Queen is Drawing a Fine Line Between Tribute and Exploitation - by Colin Gawel

Brian May & Roger Taylor Should Let Freddie Mercury Rest in Peace.

I finally made it out to see the movie Bohemian Rhapsody. In fact, I saw it the night before the Oscar awards were chosen. I had been resistant to seeing the movie because as most Queen fans and certainly all of my music snob friends know, the film is basically BS. I’m not going to go through the whole thing, but if you need one example, Freddie Mercury had not been diagnosed with AIDS before the band’s legendary Live Aid performance. If you are rock n roll fan like myself, that is a troublesome bit to work around.

Still, I went into the theater beer in hand, ready to enjoy the dish Hollywood was serving. I told myself “Lighten up, this is just like a big, glorified VH1 movie. You love those.”  And you know what? I loved it. I mean, I literally turned to my wife during the opening scene when Freddie was getting ready to go onstage at Wembley and said, “This is awesome, I already love this.” Obviously, Rami what’s-his-name killed it in the lead role, which really helped too.

When I shared my thumbs-up review later that night on social media, my opinion was met with a resounding thumbs-down. I couldn’t really argue with the critics, I just enjoyed the movie. It’s funny, I never considered myself a huge Queen fan (relative to the other Queen fans I know), but I suppose - compared to the rest of the general public - I’m relatively hardcore. As a kid taking the bus down High Street every weekend to blow my paper route money on used records, I bought almost every Queen album. Hell, I even bought the soundtrack to Flash Gordon the day it came out and saw the movie opening weekend too. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, consider yourself less of a Queen fan than myself. Still, I never saw them live so I’ve spent countless hours watching YouTube footage and the famous Live Aid show itself probably.….35 times? And I even went to that Queen play. It was pretty good. (editor’s note: Huh? WHAT Queen play? I’m simultaneously fascinated AND appalled. And check out the rest of our music page here)

Another random Queen fact: My favorite song is Dragon Attack.

So you get the gist: I like Queen and damn the torpedoes, I like the movie Bohemian Rhapsody too.

However…. the next night when the Oscar’s opened the show with Queen performing and Adam Lambert playing the role of Freddie, something about it made me queasy. It was one thing for the band to go out and play with (gulp) Paul Rodgers and now this latest line-up when they were kinda, sorta under the radar, but in light the of the movie’s success it felt really tacky. I felt gross watching. I felt bad for Freddie. This was his band. And now they are going on another huge tour, without him. From the tour press release:

“This is a great opportunity,” May said. “Our last tour featured our most ambitious production ever, and got us our best notices ever.”

Really, Brian? “Our best notices ever.” So you guys are better without Freddie Mercury? I mean Lambert does a fine job, but what’s next? In the future will Adam Levine be fronting the Stones on their final tour in honor of Mick? The line Queen is drawing between tribute and exploitation is getting increasingly blurry.

The surviving members taking yet another victory lap after this huge theatrical success feels disrespectful to Freddie. And to the legacy of the band. Of course it smacks of a money grab, but even worse, a glory grab. Right now Queen is the most popular they have ever been. It’s time for them to stand down and let people remember them as the band fronted by Freddie Mercury. Not by Adam Lambert or Paul Rodgers or Rami Malik or anybody else. They twisted Freddie’s life to make this movie. He brought them fame & fortune and everything that goes with it.. And this is how you thank him? Brian May and Roger Taylor should stand on their history and let Freddie Mercury rest in peace: remembered as the amazing lead singer of the rock band Queen. - Colin G.

Colin Gawel wrote this at Colin’s Coffee. He also plays in the band Watershed and The League Bowlers. Below is one of his favorite Queen clips and one example of how future generations should remember the band.

Bonus video!!! They don’t really show this side of the band in the movie, but I would guess that metal fans were the majority of Queen fans right up until around Live Aid. Then the pop fans sorta took over. Still, all true headbangers respect the band. Dig the clip below for a taste why.

