New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The KONGOS Brothers eight-part docuseries, Bus Call is now streaming on Amazon Prime. The series is made up of hours worth of material taken over a period of 35 years. Produced by the KONGOS brothers (Johnny, Jesse, Dylan and Danny) themselves, this docuseries not only gives viewers a backstage look at the brothers' recording process and tour life, but it also tells a riveting story of the history of music in their family tree going all the way back to the 1950's when their grandmother bought their father, famed South African musician, John Kongos, his first guitar. Bus Call can now be streamed on Amazon Prime.
The Bus Call series is a three-year labor of love that features the writing and recording of over thirty songs, life on the road in over thirty countries, family struggles and triumphs, and the conflict and ultimate fall out with their major record label. "People always want to know what it's like on tour expecting to hear that it's one huge party and although there is a decent amount of that, we don't feel anyone has ever accurately portrayed what tour-life is really like until now," says Johnny Kongos. In the touring world, "Bus Call" is the time that you need to be on the bus because it's leaving for the next city, but that term takes on a greater meaning for KONGOS. This is a nomadic life where everything changes on a daily basis. The only constants are the people traveling with them. Those relationships are showcased through the series.
In making the docuseries, the KONGOS brothers decided to film everything while forgetting the camera was there in the process. "We really wanted it to be a compelling piece of TV in itself, not just a documentary for our fans or a puff piece for our music career," says Dylan Kongos. Their creative decision-making reveals a common theme in their band: the importance of authenticity. "Threaded through each and every episode is a whole lot of heart and at the very least aspires to be authentic in telling a bigger story about family that hopefully resonates with everyone whether they're a fan of our music or not," explains Jesse Kongos. "Every scene, every piece of footage, every argument, every joke and every one of the 30+ songs we wrote was chosen with that aim in mind."
Already gaining recognition from publications such as the Phoenix New Times, Music Connection Magazine and the Arizona Republic, Bus Call will quickly spread nationally in appeal. "Bus Call documents the highlights and lowlights...the camaraderie between the band and their unsinkable road crew," says Serene Dominic of Phoenix New Times. Tucson radio DJ, Beef Vegan at Rock 102.1 KFMA calls it, "authentic and honest...revealing and entertaining."
The KONGOS Brothers have continued the legacy of music in their family and became unanimously recognized in 2014 as one of rock's most infectious and invigorating new voices as their single "Come With Me Now" went RIAA double-platinum for sales in excess of 2 million and occupied the #1 spot at Alternative Radio for five weeks. Their music has been placed by HBO, FX, CNN, NBC Sports, ESPN, NFL, The Expendables 3, Universal Studios, Dodge Ram, Samsung Galaxy, American Idol, The Originals, MTV Movie Awards, Playstation 4 and more. Their videos have been viewed over 100 million times. They've hit the stage on Late Night With Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel LIVE!, The Today Show and more and also received acclaim from Rolling Stone, USA Today and many others.
Bus Call can be streamed now on Amazon Prime. Keep up with the KONGOS Brothers for the upcoming release of their album, 1929: Part 2 and future tour announcements by visiting Kongos.com.
