| Our Music
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(You are listening to Badger, Badger, Badger. We don't now how all these badgers suddenly
appeared on stage but they were not to be denied.)
The Khampas originated as a Grateful Dead cover band in the late 80's. Our original
songwriting and playing reflects a wider range of influences, you'll still catch a few Dead
standards sneaking into the lineup, but we're nothing without the sound of who we grew up with:
The Beatles. Kind of a gimme if you happened to be a member of this planet between 1960
and now. But the main lessons here have been to maintain some kind of pop sensiblities without being
cheesy, while stretching the music in as many directions as it will take you. The influence of
Lennon and Harrison's activism are an enormous reason why The Khampas are making the effort
to support
Student's for a Free Tibet. (Oh, and there was that psychedelic thing...) 
The Who. Jama said that every
close friend he's ever made in the world comes from the fact that at one point in their lives they
had been alone in a room with the stereo cranked up to 11 and their arms whipping out windmill
power chords. The only way anyone could instill that kind of passion is with lyrics that cut to the
heart and soul. Townshend has the ability to express years of teen angst multiplied by a decaying
social climate and wrap it up in a positive tone that begs you to go out and fight the madness.
Rock and Roll is The Khampa's religion and Townshend is the prophet. And as for the rest
of the group - most of the Millennium 'top 100' surveys had Moon as the #1 drummer and Entwistle as
the #1 bass player. Daltry drops sadly to the #3 or #4 on the greatest vocalist list. Very tough
company to keep in that group. 
Pink Floyd. Again, a band with no boundries, yet a compulsive drive for perfection in
the composition and execution of their material. And if you've never laid back in your bed all
gorded out listening to Dark Side of the Moon... well you might choose to see a different group.
Bon Jovi should be playing in your town soon. 
Monty Python's Flying Circus. Although not technically a 'band' these
British intellectual whackos serve as a litmus test for The Khampas. If you get Python -
you'll get The Khampas. The Pythons' were the main early impetus for our many trips abroad
(primarily so we could understand more of the skits) which has profoundly influenced our
songwriting. 
Sig
Snopek. Odds are that you probably haven't heard of old Siggy, but in the '70's and '80's Siggy
ruled the Milwaukee Rock and Roll scene playing club after club on a combination of booze, coke,
dope and bratwurst without ever missing a note. He was a master at any instrument ever invented and
eventually recorded an album with the Milwaukee Symphony. He was the first 'Rock Star' any of us
ever met and even though he convinced us to haul his gear amid non-kept promises of remuneration,
it all seemed to pay off when our hero was signed on to be the keyboard player for The Violent
Femmes. If you know The Femmes you'll notice that they do not, in fact, have a keyboard player as
Siggy blew out after just one tour. Despite all his shortcommings we all secretly admired the hell
out of the guy. 
Frank
Zappa. Besides being a virtuoso player and the greatest Rock and Roll composer of all time,
Frank stood up for shit. He never backed down even when he had the Congress of the United States on
his ass. He was a straight shooter which pissed the hell out of anyone dumb enough to try to
confront him on ANY issue because Frank had twice the IQ of anyone he ever spoke to. The
Khampas owe much of our fighting spirit to FZ. 
Chicago. The city, not the band! Growing up just an hour north of the
greatest Bluez city on earth has left its impression on us, as well as everyone who's ever picked
up a gitbox. We could go on listing all the guitar heroes we've had over the years (Garcia,
Clapton, Paige, Stevie Ray, etc.) but they are standing on the shoulders of giants and those giants
all played in Chicago. 
King Crimson. Just a mind wrecker of a band. Belew, Levin, Fripp and Bruford have left
us floored every time we've had the privilege of witnesing one of their shows. We STILL don't know
what the hell they're playing or how the hell they play it. Townshend said the first time he saw
Hendrix he knew he was seeing something he would never be able to touch. It's been 20 years since
we first laid our ears to the stuff and we still can't lay a finger on it. If you play an
instrument... try on King Crimson for a night. You won't be the same afterwards. 
The Funky Meters This New
Orleans Funk outfit is the latest influx into The Khampa's dharma (although they've been
playing for 30 years!). We're still learning how this stuff works, but all we know is that when we
whip out the Sissy Strut these days - it's comin' from another universe and we think the vortex is
N'awlins! 
and
more...There's plenty more out there that we've covered and really respect (Neil, Allmans,
Police, Marley, Phish, Carlos, String Cheese, Cobain, Dr. John...) but the list of who we 'like'
might go on forever. If you dig any of the stuff we've listed above - you'll really dig the sound
of The Khampas.
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"Information is not knowledge;
knowledge is not wisdom; wisdom is not truth; truth is not beauty; beauty is not love; love is not
music. Music is the BEST!" - Frank Zappa | |
