Kix are currently in the studio with producer/songwriter Taylor Rhodes working on pre-production for the band’s new studio album, their first since 1995’s Show Business.
Last year Kix released the live package Live In Baltimore through Frontiers Records, with frontman Steve Whiteman stating, “This is a great thing for us and we hope it’s a great thing for Kix fans all around the world. We are so thrilled to finally be able to give the fans what they have been asking for, a live DVD and new Kix music in 2013! We have been hard at work getting new material together that we think will stand shoulder to shoulder with any previous Kix record. It’s a really exciting time!”
Since Kix’ return to the national stage in 2008 with appearances at two of the biggest rock festivals in the US, Rocklahoma in Pryor, Oklahoma and Rock The Bayou in Houston, Texas, the band has amassed a large number of successful live shows all across the USA, with regular appearances at festivals, casinos and biker rallys, culminating with headlining the hugely successful M3 Festival in Columbia, Maryland two years in a row.
Last year Whiteman told Sleaze Roxx, “As for the new studio record, we agreed to that for the sake of getting this DVD out — we felt that strongly about it. Funny Money was getting ready to record a new CD so I had a bunch of material lying around. Mark Schenker, our bass player, has a lot of material lying around and Brian Forsythe has some material for use for a new record. Our plan is to combine this music and put 25-30 songs together, throw them in the pot, work on them little by little, and see if we can turn them into Kix songs. If we can get 10-12 strong Kix songs together for an album the fans are going to love — then we’ll put it out. We look forward to promoting the new music — Kix is back and we’re going to be around for a while.”
Producer Taylor Rhodes has previously worked with Kix on the ‘Show Business’, ‘Hot Wire’ and ‘Blow My Fuse’ albums. He is best known for writing songs with Aerosmith, Ratt, Ozzy Osbourne, Loverboy, Cheap Trick, Tora Tora and others.
Kix currently consists of original members Whiteman, guitarists Ronnie Younkins and Brian Forsythe, drummer Jimmy Chalfant and newest member Mark Schenker on bass.
The only original member missing from the current line-up of Kix is Donnie Purnell. Whiteman explained to Sleaze Roxx why the bassist is missing, “When Kix disbanded in ’96 I started a band called Funny Money. In Funny Money I was given a vehicle where I could write my own material which was hard to do in Kix because Donnie controlled everything in that band. Getting anything onto a Kix record was hard to do because of that reason. I was finally able to write an entire album’s worth of material for my band Funny Money. There was a song that Donnie and I had written that I wanted to release, I called him up so he wouldn’t be blindsided by it and he tore into me. He called me every name in the book — he accused me of using his name and his talent and that I was taking the song from him. It was the most unpleasant and nasty conversation that I’ve ever had in my life. It was right then and there that I decided that I never wanted to go through that ever again. When it came time for us to reform and we performed some local shows it was our decision not to have him involved because we wanted to enjoy it and not have any pressure. Donnie would always add so much pressure to everything and it was just so unnecessary, so we decided to try it without him. To be honest I’ve never had a fan walk up to me and ask me, “Where’s Donnie? How come he’s not involved?” We were going out to play the old music — we could do that without him just fine.”
source: sleazeroxx.com
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Their two new songs to be on new album in spring of 2014 sound as good as their best stuff when Donny was writing the songs. Looks like these guys also have song writing abilty. Hard to tell Donny even left the band. Big fan ! Nobody touches their live performances, period !!!
The Kix situation is a prime example of the lack of artistic credibility with a lot of bands from this era here lately. Steve admits to basically taking material from different places lying around and trying to make it sound like Kix. The fact that Donnie Purnell wasn’t involved threw up a big red flag for me since I knew he was the key songwriter and creative force behind Kix from back when I would read the insert material on the classic Kix albums. Steve talks about no one asking about Donnie, but I don’t find that surprising since primarily he’s referring to the casual fan that comes up to him at one of these festivals in a cornfield somewhere. I can just see it now, some half-drunken chick pushing fifty walks up to him and asks, “hey can you play that song… oh what was the name of it… you know the one with that girl with the pills and MTV always used to play it back in the day?” Then Steve goes, “you mean Don’t Close Your Eyes.” Of course that sort of person isn’t going to care who is in the band and only knows their hits. It’s one thing to play these festivals and have people pump their fists to the songs they heard 25 years ago on the radio while drinking their Bud and revving their Harleys’, but it’s going to be another thing altogether when the album comes out and more than likely sounds like a bunch of contrived songs in an attempt to cash in on their former glory and namesake. People will then miss Donnie’s contribution whether they remember him or not and will still be begging to hear Midnight Dynamite. It’s like you can’t take the cola ingredient out of Coke and still rightfully call it Coke. There are a number of bands doing just that for marketing purposes that are now watered down shadows of their former glory without key creative players in the band: the current Guns ‘n’ Roses, both versions of Queensryche and Great White, Faster Pussycat, and even the current lineup of Kiss. This is just to name a few. Fortunately there will always be places for these bands to play their hits to the casual fan and people that just don’t know any better.
Used to see these guys at the Bayou and Hammerjacks. I even think I saw them once at The Power Plant….Donnie’s Bass riffs were/are ridiculous. Loved, Cold Shower. His contributions cannot be denied or diminished.
Moving forward…. if you don’t want to contribute, compromise and grow, then your left behind. Carry on current Kix members ….there seems to be a lot of fuel left in the tank.
Maybe you should wait to hear the album before condemning it. Donnie wasn’t the only talented guy in Kix. Funny Money, the Blues Vultures & Rhinobucket are all great bands & I have enjoyed seeing them live many times.
^totally agree Devon! they are all very talented.
Well if it does suck I wouldn’t blame it on Donnie not being there .
Their last release was 18 years ago !
Most bands from back then cant write good material anymore. Different time and place in their lives .
Funny Money was ok but, songs were forgettable . I dont even have the funny money music anymore I had.
Looking forward to the next Kix chapter! Talented musicians, great perfromers. Kix =high energy, simple as that. It does not have to be more complicated than that. Many of the greatest bands (Rolling Stones & Zeppelin) have totally different sounds when you listen to the first albums compared to the later albums. There is no market to chase at this time, no pressure, just the opportunity to make some rockin tunes!