Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
"Bling Kong is definitely something you need to hear to believe -- think a hyper cross between the B-52s, Tony Basil and Andrew W.K., or the pep-band version of the Polyphonic Spree -- but it's even more of a sight to behold at one of Bling's circusy live shows: cheerleaders flailing about, drummers pounding away, guitarists shredding like madmen, the audio-visual guy doing, well, whatever audio-visual guys do." - Washington, D.C.
"Bling Kong is the work of more than a dozen New York hipsters gleefully misappropriating the fist-pumping anthems of arena rock, the foul-mouthed brazenness of commercial rap and the pompous heart of the power ballad--often within the space of one song ... With so much effort exerted by so many people--including four cheerleaders, a photographer, three drummers, a video DJ and some marketing masterminds--there must be a little sincerity hiding in there somewhere, right? Good luck trying to decide with all those pompoms and dance lines in your face." - Philadelphia, PA
"[Are] you charmed or suspicious? Your answer to that will correlate directly with how you’ll respond to their Go-Go’s-influenced, 'Grease Lightining'-riding, ‘80s-style, party-rock songs about beer-goggling, 'getting cock,' looking good, and so on." - New York, NY
"this is a band that writes what it knows, and what it knows is driving around the country, bringing rock to the people, and leaving behind litters of babies. With its Van Halen rock bravado and no-nonsense dirty lyrics, Bling Kong is the weird, particular mix of throwback/retro and utterly original that only New York City could produce....Not since you last visited the Planetarium has such a visual and aural majesty flooded your senses and awed you to weeping silence." - Buffalo, NY
It'd be too easy to dismiss Bling Kong as typically goofy NYC stuff -- probably has to do with the costumes, the cheerleaders, and perhaps the fact that every one of their songs seems to be about either sex or just being Bling Kong. But there may also be some veiled mind-fuckery going on, and even if neither you nor the band members care about that, the large group also has a batch of simple, crunching pop-rock tunes and [three] drummers. You cannot go wrong with [three] drummers and some rehearsing. - New York, NY
You'll be relieved to know that, unlike many bubbling-under groups you suddenly can't stop hearing about, they are really good: They're a hectic assortment of totally cute, totally dorky girls and boys who play melodic songs full of easy-to-decipher inside jokes and innocently crude cock-talk....they've only been together since 2003, but the 10-member posse are poised to become today's party band, the B-52's or Sly and the Family Stone of this decade. - New York, NY
Discography
Bling Kong II: "Do the Awesome" (September 2005, Redder Records)
Bling Kong I: "Greatest Hits" (Self-released)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Like most great ideas, Bling Kong started during a night of heavy drinking. Well, what I remember, says guitarist and vocalist Brad sizzler Bennett, is that we had been drinking since around noon, when Bling Kong began in its primitive state. We joked about how funny it would be to start a band to market t-shirts instead of making t-shirts to support a band.
Of course, the more they drank, the more the idea grew to epic proportions. Why have just one drummer when you can have two? Or three? Why have one lead singer when you can have seven? What over-the-top rock-stravaganza would be complete without a full squad of sexy cheerleaders taunting, teasing, and breaking hearts in perfect choreography? And, obviously, theyre going to need stylists and a video DJ to complete the look and live show.
Conceived in the spring of 2003, Bling Kong wrote, recorded, and self-released their first album Greatest Hits 3/16/03 5/20/03 in time for their sold-out debut performance that October. This set the precedent for a wave of near-capacity and sold-out crowds in New York City. By the following spring, Bling Kong took its live show on the road collecting rave reviews (and photos of their gorgeous faces) in Time Out New York, The Village Voice, The Boston Globe, The Boston Metro, Boston Phoenix, The Weekly Dig, and Gawker as well as snaring guest DJ appearances and radio interviews.
The Philadelphia Weekly describes Bling Kong as gleefully misappropriating the fist-pumping anthems of arena rock, the foul-mouthed brazenness of commercial rap and the pompous heart of the power ballad often within the space of one song. Far from your average rock show, Bling Kong somehow delivers stadium-sized concerts to cozy clubs across the Northeast. The complete experience provides an opportunity for its members and audience to embrace, parody, mock, and indulge in the guilty pleasures of sweaty rock excess.
But this is just the beginning: the 17 members of the Bling Kong extended family are creating their own empire. They have launched a clothing line on bkapparel.com, released a new exclusive single from their upcoming record on Emusic.com, and have just finished recording the epic Bling Kong II: Do the Awesome EP for Redder Records. The East Coast will be rocked in fall in support of the record. Prepare for total domination.
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