Rex Brown (bass; Pantera, Kill Devil Hill), Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (guitar; Guns ‘N Roses), Brian Thomas Tichy (drums; Whitesnake, Queensryche, Ozzy Osbourne, S.U.N.) and Mark Zavon (guitar; Kill Devil Hill), all ended up contributing tracks on rock journalist Mitch Lafon’s KISS 40th Anniversary Tribute album for cancer care: “A World With Heroes.” http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/kiss40thtribute
LaFon approached each of them about participating in the project, and not only did they all want to support the cause, but they also shared a similar passion for 70’s era KISS. Rex and Tichy laid down bass and drums on Bumblefoot’s version of “Detroit Rock City” in which not only does Thal play all guitars, he sings all vocals. Tichy also tracked drums, backgrounds, rhythm and leads (along with Zavon) to Rex and Zavon’s version of “Larger Than Life,” which features Rex’s debut on lead vocals. The track can be streamed on the BandPage tab of the A.L.I.V.E.! Facebook page HERE!
When the emails started circling, it became apparent that they all shared the same love for KISS in the 70’s. After hearing the finished tracks, they were all amazed at how much Thal sounded like Paul Stanley and Rex like Gene Simmons on their respective tracks. Someone suggested it might be fun to play these songs live, and A.L.I.V.E.! was born!
According to Brown, “We each got asked to play on this tribute album to benefit cancer research. Obviously, it was for a great cause and we wanted to be a part of it, but I think it also came from a place of real passion too. Each of us were hugely influenced by KISS early in our lives, so the chance to play on those tracks was a real honor. After we’d heard what we’d recorded, we thought it would be a lot of fun to do it live. As it turned out, Mark and I had just finished recording the upcoming Kill Devil Hill album, and had a small window of time this summer before we head out on the road again. The timing perfectly coincided with breaks in Ron and Brian’s schedules as well, so we decided to put this thing together!”
A.L.I.V.E.! is a as much of of a “thank you” to KISS as it is a tribute. Brown, Thal, Tichy and Zavon won’t be in costume and greasepaint, making this even more of a true tribute to the music that changed them when they first heard it.”
Rex continues, “I remember I was in 7th grade & this chick had a copy of ALIVE! I swiped it & it changed the future of rock and roll as I know it!! They were like “gods” to this scrawny kid from Texas learning to play guitar!! They are one of the reasons I jam to this day!! I got to open up for them numerous times in stadiums & it’s the attitude and the songs, not the schtick, that I go back to every time!!”
Tichy adds, “I thought KISS ALIVE! was the loudest record ever when I first heard it! KISS was the first band I got into. Peter Criss was my first drum idol and he is where I started as a drummer! When the idea of all of us going for this together was brought up, we all reacted with unbridled excitement to how much fun and how powerful this could be! I can’t wait to play with these badass musicians I am proud to call friends!”
When asked about KISS’s influence on him, Thal said, “Hearing the KISS “Alive!” album at the age of 5 is what made me want to play guitar and join a band. I’m looking forward to playing the songs that launched my life!”
Zavon said, “When I was 14 I borrowed ‘Destroyer’ from the public library and have never been the same since.”
A.L.I.V.E.! will perform material off of KISS’s hugely influential “Alive!” and “Alive II” records as well as some of their personal favorites!
Rex Brown is celebrating his birthday on July 27th and the band have decided that would be a perfect time to launch A.L.I.V.E! The Rex Brown Birthday Bash featuring A.L.I.V.E.! will take place on the following dates:
Wednesday, July 24th – The Whiskey – Hollywood, CA
Thursday, July 25th – LVCS – Las Vegas, NV
Friday, July 26th – Shamrock’s Grill and Pub – Chino Hills, CA
For more information, please visit
https://www.facebook.com/AliveAnAllStarTributeToKiss
https://twitter.com/ALIVE_tribute
9 Responses
Hey dr .
Do you think these guys will play anything live from Sonic Shit or Monster LOL…….
How’s the Ki$$ Kool-Aid tasting today ?
Are you getting excited for you big Ki$$ show and the same lame setlist from 200+ songs to choose from ?
Hey bigsled, thank you for your question. The answer is that they actually played one song from each of those releases the other night. All 13,000 people seemed to enjoy them. Yes, 13,000 people, they played a larger State Fair than you must be accustomed to. Sorry you don’t like their ‘usual’ set list. I agree its terrible that a band that has been 40 plus years feels it should play the same classics like Deuce, Detroit Rock City, Love Gun, Shout it out Loud, I Love it Loud, God of Thunder, Black Diamond, Rock n Roll All Night, and on and on and on. That would be like if the Stones kept playing Start me up, Paint it Black, Ruby Tuesday….oh wait. Sorry they didn’t play God Gave Rock n Roll to you sleddy. They only played for two hours the other night plus encores and couldn’t squeeze more stuff in. Surprisingly, nobody at the show seemed upset about that. They were too busy yelling and screaming. But I’m sure they’re concerned that lately they haven’t measured up to your high standards and I’m sure you’ll hear Domino on their set list soon.