Concert Review: The Glorious Sons w/ Liily and JJ Wilde - by JCE

Well, some concerts are just better than others, you know? Sometimes it has a lot to do with who you went to the show with, how much you had to drink, what mood you were in, or whatever. But every now and then, you go to a show that you know without a doubt was one of the best shows you have seen. Ever. Here’s my story about one of those shows.

On January 18, 2019 I went to see The Glorious Sons w/ Liily and J.J. Wilde at DC9 Nightclub in Washington, D.C. I had discovered the Glorious Sons, who are from Canada, when they went on tour with The Struts. They did not play the Lynchburg, VA date that I saw last year, but originally they were supposed to, so I looked into them. After hearing their music, I was very disappointed that they didn’t play that show and I have wanted to see them ever since. When I saw they were going to play DC9, a club I had never been to, I figured it might be worth it, even on a Monday night. I bought tickets for a mere fifteen bucks the day they went on sale. I hope I don’t bore you with the whole story of my night, but I’m going to tell it because I want to savor the memory of one of the best shows I have seen.

I went to the show with my awesome wife. Like I said, we had never been to this venue. Upon entering, it was a small bar with a few booths, cracked vinyl upholstery, pretty run-down looking (which for me is usually a good sign when it comes to rock n roll clubs). The music is played upstairs, so after waiting a few minutes, we were allowed up a steep narrow staircase. They took tickets at the top of the steps and there were “sold out” signs everywhere. We walked into a tiny space with a stage in the corner and a bar in the back. There was a sign that said capacity 149. One Hundred and Forty-Nine!!!

There was still some room in the club at this point and there was a girl standing next to us talking with her friends that was wearing white high top Converse and midriff shirt. She looked cool. Moments later she and her bandmates walked onto the stage—she was J.J. Wilde. From the very first guitar chord I was hooked. Ms. Wilde could sing, she had amazing eyes and the songs were killer. I was completely blown away. If I had left after their short set it would have been worth it. They have only one song released, called “Wired” and it’s a good one, but it doesn’t capture how good they were live.

I took these two shots of JJ Wilde with my outdated phone…

These two black and white photos from the show were posted on Facebook, so I guess they are fair game… just in case, they are by Shots From The Dark Concert Photography.

After the first set had me completely mesmerized, next up was Liily. These guys were super-manic and very original, I thought. Their music was a little bit of a wall of sound, but I found them to be very entertaining. Anyway, they were pretty good. They definitely did not kill the momentum of the show at all. I felt like me & my wife and 147 of our closest friends were all there just being treated to the best rock n roll show ever.

As an aside, between the second band, Liily and The Glorious Sons, I went to the bar for more drinks. The line was pretty deep so it took awhile. I happened to be next to the guitar player from JJ Wilde’s band. I told her how much I liked the set and she introduced herself, her name is Jackie. Jackie wore a Ramones t-shirt and a jean jacket, and that, combined with her hairstyle, made me think of the Runaways. She referred to JJ as Jill, so now I know what one of the J’s stands for. Jackie was super-nice. She asked about how I came to be at this show and she told me about her Dad and how he collected tons of music like I do. (I suspect I am likely about as old as her Dad…..)

Next up of course was the main attraction. The Glorious Sons were so damn good, I’m not sure I can explain how great they really were. As I watched what I now consider to be a world-class rock n roll band, I thought about how amazing it was to see them in such an intimate setting. I then realized that I was actually very glad that I did not see them open for the Struts. I was definitely meant to see this band in this place on this night with these opening acts. The stars aligned to deliver what I believe live rock n roll is meant to be. Unbelievable. Again, some photos are mine and some from the professionals:

I took these four that turned out pretty well.

These black and white photos by Shots From The Dark Concert Photography are awesome.

