KONGOS was one of four Phoenix rock bands chosen by the New Times to play in the Summer Of Sound concert series, opening for national act, Sugarcult, with the audience favorite to be named “Best Rock Band of Phoenix.“

KONGOS won with 41% of the vote! As a result we’ll get a write-up in the annual New Times Best Of Phoenix issue and attend some sort of award ceremony.

THANK YOU TO ALL THE FRIENDS AND FANS WHO SUPPORTED US!

Here are some clips from the Show:

Valley band Kongos is made up of four brothers, raised in England and South Africa, who blend a love of Beatle-esque pop, jazz, progressive rock and electronic music into their distinctive sound.Brandon Quester Special to Get Out

Local spotlight: Kongos deftly blends influences for a complex, catchy CD

By Chris Hansen Orf, Get Out

May 10, 2007

Back in 2004, Kongos released what was one of the most impressive EPs in recent Valley music history, a debut containing five songs that were at once brimming with pop hooks yet dizzying in their musical complexity, and the best thing about it was that the band had already begun work on a full-length follow-up CD.

Long-awaited releases are nothing new in the annals of pop music. It took Beach Boys genius Brian Wilson 37 years to finally release “Smile,” and rock fans are still waiting, after nearly 15 years, for Guns N’ Roses guru Axl Rose to release “Chinese Democracy.”

But 2005 and 2006 ticked by with no CD from Kongos, leaving Valley fans and music critics who gushed over the band’s EP to wonder, “What’s going on?”

“We felt like we were almost there with the EP,” says drummer and songwriter Jesse Kongos, who is joined in the Paradise Valley-based band by his brothers Dylan (vocals, guitar), Daniel (guitar) and John J. (keyboards, accordion).

“But we felt we had so much to learn in the meantime — everything from production to the performances — we felt like we just needed to grow a little, so it took a long time because we were doing everything ourselves.”

The band’s self-titled debut full-length CD was finally released in early 2007, and the wait has been worth it. Kongos sounds like no other band, not just in the Valley, but in the whole of mainstream rock music, blending elements of Beatlesque pop, hard-rock riffs, jazzy interludes and the atmospheric rock of bands such as Coldplay and even Pink Floyd, sometimes all in the same song, such as in the standout tracks “Remember Me” and “The Way.”

“Since we didn’t have an outside producer, someone that was skilled in the engineering and the production part of it, we had to learn that process throughout the album,” says Dylan Kongos of the long recording process, which included multiple takes and re-workings of several songs on the disc.

The brothers, who range in age from 18 to 25, literally grew up in their home studios. Their dad is John Kongos, the South African-born and Britain-based singer/songwriter who scored two Top 5 singles in the U.K. in the 1970s with “He’s Gonna Step on You Again” (recently covered by Def Leppard) and “Tokoloshe Man.”

With the complexity of the studio album, how does the band pull everything off live?

“We’ve found ways between the two guitar players and with all the keyboard sounds to basically cover everything,” explains John J.

Besides playing Valley clubs, Kongos has played to enthusiastic crowds at L.A.’s Viper Room and hope to jump on the road this summer with a touring act. And the band has begun work on a new disc.

Valley music fans can only hope it doesn’t take another three years to make.

>> Kongos perform 6 p.m. Saturday, May 12, at Club Red, 2155 E. University Drive, Tempe. $3. (480) 966-4733 or myspace.com/kongos

By Robert Silverstein for Twentieth Century Guitar
Speaking of glaring omissions from the Elektra box, 36 years ago, London-based John Kongos released one of that label’s most illustrious progressive pop imports. Entitled Kongos, that ‘71 John Kongos album on Elektra featured amazing production of Gus Dudgeon and excellent guitars by Caleb Quaye. Also simply titled Kongos, this 2007 CD is the debut group recording of John’s four sons—Dylan Kongos (vocals, guitar), Jesse Kongos (drums), John J. Kongos (keyboards) and Daniel Kongos (guitars). With their famous father as executive producer and on backing vocals, the 2007 Kongos is a cool and entertaining spin that evokes their dad’s adventurous ‘71 Kongos album yet stakes out some new musical terrain one generation down the line. With the Kongos clan all based in Arizona these days, it’s even more enlightening to witness the inherent wealth and musical aptitude in the new Kongos generation. The songs stick, the vocals are compelling and that Kongos beat can still mesmerize. www.kongos.com

Write-up for Phoenix New Times Summer Of Sound concert:

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Kongos
It took all of 22 seconds of the Kongos’ self-released EP to realize they were courting musical greatness — and it only took that long because eleven of those seconds were spent hunting the jewel case wondering, “Who are these guys?’ Four brothers hailing from London via South Africa, born and raised with a recording studio in their home and music swirling all around them at all times, they were able to dream up a pop-prog-rock world music sound you wouldn’t expect from such a young group and one that no “how-would-you-market-that” elders appear to be attempting. After finally releasing a full length after more than a year of fine-tuning and re-recording tracks, you might expect the Kongos’ zeal for perfect sound might prevent them from playing out. Not only do they recreate the brotherly harmonies, the airy pedal steel, and the richly textured keyboards of that wonderful record with a minimal amount of pre-recorded input, but Kongos inhabit that sound, taking a bar of seemingly indifferent patrons to the place where they conceived this music in the first place, and making them feel like there was a place in it for them, too.– Serene Dominic
Phoenix New Times

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KONGOS was voted one of the 4 best rock bands in Phoenix by the New Times music staff, and we’ve been chosen to play the Summer Of Sound Series on May 12th with the other three bands, opening for Sugar Cult.HERE’S THE IMPORTANT PART: The audience favorite, wins the New Times ‘BEST OF PHOENIX ROCK BAND’ … so, if you only go to one KONGOS show in your life … you’re lame, but make it this one!

DETAILS:BUY TICKETS
Where: Club Red - 2155 E University Dr, Tempe, Arizona 85281
When: Saturday, May 12th - 6pm

With Sugar Cult, Antique Scream, Crash Street Kids and The New Romantics

ADD Summer Of Sound!

KONGOS - KONGOS

When a father with a prestigious musical past announces that his sons are forming a band, the percentage of success is usually smaller than it should be as the children struggle to do justice to their parents’ name. Happily, Kongos, the quartet of sons of 1970’s singer/songwriter John Kongos (he of ‘He’s Gonna Step On You Again’ and ‘Tokoloshe Man’ fame) are an immensely talented bunch of individuals. The music may reek of old-fashioned excesses in its arrangements, rock histrionics and balladry but rarely has this been done in such an exciting way.

Twenty year-old Dylan Kongos’ vocals are blessed with the maturity of someone twice his age, youngest sibling Daniel’s guitars are strident and melodic, John J is the king of the keys whilst Jesse handles drums and main songwriting duties. What songs they are too! Wondrous centrepiece ‘Another Daydream’ is superbly arranged, ‘I’ve Been Here Before’ is all over the place musically but brilliantly so whilst ‘What About You’ is a piano-led finale with an unforgettably haunting melody and another genuine spine-tingler. As well as the incontestable youthful talent, what impresses even more is the controlled emotional outpourings: the vulnerabilia of ‘The Trouble Is’, the sense of loss on ‘Nothing’ and the stunning ballad ‘Curious’. Suffice to say, Dad must be very proud indeed.

	Track Listing
01	In The Music
02	The Trouble Is
03	The Way
	Curious
05	Remember Me
06	Another Daydream
07	Nothing
08	I’ve Been Here Before
09	Make Your Mark
10	What About You
= Standout Track