My Feral Kin

My Feral Kin took root in the artistically fertile DIY soil of Phoenix, Arizona, and is currently one of the promising groups across the country tapping into a more tropical sound born of non-English-speaking folk traditions. Stands to reason: Julio Mendoza Jr., Kin's primary creative force, is the son of...

By Tom Murphy

July 17, 2008

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My Feral Kin took root in the artistically fertile DIY soil of Phoenix, Arizona, and is currently one of the promising groups across the country tapping into a more tropical sound born of non-English-speaking folk traditions. Stands to reason: Julio Mendoza Jr., Kin's primary creative force, is the son of a Venezuelan immigrant; he grew up listening to music that most of his Anglo peers probably had no idea existed. As a result, My Feral Kin doesn't sound like anyone else, and yet it sounds like what an indie band might sound like if it didn't have to fall back on the usual influences. The music is equal parts indigenous folk and avant-garde jazz, with a character as wild as the name suggests.

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Tom Murphy is a writer, visual artist and musician from Aurora, Colorado. He was a prolific music writer for Westword and a documenter of the Denver music scene.

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