KK Dirty Money & Las Drogas narrative/biography

...a brief story of KK Dirty Money's rock n' roll exploits over the years...

Kyle Kipp (a.k.a. "KK Dirty Money") began formally performing rock & roll to audiences at the start of his 10th grade school year by forming the respectable rock trio Sin Embargo in Lapeer, Michigan in 1992. Over the next thirteen years, Sin Embargo performed live rock shows all over Michigan regularly every month and recorded a few albums of original music that could be classified as a vintage sounding, quick, progressive, smart, hard rock n' roll with a bluesy/punky edge to it.

Kyle, while still performing in Sin Embargo, relocated to the Ann Arbor in 2001 to complete his Masters degree. He then began waiting tables for extra spending cash and was soon donned with the nickname "KK Dirty Money" by his co-workers (in reference to the tip money Kyle scraped off his tables and quickly spent the following night for sketchy purposes). Kyle also formed the band Dirty Money in 2001 as a kind of faster/crazier alter-ego to Sin Embargo. Both Sin Embargo and Dirty Money played many shows together and even recorded a split full-length record together in 2002, until Dirty Money self-destructed in early 2003 (the band Sin Embargo, however, is still alive today).

By this time, KK Dirty Money was enjoying a renewed freedom and a desire for experimenting with different styles of music; a variation from the loud and fast rock he was used to playing. Kyle began doing solo shows by mid-2002 under the name KK Dirty Money; performing a slightly darker, rootsy style of music that focused more on catchy, song-oriented tunes. Aside from occasionally performing as a guest guitarist with the band Amygdela, Kyle also formed two other bands: an alterna-metal project called Powerstrippers and a honky-tonk-meets-trash-punk band by the name of The Stillhouse Six. Both groups were quite short-lived, not even lasting 6 months each, but they were an interesting outlet for Kyle at the time.

Meanwhile, Kyle's solo shows as KK Dirty Money would sometimes feature a rotating cast of guest musicians. He would often call his backing band for the night "Las Drogas". Hence, the band name KK Dirty Money & Las Drogas was born. Guest musicians included drummers (Sierra Nevada Parsons, Ed Stark, & Dave Wak), a baritone sax player (David Swain), harmonica (Jeff Kleiner)), bass guitar (Eric Kipp). Eventually, Kyle preferred the minimalistic sound of just Sierra Nevada Parsons' drumming to back his music. Thus, by the Fall of 2003, KK Dirty Money & Las Drogas solidified into a permanent band of just the two musicians, playing their brand of stripped-down, bare-bones existentialist music that came more from the scruffy underbelly of rock by drawing on dark and primitive 50's rock & roll, rockabilly and blues. Some listeners referred to KK Dirty Money & Las Drogas' sound as hobo-rawk, blackened-blooze, psycho-folk, cracker-punk, goth-a-billy, dirty grizzled outlaw-love-songs, etc.

Sierra Nevada Parsons eventually ended up filling the drummer position for Sin Embargo at the start of 2004. Even though Kyle was still referred to as "KK Dirty Money", the band KK Dirty Money & Las Drogas eventually streamlined the band name to simply "Las Drogas" in 2005. Interestingly enough, Sin Embargo and Las Drogas essentially hybrid and ended up playing many shows together featuring the same members of both bands and playing many of the same tunes as though the two entities were alter-egos of each other. The two bands could most often be seen at the legendary underground music dive known as the Elbow Room in Ypsilanti, Michigan where Kyle worked as a stage manager and soundguy for almost five years from 2002-2006. Las Drogas shared the stage with a number of respected touring bands such as Tally Hall, The Moaners, The Voodoo Organist, Living Blue, Dangerville, The Singles, Don Rader, Jim Roll, W-Vibe, Lanternjack, Broadzilla, Bible of the Devil, The Stapletones, The Sillies, The Elevations, and more.

In August 2005, Kyle Kipp parted ways with Sierra Nevada Parsons as she played her last shows with Las Drogas & Sin Embargo that month. In March 2006, Kyle employed his brother Eric Kipp (a.k.a. the Greeeze) as drummer for Las Drogas and played their first, and only, show together with this configuration that same month. Earlier that same month, Kyle formed a new incarnation of Las Drogas with drummer Alex King and bassist Caleb Fiser and started playing some of the same songs. After playing their first few shows, the band soon decided to establish a new identity under the band name The Ungodly 77s, later changing it to simply The 77s (aka, The Ypsi 77s). The 77s began their first studio recording at El Ojo in July 2006 and released it the following month.

