Interview with Kim Kix and Atomic Child of Powersolo

Powersolo is a punk/rockabilly trio (the railthin brothers Kim “Kix,” and Bo “Atomic Child” with drummer J.C. Benz) from Aarhus Denmark. This is their second North American tour supporting Heavy Trash. We sat down before their Chop Suey show to chat about their new album Egg, their love for American music and other music-good-times.

Before we could get right down to business Jon Spencer, Kim and Bo tried to organize their evening – where to eat, where to get J.C. Benz’s specs mended, and where the heck was their hotel? For some reason, unbeknownst to me, they conducted much of this planning in a British accent. We concluded that Kim was a very organized fellow, and has added “organized” to his name, making him: Kim “Organized Kix” Jeppesen. (I wonder if it will stick?)

NWMB: Who would you rather have sex with, Mary Poppins or the clock from Beauty and the Beast?

Bo: Who’s Mary Poppins?

NWMB: You don’t know who Mary Poppins is? Serious?

Kim: Neither. Pick someone else.

Tiny interruption for more evening preparation…the hotel is not walking distance.

NWMB: Why American Music?

Kim: I don’t know. When we first started listening to music, it happened accidentally. My mom had two Elvis records and that was the first time I ever heard something from over here. I liked it. We grew up in Tunisia in the early ’80s, so we didn’t really have that traditional upbringing, like any other teenagers. But we listened to music, and we liked music. But when we moved back to Denmark there was a new world to discover. We missed all that pop-culture while we were there [Tunisia]. We discovered things, so I guess we started listening to music in a different way. I remember being kind of a misfit. I didn’t have anything to refer to. I didn’t know nothing about nothing. It was starting from ground zero. Everything was new to me. Since I wasn’t able to really meld in with everyone else around me, because I didn’t know anything about anything, I started hanging out with people who are like me. You know, kind of loners who had their own thing going on, listening to strange music, wore black clothes, whatever else. I started listening to Joy Division, stuff like that. Later on I met some rockabilly people in the city and I discovered rock music. There was a certain look and style that I liked in that culture. I started wearing leather jackets, greasing up my hair and all that. I was young. It gave me identity. I liked the attention I guess. That was a way to get a little more attention from people. And since then It all sparked from there. I bought a drum kit, but I was a lousy drummer, then I bought a stand-up base and started playing and got together with a couple of guy. And Bo was into that same music style. We all got into that scene.

Bo: The first album I listened to were the Stray Cats. I never really got into any other music. It was just rockabilly and rock n’ roll. I just started listening to it, and that was it. It never crossed my mind to listen to anything else. That was the way it was. I never sat down and thought “pop music, or rockabilly, or metal?”

NWMB: I read that you started listening to Ike and Tina Turner. Have you started putting that in your music?

Kim: Yeah! Soul and R&B is part of our sound. We love soul. We worked together with Andre Williams on these records. So all these influence come from old music styles from the 50s to well in the 70s is a big part of it.

NWMB: What would you say is your favourite band of all times? Stray Cats?

Bo: I’m not into Stray Cats anymore. That just relayed into it. I like Hank Williams. That’s Country and honky-tonk.

NWMB: Favourite Danish band?

Kim: We don’t have any.

NWMB: I’ll put down Aqua then…

Kim: Aqua! I like the Tremolo Beer Gut, It’s a Dane surf band…

Bo: Baby Woodrose, is psychedelic band.

NWMB: Where did you learn to play?

Kim: I never learned to play.

Bo: I bought a guitar once at my school when I was 14. I bought it for $10. Before that I tried to learn drums. I played drums and then I got a guitar. I can’t read music.

NWMB: Can you read music?

Kim: No.

NWMB: Well that’s ok, ‘cause you can make music. Do you know when Egg will be available in the U.S.?

Kim: Yeah, next year.

NWMB: Do you think any of your songs from Egg are going to get radio play?

Kim: Probably not. But it would be nice. Sometimes you’re lucky. Sometimes you get play-listed. In Denmark it’s easier I guess. Maybe the college radios over here.

NWMB: You also said you can build houses with eggs. How?

Bo: How? It’s a strong material. An egg is very strong.The shape is a very very strong shape.

Kim: If you pile them.

NWMB: What is your favourite thing to eat with eggs.

Both: BACON. Bacon and eggs.

NWMB: Tomorrow is your last day in North America. Then what?

Kim: Back to Denmark. A few days of relaxing.

NWMB: You don’t have many breaks in your tour…

Kim: No. We don’t like off-days. You lose pace. It’s like bicycle-riders, they hate the off-days in the tour de France because the body becomes sore. You just have to keep going.

NWMB: So you did the East coast in the spring, and you are almost done the West coast. What did you like better?

Kim: We sold more records on the East coast. But the West coast was nice. I liked Arizona very much. It’s been nice. A lot of great fun. And we’re here with Heavy Trash, so it’s nice to be around and have good times. If it wasn’t for Heavy Trash we might not be here now because we don’t have an agent. We don’t have nothing really. We have our label. But we don’t have an agent for touring. You should write that in big letters. LOOKING FOR AGENT.

NWMB: Do you guys always get along? Do you think it’s easier to be in a band with your brother?

Kim: I think so, but I don’t know why it should do. We don’t have to talk much. We don’t have to discuss music really, it just happens. He knows my temper and I know his sweetness. I think we’re fortunate. Very fortunate.

NWMB: You’ve played huge festivals, and now you’re playing small bars again. What do you like better?

Kim: I like small bars. We just came from France and we played in a dungeon there.

Bo: And with a festival you’re always 40 feet away from the audience. And the high stages…

NWMB: So when you play, it gets really rowdy. Do people ever come up on stage? Do you let them stay?

Bo: Yeah. They come up and they want to dance. And they want to sing sometimes. If they know the lyrics, it’s good.

NWMB: Are you planning on doing anything for a new album?

Kim: Yeah. We’re going to work in January.

NWMB: Do you have any ideas about what you will be doing?

Kim: Yeah. But it’s way too early.

NWMB: Well thank you very much. We will be back to enjoy the show.

Both: Thank you.

www.powersolo.dk

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