They capture the raw power…

The Glorious Sons have two records out, both excellent. Although they left out two songs I would have liked to hear, they played most everything I could have wanted, and also the best version “Praise You” (by Fat Boy Slim) that I can imagine. Here’s what I think I remember:

APPROXIMATE (not in order) SETLIST FROM DC9 NIGHTCLUB 2/18/2019

The Union

Godless, Graceless and Young

My Poor Heart

Mama

S.O.S. (Sawed Off Shotgun)

Josie

White Noise

Everything Is Alright

Hard Times

Man Made Man

Come Down

Hide My Love

Praise You

Kill the Lights

There are a few shows that leave me overwhelmingly happy, that keep me smiling for days on end. This was one of them. Go see The Glorious Sons. - JCE

Ricki C. and JCE (John, to his friends & family) first bonded over their shared mutual love of Boston's Finest Sons - The Neighborhoods - and everything extended out from that rock & roll ripple.  JCE lives in Culpeper, Virginia with his wife & daughter, and he & Ricki are STILL waiting for the long-rumored NEW Neighborhoods record to be released. Maybe in 2019.

Kiss Army Radio Goes to the Scorecards - by Colin Gawel

Hey Kiss Fans - Google “Kiss Pencilstorm.” You are welcome.

So far Pencilstorm has published two stories on Sirius Kiss Army radio. The first by Ricki C. saying how much he hates it, and the second by Scott Carr saying how much he loves it. So right now, the judges have it split down the middle. As luck would have it, I’m now prepared to become the deciding vote.

It took a fortuitous chain of events to put me in this position. See, I don’t have satellite radio (anymore) so I had been missing all the fun. Or not fun, depending on whether you love or hate Kiss. First, my son’s basketball tournament on President’s Day was suddenly moved from 4:30 pm to 11:30 am. This sort of thing happens to freshman teams, as they are low on the hoops food chain.

The upshot was that parents were scrambling to get the kids out to the game on time so I called Biggie and borrowed the Watershed van so I could help out and just drive the whole team there. Once behind the wheel I noticed the Satellite radio had been turned back on and immediately started looking for KISS Army radio. I couldn’t find it and assumed that it ended the day before because that is what Scott had said in his article.

The next morning at the coffee shop my pal Mark stopped in and said “Make mine to go, they are playing the entire Whisky Au Go Go show on Kiss radio, I want to get back out to listen.”

“Whaa?? It’s still on?”

“Yup, it’s on a specialty channel so you have to know where to look. It’s channel 30.”

Sonic Boom. I was in the game.

I picked up Owen from school blasting KISS. I took Owen to baseball blasting Kiss. I took Owen to basketball blasting Kiss. I picked Owen up from basketball blasting Kiss. You get the idea.

I’ve enjoyed many of the XM/Sirius specialty channels over the years, especially Springsteen and Petty. But even I was surprised how much I enjoyed listening to Kiss radio. The playlist crosses all eras and even the stinkers are fun because you know a good one must be coming up. And the programming seems to have a sense of humor. How else do you explain God of Thunder (Live) followed by Shandi? Even Owen laughed as I screamed “Bow down and kneel before the God of Thunder” as I cranked Shandi to ear-shattering volume. Or as loud as you can crank a song from Unmasked.

Other things I heard off the top of my head:

Paul talking about his friendship with Johnny Ramone as an intro to the KISS cover of Rock n Roll Radio / Strutter / Tomorrow / Room Service (live) / King of the Night Time World (Live) / Dreaming / Gene explaining how silly he feels being dressed up like the demon singing the disco do do do do do part of I Was Made for Loving You / Flaming Youth / Tears Are Falling / A World Without Heroes ( I explained The Elder disaster to Owen) / Who Wants to Be Lonely / Do You Love Me / New Your Groove / Nothing to Lose (Kiss Unplugged) / Got to Choose / What Makes the World Go Round? / Danger Us / Detroit Rock City (Kiss Symphony).

They also mixed in bands who had opened for Kiss and I had the good fortune of hearing AC/DC’s Let There Be Rock and Tom Petty’s Breakdown. Though I’m secretly hoping for a New England track since they opened for KISS at my first show in 4th grade. Owen brought up a band he saw open for Kiss at one of the three times he has seen them and said, “That was worst band I’ve ever seen. It was like me and three friends up there playing. How did they get that gig?” My reply? “They probably paid Gene.” **

I’m grinning just trying to remember all of this.

KISS is fun. The good and the bad. It’s all just fun. I suppose I could imagine a world without heroes, but I’d have a hard time picturing a world without Kiss. That wouldn’t be any fun at all.