The 77s quickly gained a small cult buzz in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti music scene as a notoriously raucous gang of swaggering rock n' roll soldiers not to be messed with. They soon found themselves branching out into the Detroit and Lansing music scenes and stretched as far from home as Port Huron; performing shows with such respected touring bands as The Hard Lessons, The Muggs, Lee Marvin Computer Arm, BR549's Gary Bennett, The Singles, Cuckold,Horse Cave Trio, Chapstik, Lord of the Yum Yum, Mr. Gnome, the Pussy Pirates, and more.

And so starts the massive "rock n' roll incest" of the 77s music scene...

Sometime during the late Spring of 2007, the soundman for the local Ypsi rock venue TC's Speakeasy, by the name of Chops O'Droski, had seen the 77s rock the venue out one night while he was working the sound board and he was convinced that, after considering so many other bands, the 77s was perfect for the realization of his longtime dream concept of Devil Elvis (a character Chops had been formulating for some time in which he was Devil Elvis: a darker, more kickass rock n' roll version of Elvis Presley that covered The King's tunes in a much more rip snortin' and barn burner style). O'Droski approached the 77s to be Devil Elvis' backing band and, thinking it sounded like fun, the 77s accepted. This new 4-man side project paying tribute to The King played their first show the weekend of the Michigan Elvis Festival, which takes place in Ypsilanti in mid-July. The show was a hit and they vowed to bring Devil Elvis & the Lesser Demons (as the other band members were dubbed by Devil Elvis himself) out for another performance around Halloween. Since then, Devil Elvis has been making rare appearances every few months, despite growing demand for the group.

During the summer of 2007, Kyle Kipp, Alex King, and Caleb Fiser all taught at DayJams rock music camp and a few 77s performances were had. Later, that October, Caleb played bass for the 77s for the last time as he prepared to move to Denver to be with his family. Kyle and Alex scouted for Caleb's replacement on bass guitar. Because the 77s were at a crossroads, so to speak, they decided to up the ante a step further and add not only a new bassist, but a second guitarist. This idea resulted from their interest in an Ann Arbor band called The Stonewall Saints, whom they were first acquainted with at a house party the 77s played earlier that Spring. Kyle and Alex were impressed with the young rockers' moxy and had even gotten them in on a couple rock shows the bands played together. The Stonewall Saints happened to be breaking up just as Kyle and Alex approached the band's guitarist, Casey Jones, and bassist, Joe Jones (collectively referred to as "the Brothers Jones"). The Jones Boys immediately and graciously accepted the chance to rock with the 77s' elder statesmen of rock.

As Caleb moved out of state, that also left a void in Devil Elvis' bass guitar slot. This slot was quickly filled by Box Taylor of Mazinga/Avatars/Powertrane "fame", after a convoluted course of events. Alex was actually tapped to fill the vacant drummer position in the floundering Mazinga (a "legendary" Ann Arbor punk band that had faded in and out of the local music scene for years) when Box Taylor happened to be watching a 77s show in Ypsilanti and was blow away by Alex's raw rock drumming power. Alex graciously asked the 77s if he could play drums for both the 77s and Mazinga, and the idea was embraced (as Mazinga had always been one of KK's favorite local bands, not to mention that KK had been personal friends with the guys in Mazinga for a few years already; note - the last solid drummer Mazinga had had was Don Blum, who went on to drum for the successful Von Bondies).

As Alex went on to drum for Mazinga, doors of opportunity began opening for him as he quickly assumed drumming positions for the following bands: Scott Morgan's Powertrain, Mitch Rider's backing band, The Assbutts, Christpuncher, and Gorvettes).

KK was also varieting his rock and roll outlets by joining the likes of The Sunday Painters, reviving Las Drogas, and forming the new band Hobo Train Wreck Suicide.

The Jones Boys also played in The Deadringers and Joe Jones had The F.A.S.

COME ON!!!

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