General Chat / K0NG.. RIP

I know I'm late, but I just wanted to pay my respects to K0NG and his friends and loved ones...

Also late to the party, but sad to hear about this, my thoughts are with his friends and family, and I'm thankful for the mentoring he gave me and Scoop back in the day.

Hello and Good Morning,

 

I stumbled across this forum during a search and decided to register and post herein. I worked as a guitarist in K0ng's metal band called Maxxon Axxe. We met during an audition back in July of 2017. We started collaborating and I became parts of Keli's "Post-Apocalyptic" metal band. Our debut was to be at Mojave Wasteland Weekend in September of 2019. 

 

Keli (K0ng as he liked to be called) and I wrote about 15 original songs for this band's debut. We worked together in his home studio on a regular basis here in SoCal. We would rehearse, write and B.S. there. Often, he would interup rehearsal to watch cool videos, or re-runs of mad Max, which his musical character was based upon. My 10 year old son would go with me often, and K0ng always made him feel very welcome. K0ng was a bit gruff at times, but had a heart of gold and was very kind to children. K0ng spoke often of his kids and how much he loved them.

 

K0ng also had a son from his youth (when he was only 17) that he spoke very highly of, although they had only seen each other a few times. 

 

In November of 2019, I had to step away from the project for a few months. I am a session musician, and my workload at the studio was making my 70 mile round trip commute (in traffic this can take 2-3 hours) to Keli's Sun City studio very difficult. We agreed to meet back up after the holidays to get the music project up and rolling again.

 

I remember K0ng was found of rolling his own tobacco cigarettes. So, each time I arrived for rehearsal, it would involve watching videos of several local bands, while waiting for him to roll up several "smokes" that would sustain him throughout our sessions. 

 

K0ng was the lead singer in a Sunset Strip band called "Mutiny" back in the 1980's. He transitioned to bass - an instrument that he loved dearly - and became a member of Los Angeles Based "August Redmoon." K0ng played in several L.A. based bands and was widely known as a bassist for hire in the music community.  

 

On February 4, 2019, K0ng had a normal day. Woke up, served his wife coffee, talked with her for a while, then went out in his studio to work on some music. Sadly, K0ng suffered a massive heart attack and passed away while seated at his mixing console. Needless to say, I was saddened to learn of this news.

 

I was one of the pall bearers at K0ng's funeral, along with one of the original members from August Redmoon, Gary Winslow and a couple of friends. he was laid to rest at Meneifee valley Cemetery, 26770 Murrieta Rd, Menifee, CA 92585.

 

About a year after his passing, his wife and I spoke about his musical equipment. I suggested that she donate the equipment to Rockstar's of Tomorrow in Norco, California, in his honor. Currently, all of K0ng's musical equipment is there being used by kids aspiring for a career in music.

 

At some point, my plan is to revive Keli Wilde's Maxxon Axxe and the songs we wrote together, for a memorial performance at Mojave Wasteland Weekend. 

 

Attached is a photo of K0ng's final place of rest with one of my Les Paul's and my hat.

 

Here's wishing you all the very best in everything that you do...

 

 Keli's Grave.jpg (437.77KB)
downloads: 49

Here's a shot of K0ng on bass with August Redmoon...

 

 K0Ng With August Redmoon.jpg (101.42KB)
downloads: 69

 

 

Thanks for dropping by. There was a lot of friction between K0ng and many members here, but his passionate personality was evident - sometimes (if not often) resulting in friction. Despite our troubles and the awkwardness of K0ng having been banned here for years, learning that he passed away was sincerely awful, and it's making me sad again now.

 

Of his rockstar life we only heard bits and pieces, it's nice to read a bit more about this. I'd enjoy hearing his music.

 

\m/

Thanks so much for taking the time to register and share.

I'm glad he was able to find success with his music and it's touching to know that his equipment will be used to help inspire young musicians.  We were perhaps a small part of his life here, but he certainly left a big impression on the community and I think many will be pleased to hear he was surrounded by people who supported him for all of his big ambitions.

K0ng was one that spoke his mind without hesitation. This caused a lot of friction at times. He was very kindhearted. A woman showed up at his funeral and spoke. She said that 18 years ago, K0ng reached out to her Son when he was living down by San Diego and made a very big and lasting impact on his life,at a time when her son was struggling with drugs and other problems. 

 

I can recall Kong and I sitting in the studio drinking beer and a neighbor came to ask if he could borrow a pipe wrench to fix a plumbing problem. K0ng just grabbed some tools and asked to be shown the problem. K0ng fixed it right away. He refused the money offered him. He was just that kind of guy.

 

K0ng wasn't a touch-feely guy. The common greeting was a fist bump. He was gruff. K0ng was fiercely opinionated. He was not openly religious, but spoke of his belief in God and the afterlife. He hated meanness and violence. His gruff nature rubbed many the wrong way, but I got to know him on a very personal level.

 

We would often watch Mad Max and the other films in the Mad Max series. K0ng loved the whole post-apocalyptic drifter theme, and that was who he based his musical character on. He also wrote music from that perspective.

 

One thing that was very interesting was his love of roller coasters. He would often use a roller coaster as an analogy for a musical discussion. I have many Facebook Messenger messages from him still. One of them says, "You need to play that solo just like a roller coaster ride, Man...Slow build to the summit and wildly fast down the other side."

 

K0ng never spoke about this forum, and I just happened upon this by accident one night. But K0ng was passionate about everything that he did.

 

I certainly enjoyed meeting and working with him. He is remembered as a good guy...

 

 Keli Wilde.jpg (52.22KB)
downloads: 33

Thank you for sharing. I always liked the guy and enjoyed having him around. As a fellow musician, I'm very glad to see his equipment put to good use.

Take care

Josh

Thank you for sharing. I always liked the guy and enjoyed having him around. As a fellow musician, I'm very glad to see his equipment put to good use.

Take care

Josh

 

Here's where his equipment went too:

 

http://rockstarsoftomorrow.com/ 

I knew Keli well online and ended up meeting him in person once to shoot a game of pool. Very unique guy for sure and I think often misunderstood, especially here. We built one of my favorite parks together.

It's good to read that he died doing what he loved. Thanks for stopping by.

Belated reply, but thanks for stopping by. Keli and I would often talk via messenger and I got to know him fairly well. I always enjoyed our conversations, though they became more sporadic as friction within the community sparked. Regardless, I'm glad to hear that he continues to make an impact in the community with something that he was fond of. I really wish we had been able to formally meet up.