The scorecards are in and Kiss Army Radio wins in a majority decision.

Colin Gawel founded Pencilstorm and wrote this on a snowy day at Colin’s Coffee. The fact that he skipped town last Mother’s Day to attend a Kiss expo in no way influenced his opinion.  

** editor’s note: After a little research the band Owen was referring too was The Envy. After reading this depressing post on their website from 2013 I felt bad Owen gave them such a harsh review. No hard feelings guys, he was 8 and waiting for Kiss to come onstage.

Heavy Metal above and below.

Kiss Army Radio On Sirius XM: Hit Or Miss? - by Scott Carr

After reading Ricki C's not-so-positive (but entertaining) take on Sirius XM's limited engagement channel dedicated to all things Kiss, I thought it was my duty to counter with my own thoughts on Kiss Army Radio.

I was pretty excited when I heard Sirius XM Radio would be doing a Kiss channel. They have done limited engagement channels for many artists in the past, including Tom Petty, Billy Joel, The Rolling Stones and others. They even have permanent channels for Elvis and The Beatles. (editor’s note: and Bruce Springsteen.)

Most people listen to Sirius XM Radio in their cars but I am a non-driver, so I had to download the app and listen on my phone. This was kind of a pain because I had to sign up for a subscription to Sirius XM Radio for a minimum of 6 months at $5.99 a month. Not really a big expense, but once Kiss Army Radio is over I probably won't use the app much anymore.

It kind of reminded me of a time back in 1979 when I begged my parents to get HBO because the new cable movie channel announced they would be airing a Kiss concert that was taped in Japan. My parents really didn't want to get HBO but with my non-stop pleading they eventually caved and I got to watch the Kiss concert several times.

Sometimes you just gotta do things for your favorite band.

Anyways, I picked a random hour to tune in and see how many "good" Kiss songs I would hear on Kiss Army Radio. I will admit I am a bit biased when it comes to Kiss but I also don't mind calling them out when they fall short.

This is how my hour with Kiss Army Radio went:

1. "A World Without Heroes" (Music From The Elder / 1981)

So the hour didn't start out with a bang but I do like this song. I love The Elder, it's actually in my Top 5 favorite Kiss albums. I wish the hour had started out with "The Oath," but hearing anything from this album on the radio makes for a pretty exciting day.

2. "Do You Love Me" (Kiss Symphony: Alive IV / 2003)

Another good Kiss song but I do not like the symphony version. I think the MTV Unplugged version would have worked better here.

3. "Hell Or Hallelujah" (Monster / 2012)

This song comes from what will probably be the last ever Kiss studio album, Monster, released in 2012. Typical latter-day Kiss rocker. I'd say this song is just ok, not horrible but not great either.

I did notice that this song along with "Modern Day Delilah" from 2009's Sonic Boom album got a lot of airplay. I guess they had to throw Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer a bone every once and awhile.

4. "She" (Dressed To Kill / 1975)

A track that dates back to Paul and Gene's pre-Kiss band Wicked Lester and eventually appeared on Kiss' 1975 album Dressed To Kill.

"She" is a classic! I love everything about this song. It has cool vocal harmonies, a killer bass groove from Gene Simmons, and a tasty guitar solo from Ace Frehley.

If you have ears, you will recognize that this is a killer song.

5. "Creatures Of The Night" (Creatures Of The Night / 1982)

Kiss made a big return musically with their 1982 album Creatures Of The Night and the title track is one of the best Kiss album openers ever. This is an excellent song and you can tell Kiss were on a mission to prove they could still rock.

6. "Charisma" (Dynasty / 1979)

"Charisma" comes from an album that a lot of people refer to as Kiss' disco album. Dynasty definitely had flourishes of disco on it but no more than The Rolling Stones Some Girls, The Kinks Low Budget or The Game from Queen.

Dynasty is a solid rock album and "Charisma" is one of my favorites from the record.

Dynasty is not Disco and Carnival Of Souls is not Grunge.

Speaking of Carnival Of Souls, did anyone hear a track from that record on Kiss Army Radio?

