

Kid Congo Powers is gay and is married.[4] During the 1980s, he was involved with the ACT UP advocacy group.[4]

Selected discography[edit]

Selected filmography[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0, p. 25, 41, 359
  2. ^ ""Music to Remember Him By" Solo, Die Haut, and Congo Norvell and the emergence of Kid Congo Powers as a singer and songwriter (1988–1998)". KID CONGO POWERS PT 2 ORAL HISTORY. New York Night Train. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  3. ^ a b Marszalek, Julian (2009) "Kid Congo Powers Pays Tribute to Mentors Archived 2020-10-25 at the Wayback Machine", Spinner, November 30, 2009, retrieved January 30, 2010
  4. ^ a b c Remezcla. Punk Was Always Gay: Kid Congo Powers on the Genre's Queer Beginnings. June 30, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  5. ^ ""Rock And Roll High School": Kid Grows Up (1960–1979)". KID CONGO POWERS ORAL HISTORY Pt 1. New York Night Train. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  6. ^ "The Gun Club, Pt 1: "Preachin' the Blues" Creeping Ritual and the Genesis of The Gun Club (1979–1980)". KID CONGO POWERS ORAL HISTORY PT. 1. New York Night Train. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  7. ^ "The Gun Club Pt 2 "Walkin' With the Beast The Las Vegas Story (1984)". KID CONGO POWERS ORAL HISTORY PT. 5. New York Night Train. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  8. ^ a b c d Patrick Emery (January 1, 2015). "Kid Congo Powers and the Pink Monkey Birds perform in Australia in late January". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  9. ^ ""City of Refuge" Berlin and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (1986–1990)". KID CONGO POWERS PT 2 ORAL HISTORY. New York Night Train. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  10. ^ ""Black Bag" Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds (2001 – Present)". KID CONGO POWERS PT 2 ORAL HISTORY. New York Night Train. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  11. ^ ""NYC Briefcase Blues" Knoxville Girls (1998–2001)". KID CONGO POWERS PT 2 ORAL HISTORY. New York Night Train. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  12. ^ Thom Jurek. "Dracula Boots". All music. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  13. ^ Todd Killings (June 5, 2009). "BREAKING SOUNDS: Kid Congo Dracula Boots LP" (Article). Victim of Time. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  14. ^ "Kid Stuff: The Pink Monkey Birds would not be so named without you David Bowie! R.I.P". Kidcongopowers.blogspot.com. January 19, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  15. ^ The lyrics to Bowie's song "Moonage Daydream" include: "You're talking like a pink monkey-bird."
  16. ^ Kristin Anderson (April 25, 2016). "Punk Legend Kid Congo Powers on His Style Throughout the Years". Vogue. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  17. ^ "Kid & Khan". discogs.com.
  18. ^ "Kid Congo Powers & the Near Death Experience - Live in St. Kilda". Intheredrecords.com.
  19. ^ Smith, Harris (May 8, 1999), Modern Young Man (Short, Drama), Modern Products, retrieved October 13, 2022
  20. ^ Verow, Todd (March 12, 2000), Once and Future Queen (Drama), Bangor Films, retrieved October 13, 2022
  21. ^ Ambler, Ned (August 15, 2000), Hair Burners (Comedy), Ned Ambler Pictures, retrieved October 13, 2022

External links[edit]

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