An up and coming band from Phoenix, Arizona has recently broken into the South African market with their single “I’m Only Joking”, which has been on the university of Pretoria’s radio station, TUKS FM, across all three charts, including the Top 30 list for two weeks in a row. These four brothers, Jesse, Johnny, Dylan and Danny have music in their blood. Born in South Africa to the multi-million-seller, singer-songwriter, John Kongos, and raised in London, these brothers have been surrounded by music all of their life and it clearly shows in their music. With African rhythms and beats paired with a modern, western feel and lyrics that’s as anti-Bieber as possible, my mind immediately goes to “future Grammy winners” whenever I hear their music.
I had the opportunity to have a little interview with these guys and I must admit, I’m as excited as one of those silly teenage girls at an N’Sync concert way back when, so please excuse my optimism…
Monique: It’s quite obvious that Africa has inspired your music and I admit that it’s definitely a breath of fresh air in the mainstream market. However, I always have a feeling that you guys also drew some inspiration from Jimmy Hendrix’s, “Along the Watchtower” whenever I hear “I’m Only Joking”. This might be because of my obsession with Battlestar Galactica (the song featured in the remake) and yes, I just gave away that I’m a dork, but humour me… any relation to the Hendrix?
Kongos: No idea what the frak you’re talking about (wink wink). Hendrix didn’t directly influence I’m Only Joking but his guitar tone and raw vibe has played a part in our sound.
Monique: I’m sure that my readers would like to get to know you guys better, so who are you really? Who’s the pretty one and who’s the smart one? Who’s the romantic one and who’s the one that gets bullied by the others? Tell us a bit about yourselves, if you don’t mind?
Kongos: Jesse is the pretty, smart, romantic one and we all bully him for it. When we’re not working on band stuff, Dylan’s maintaining his organic vegetable garden, Jesse is making funny web-videos, Danny is photographing models and Johnny is pretending to set up lighting equipment at Danny’s photo shoots.
Monique: How’s the sibling rivalry in a band of brothers (see what I did there)? Do you fight a lot or is it smooth sailing and hassle-free?
Kongos: When we were younger, we got into lots of physical fights – bloody lips weren’t that uncommon haha. Nowadays there’s still some rivalry, arguments and inflated egos, but at the end of the day we all have the same goals in mind as a band and we don’t let anything get in the way of that, except for watching HBO’s The Wire.
Monique: A little birdie told me that you’re coming to South Africa for a concert! It’s obvious I’m excited, but will we be your only stop? Is there a world tour coming up in the near future?
Kongos: We are coming to SA! We’ll be there in Dec/Jan/Feb playing in JHB, PTA, CT, DBN and maybe more. We’d love to do a world tour… but first the world has to hear of us!
Monique: I’ve been listening to your music on Youtube for quite some time now and your hits have gone up plenty ever since your interview on TUKS FM. I admit, it may be me hitting up your count, but I’m sure you don’t mind that… When will your album launch and where can everyone get it?
Kongos: Don’t mind it one bit! Tuks has been amazing for us and our profile in SA. Our new album will be in stores early 2012 and we’ll also have advance copies at our shows.
Monique: What more can we expect from your upcoming album? Are all the songs available on Youtube and iTunes already or will you throw in a few surprises into the mix?
Kongos: For a limited time, five songs are available for free download at www.kongos.com. In addition to those, seven new and unheard tracks will be on the album.
Monique: I’ve not asked about your dad and frankly I think it would be quite unprofessional and unfair to try and compare KONGOS to him, purely because it’s a whole different market out there now. However what I would like to ask is whether or not he is involved in your music by any chance?
Kongos: He’s definitely involved. He and his music have influenced us heavily over the years. He also comes down to the studio and lends a fresh pair of ears, gives advice and critiques. He even mixes sound at our live shows!
Monique: A little question that’s not music related, but more Killer Aphrodite related… What are your favourite horror films? Don’t be shy… do you like them gory and bloody or are you more fans of the Hitchcock “suggestive” kills?
Kongos: A bit of both – if it’s going to be gory, I (Dylan) prefer them to be tongue-in-cheek, like Shaun of the Dead, True Blood, The Walking Dead etc. I actually find the more psychological thrillers scarier: classics like Silence of the Lambs, The Shining, Look Who’s Talking Now.
Monique: Anything else you’d like the readers to know or share with? I’m sure they’d like a review of your album or concert when they hit and all that, but what would you like to share with them now, while we anxiously await your arrival into stardom?
Kongos: We can’t wait to get out to SA, the support has been incredible! Very excited to play shows, have people hear our new material, and of course see some old friends and maybe get some holiday time too. Stardom? Rather than fame, love, world-wide recognition and money… well, when we say “rather than,” we mean “please give us.”
Now you all know who and what KONGOS are and why I’m starting to slightly get obsessed with their music. They’re all nice and more than willing to give some love and attention to their fans, which is always a good thing. You can check out their music video for “I’m Only Joking” after the jump and after that, be sure to check out where their next performances are… Buy a ticket! I might be able to squeeze in a review of their upcoming album and if you’re all good I might do a spread of one of their performances in December, but we’ll have to see where the road takes us. Anyway, get familiar with these cuties, because they’re not going anywhere any time soon.
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| 8pm | $10 | 21+ | w/ MERGENCE, The Technicolors, Huckleberry |
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| 8pm | R60 pre-sale (early special) R100 (Door) | 18+ | |
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| 12:00pm | R55 pre-sale, R65 door | ALL AGES | Fort Schanskop @ Voortrekker Monument |
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| 8pm | R60 pre-sale (early special) R100 (door) | 18+ | |
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| 8pm | R55 pre-sale R75 (Door) | 18+ | |
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| 8pm | TBD | 18+ | More details soon |
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| 7:00pm | TBD | 18+ | More details soon |
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| 5:00pm | Tune-in | ALL AGES | On-air interview and performance for 5FM |
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| 8pm | | | More details soon |