7. "Black Diamond" (Kiss / 1974)

Epic song that closes Kiss' 1974 debut album.

Written by Paul Stanley who sings the intro and then turns the lead vocal over to drummer Peter Criss. I always loved how Kiss traded off lead vocals in the early days. As a kid I never really knew who was singing what, it seemed so effortless on their part.

"Black Diamond" is a truly a classic by any rock n roll standard. A song so great that The Replacements covered it on their excellent Let It Be album.

8. "Rocket Ride" (Alive II / 1977)

An often-overlooked classic from the band featuring Ace Frehley on lead vocals.

This song appears on Side 4 of Kiss Alive II. The band recorded five brand new studio tracks as a special surprise for fans buying the new live album. I loved all the new material on Side 4 of Alive II and "Rocket Ride" is a strong showing from The Spaceman.

9. "Psycho Circus" (Psycho Circus / 1996)

Title track from the band’s 1998 reunion album with Ace Frehley and Peter Criss.

It actually wasn't much of a reunion album at all, as Ace and Peter had very limited involvement with the creation of the album.

It was an exciting time to be a Kiss fan, though. The band had just completed a highly successful world tour with the original lineup, Kiss was back on top.

Even without Ace and Peter being involved, I do like the album Psycho Circus. The title track has a classic Kiss vibe about it and it has been a staple in the set list for the past 20 years.

10. "New York Groove" (Ace Frehley / 1978)

I was wondering if Kiss Army Radio would delve into the 1978 solo albums and to my surprise they did.

"New York Groove" was the only actual hit to come from the 1978 Solo Albums, so I guess it makes sense that they included it here.

Wow, we are up to 2 Ace Tracks this hour. Things are looking good.

11. "Hell Bent For Leather" - Judas Priest (Kiss pick)

Each hour during Kiss Army Radio there was a track that was supposedly hand-picked by the band. These songs were from bands that influenced Kiss or had some sort of connection with the band.

Judas Priest opened for Kiss during the 1979 Dynasty tour. At that time Judas Priest was supporting their recently-released live album Unleashed In The East that was recorded during their Hell Bent For Leather tour of Japan.

I saw Priest open for Kiss in July of 1979, so I can approve of the inclusion of this song during my Kiss Army Radio listening experience.

12. "Room Service" (You Wanted The Best, You Got The Best / 1996)

Another great song that originally appeared on 1975's Dressed To Kill.

The version played during this hour came from the archival release You Wanted The Best, You Got The Best. This album combined previously released live versions of Kiss classics plus some doctored-up live versions of songs that had never been released.

Paul added new vocals to this vintage track and it sounds a little weird to me. 1996 Paul sounds a lot different than 1975 Paul.

Still a great song but I would have played the Dressed To Kill version.

13. "Lick It Up" (Lick It Up / 1983)

Title track from the band’s 1983 album and the first to feature the band without their trademark make-up.

"Lick It Up" is a good song but I've heard it so many times over the years that it isn't really one of my favorites.

I would have picked "A Million To One" instead. In fact, I actually did pick this song for the KISS Unmasked Fantasy Draft.

14. "Spit" (Revenge / 1992)

Some interesting programming going on here, "Lick It Up" followed by "Spit"? Accident? Probably not, I'm guessing Gene was controlling the airwaves for these back to back tracks.

I love the Revenge album but this is not one of my favorite tracks. Musically I think it's great but the lyrics are a bit cringe-worthy.

With that said, "Spit" did somehow make it onto my fantasy Kiss record when the Pencil Storm staff attempted to rank the songs of the non make-up era of the band.

15. "Calling Dr. Love" (Rock And Roll Over / 1977)

A signature Gene track from Rock And Roll Over.

I dig this tune and I love Ace Frehley’s crazy guitar solo on this track. One of my favorite Ace solos.

Definitely a good one.

16. "Shock Me" (Love Gun / 1977)

The hour came to a close with another Ace lead vocal, we are up to three now!

This is Ace's signature song and one of my favorites from the Spaceman.

Time’s up.

