Brian Tristan (born March 27, 1959), better known by his
stage name
A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
Kid Congo Powers,Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 25, 41, 359 is an American
rock guitarist
A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...
, singer, and actor best known as a member of
The Gun Club
The Gun Club were an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States, which existed from 1979 to 1996. It was formed and led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce.
History Early days (1979–1980)
The Gun Club ...
,
the Cramps
The Cramps were an American rock band formed in 1976 and active until 2006. Their lineup rotated frequently during their existence, with the husband-and-wife duo of singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy the only ever-present members. ...
and
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian rock band formed in 1983 by vocalist Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and guitarist-vocalist Blixa Bargeld. The band has featured international personnel throughout its career and p ...
. He has also played with the
Divine Horsemen
The Divine Horsemen were an American punk/roots band founded in 1983 by Chris D. (Desjardins), formerly of L.A. punk rock band the Flesh Eaters.Angels of Light,
Die Haut
Die Haut (German for ''the skin'') were an experimental German post-punk and post-rock band in Berlin during the 1980s and 1990s, with such records as the Nick Cave collaboration '' Burnin' the Ice''. The only constant member was Christoph Dreh ...
, and
Knoxville Girls :''See also the murder ballad The Knoxville Girl''.
Knoxville Girls was a short-lived American, New York City based, alternative rock supergroup that contained: Bob Bert (of Sonic Youth and Pussy Galore), on drums, Jerry Teel (of Boss Hog and Litt ...
.
As of January 2015, Powers' primary musical project is the band The Pink Monkey Birds.Marszalek, Julian (2009) Kid Congo Powers Pays Tribute to Mentors , ''Spinner'', 30 November 2009, retrieved 2010-01-30
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
, Powers is a second generation
Mexican American
Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexic ...
. His earliest childhood influences were the Southern California Chicano rock band Thee Midniters. In 1976, he was president of
The Ramones
The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...
fan club, then ran a
fanzine
A fanzine (blend of '' fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share t ...
for
The Screamers
The Screamers were an American electropunk group founded in 1975. They were among the first wave of the L.A. punk rock scene. The Los Angeles Times applied the label "techno-punk" to the band in 1978. In the documentary '' Punk: Attitude'' (2 ...
.Remezcla. ''Punk Was Always Gay: Kid Congo Powers on the Genre's Queer Beginnings.'' June 30, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
Music
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. Pierce taught him to play guitar using open tuning, and they formed The Creeping Ritual, which became The Gun Club. Powers left that group before their recording debut, instead joining New York-based band The Cramps in December 1980.
Powers rejoined the Gun Club briefly in 1983, touring with Pierce's band in Australia the following year, and then again between 1985 and 1988.
1986–1996: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, and The Gun Club
Powers joined Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in
Berlin
Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...
, Germany, September 1986 for several albums and corresponding tours. 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. During April 1990, it was amicably decided with Nick Cave that he leave The Bad Seeds and concentrate on The Gun Club, which he had reconvened with Jeffery Lee Pierce during downtime in 1989.
1997–2009: 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, who he has also collaborated with for the Congo Norvell and
Knoxville Girls :''See also the murder ballad The Knoxville Girl''.
Knoxville Girls was a short-lived American, New York City based, alternative rock supergroup that contained: Bob Bert (of Sonic Youth and Pussy Galore), on drums, Jerry Teel (of Boss Hog and Litt ...
projects. 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'', which was called a "return to form."
''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."
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 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."
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
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...
's "Summersalt Festival" and the
Sydney Festival
Sydney Festival is a major arts festival in Australia's largest city, Sydney that runs for three weeks every January, since it was established in 1977. The festival program features in excess of 100 events from local and international artists ...
. 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.
The Pink Monkey Birds, whose name Kid credits to inspiration from
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
, 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 their fourth album, 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.
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
The Gun Club were an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States, which existed from 1979 to 1996. It was formed and led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce.
History Early days (1979–1980)
The Gun Club ...
, we kind of made it up as we went along, but what I learned from
The Cramps
The Cramps were an American rock band formed in 1976 and active until 2006. Their lineup rotated frequently during their existence, with the husband-and-wife duo of singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy the only ever-present members. ...
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
Kid Congo Powers is openly gay and is married. During the 1980s, he was involved with the
ACT UP
AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) is an international, grassroots political group working to end the AIDS pandemic. The group works to improve the lives of people with AIDS through direct action, medical research, treatment and advocacy ...
advocacy group.
Selected discography
*1981
The Cramps
The Cramps were an American rock band formed in 1976 and active until 2006. Their lineup rotated frequently during their existence, with the husband-and-wife duo of singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy the only ever-present members. ...
Smell of Female
''Smell of Female'' is the first live album by the American rock band the Cramps. The mini-album was recorded at The Peppermint Lounge in New York City on February 25–26, 1983, and issued the same year on Big Beat Records in the UK, Enigma R ...
''
*1984
The Gun Club
The Gun Club were an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States, which existed from 1979 to 1996. It was formed and led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce.
History Early days (1979–1980)
The Gun Club ...
– '' The Las Vegas Story''
*1987 The Gun Club – '' Mother Juno''
*1990 The Gun Club – ''Pastoral Hide and Seek''
*1991 The Gun Club – ''Divinity'' EP
*1985 The Fur Bible EP
*1988
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian rock band formed in 1983 by vocalist Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and guitarist-vocalist Blixa Bargeld. The band has featured international personnel throughout its career and p ...
''
*2005 Kid Congo Powers – ''Solo Cholo''
*2006 Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds – ''Philosophy and Underwear''
*2006 Madrugada – ''Live at Oslo Spektrum'' VD*2009 Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds – ''Dracula Boots''
*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''
Selected filmography
*1987 ''
Wings of Desire
''Wings of Desire'' (, ; ) is a 1987 romantic fantasy film written by Wim Wenders, Peter Handke and Richard Reitinger, and directed by Wenders. The film is about invisible, immortal angels who populate Berlin and listen to the thoughts of its h ...
''
*1999 ''Modern Young Man'' (film short)
*2000 ''Once and Future Queen''
*2000 ''Hair Burners''
*2017 '' Scumbag''
*2022 '' The Resort'' (TV Series)