kid congo & the pink monkey birds: la araña es la vida

Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds’ fourth full-length for In The Red Records, La Araña Es La Vida feels the Mexican muse of The Great Spider Goddess of Teoticuhan, who sprouts hallucinogenic morning glories and protects the underworld—or in Kid’s eyes, the world of underground music. Recorded at The Harveyville High School gym in Kansas, this self-produced album finds guitar slinger and singer Kid Congo Powers (The Gun Club, The Cramps, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds), bassist Kiki Solis (Knife in The Water, Rhythm of Black Lines) and drummer Ron Miller (Switch Hitter, Up The Academy) joined by Chicano-Mosrite-playing guitarist Mark Cisneros (Medications, Deathfix).La Araña Es La Vida rocks ’n’ rolls its way through a planet of Glamazons (“Psychic Future”), blisters with the tricks of a “Magic Machine,” then gets to work out a low-rider groove on “Chicano Studies.” Tales of gender-bending disembodied heads, gente from La Puente and even a TCB-era Elvis-inspired rave up on “Karate Monkey” are merely a smattering of the mythic magic on this platter! The world is a wild and wooly place and with the help of La Araña Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds will continue to reflect it. Orale! Living La Vida Araña!