Overall I think my hour with Kiss Army Radio was pretty solid. Definitely wasn't packed with hits but Kiss really isn't a "hits" kind of band.

I think Kiss Army Radio did a great job of satisfying casual fans but they really did dive deep for the die hard fans as well.

I have randomly tuned in over the last few days and heard songs like "Torpedo Girl", "I", "Paralyzed", "And On The 8th Day", "Tonight You Belong To Me", "Is That You" and many other lesser-known songs.

The channel did a nice job of covering all eras. Ace seemed to be well represented during the times I spent listening. Could have just been a timing thing but I didn't hear many songs from Peter. I heard "Beth" and "Hard Luck Woman" several times but no "Hooligan" or "Baby Driver". I'm sure they played more from the Cat but I must have missed it.

Also, I do wish they had included some vintage concerts or maybe some interviews from the vaults.

Kiss Army Radio is now just a memory but hopefully they will bring it back in the future. It was a fun listen and I’d say a hit!

Sirius XM aired a live broadcast of Kiss performing at the Whiskey A Go Go from the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, California. Check out the clips below of the band performing “Deuce” and “Black Diamond” at this historic venue.

Scott Carr is a guitarist who plays in the Columbus, OH bands Radio Tramps and Returning April. Scott is also an avid collector of vinyl records and works at Lost Weekend Records. So...if you are looking for Scott....you'll either find him in a dimly lit bar playing his guitar or in a record store digging for the holy grail.

How Kiss Can Save The End of The Road Tour - by Nick Jezienry

Here is an idea for Kiss to salvage its End of the Road Tour, assuming Paul Stanley’s voice doesn’t make a miracle comeback. (For the record, I’m hoping it does recover and this has a happy ending). Click here for Nick’s review of KISS 2/2/2019

Here’s my idea: A Trip Down Memory Lane

This should be Kiss’ victory lap celebrating a Hall of Fame career and a long list of successful albums. If the band played one song off every studio album, it would be the same number of songs in the current set-list. This also would do two things:

• GIve the band a legitimate excuse not to play 11 Paul songs (which is what they did for the start of the tour).

• Satisfy the fans who crave deeper tracks and not just the hits. Though Kiss has said it’s all about the hits, so the true deep tracks will be just a few, but more than the current list of songs being performed.

Consider this potential set-list (listed by order of release, not the order they should be played):

Kiss: Deuce. A solid choice, though Black Diamond is tough to leave out. If the band was willing to do more than 21 songs, both could be played and Paul wouldn’t have to sing. He could smash the fake guitar, though.

Hotter than Hell: Let Me Go, Rock and Roll. It’s in the current set-list. No problem here.

Dressed to Kill: Rock and Roll All Night. A no-brainer.

Destroyer: Probably the toughest album. Detroit Rock City (Paul) would be the one, and Beth, with Eric on piano/vocal, would be the encore.

Rock and Roll Over: Calling Dr. Love. Personally, I’d prefer Ladies Room but Kiss likes to play the hits when possible.

Love Gun: Love Gun. Paul needs his rap. It’s tempting to have Tommy sing Shock Me, but I’ve got a better idea to get in his two vocals.

Dynasty: Dirty Livin’ with Eric on the mic. A true deep track!

Unmasked: Talk To Me, Two Sides of the Coin, or Torpedo Girl with Tommy on vocal.  Since nothing ever gets played from this LP, one of the three Ace songs makes sense.

The Elder: Escape From the Island (instrumental). Paul can’t do the falsetto vocals. This is my cop-out to allow the two songs from Destroyer, or maybe two from the debut album.

Creatures of the Night: I Love It Loud. Or War Machine. But again, Kiss picks the hits.

Lick It Up: Lick It Up. Gene was worthless in the ‘80s after Creatures, so here comes a steady dose of Paul.

Animalize: Heaven’s On Fire. Tempting to go Burn Bitch Burn, but I’m trying to be serious in my suggestions.

Asylum: Tears Are Falling. I think this is the worst Kiss album. Carnival of Souls may argue, especially “side two.”

Crazy Crazy Nights: Crazy Crazy Nights or Turn on the Night, whichever is easier for Paul to sing.

Hot In The Shade: Hide Your Heart. It’s in the current set-list and is somewhere between a hit and a deep track.

Revenge: Unholy or Domino. Gene can take his pick from this record.

Carnival of Souls: Hate. Gene could spit blood here.

Psycho Circus: I love the title track, but Paul can’t sing it anymore. I’m going with You Wanted the Best. All four guys sing which helps save Paul’s voice.

Sonic Boom: Say Yeah. It’s in the current set list and Paul did OK with it.

Monster: Outta This World. A song that Tommy sings on the record. It’s a strong song, one of my faves from the CD. Tommy can emerge from Ace’s shadow – sort of – for a brief moment.

There you have it. A set-list with eight songs each by Gene and Paul, plus two apiece by the hired guns, and an instrumental. The option to add Black Diamond would make it a 22-song set, and Eric would jump to a third vocal.

The only real downer would be missing Shout It Out Loud.

This idea also allows Kiss to showcase its whole career and would be a welcome detour to the End of the Road tour.

KISS Army Radio on Sirius XM: Not One Good Song.......Yet - by Ricki C.

“Congratulations for only being 15 years behind everybody else technology-wise now, instead of 40 years behind.” Thus spake Michael “Biggie” McDermott in July 2017, the first time I was enthusing to him over getting Sirius XM radio in the new (used) car I had just bought. I was over the moon picking up Underground Garage, the Tom Petty station and Bruce Springsteen radio after moving up from a 1992 Toyota Camry that still had a cassette deck in it. Biggie was less than impressed.

Today my lovely wife Debbie returned from an early Saturday morning trip to the Worthington Farmer’s Market and greeted me at the door with, “Did you replace my Billy Joel channel on Sirius with the KISS Army Radio channel?” “No, I did not,” I replied, alarmed at the accusation, “why would I POSSIBLY do that?” For the uninitiated, in the Ricki C. Rock & Roll Universe, going from the Billy Joel channel to the KISS channel is the DEFINITION of going from the musical frying pan into the (pun intended) fire. (Or, the pyro, as it were.)

Debbie and I traded key fobs at the door as I left for my Saturday errands and the first song I heard on KISS Army Radio was Cheap Trick’s cover of “Ain’t That A Shame.” “Hey, this is pretty cool,” I said to myself as I cranked the volume to a pain threshold, “we might have something here.” Then, after Cheap Trick, Sirius started playing KISS music and for the rest of the 35-minute drive to Giant Eagle and Colin’s Coffee (where I was dropping off CD’s), they didn’t play ONE MORE SINGLE GOOD SONG.

Debbie had said to me on my way out the door that morning, “You can certainly see where the Watershed boys were influenced by KISS.” THAT statement (and it’s not the first time I’ve heard it) has always confused me, because I’ve never – from the very first time I saw Colin & the guys in 1990 when they were still called The Wires – heard ONE NOTE of KISS influence in Watershed. “KISS were the ones who made us want to pick up guitars and play,” Colin said to me when I related that idea to him. “We never would have been a band without KISS. They were possibly our biggest influence.”

I suppose that quote might be true, Colin really has no reason to lie to me. In that instance I just find myself thanking my God that Joe Oestreich and Colin Gawel learned to write good – in fact, GREAT – songs for Watershed along the way, something I have no recorded evidence on my KISS Army Radio channel to be true of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. Here’s a random sampling of the tracks I heard in that first 35-minute drive: “Domino,” “Rocket Ride,” “I Just Wanna,” “Every Time I Look At You,” “Let’s Put The X In Sex,” a Paul Stanley solo track called “Tonight You Belong To Me” (that Colin seemed particularly galled that I included in the NOT ONE GOOD SONG list), and “Deuce,” among others.

So here’s my premise: I am going to put KISS Army Radio on in the car (I’ll have to move it to MY tier from Debbie’s tier, she ain’t havin’ it anymore) and when I HEAR a good song I will get back on Pencilstorm and call everyone’s attention to it. I’ll talk to you on down the road……… - Ricki C. / February 9th, 2019