On June the 21st 1975, legendary glam rockers KISS recorded their outrageous live performance in Cleveland Ohio, a recording that was to form the basis of the most celebrated live album in the history of rock n roll, KISS Alive,
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of KISS Alive the Yarraville Club on conjunction with a crew of local rock legends have decided to put on an epic one off tribute show June 27th.
Brought together by musical director and revered Australian musician Ashley Naylor (Even, Paul Kelly band) is a one-off supergroup of Melbourne talent named ‘Cold Gin’ featuring Naylor, Marc Welsh (ex-Have A Nice Day, now Welshie), Brett Wolfenden (Davey Lane Band) and Jim Coelli (Sheriff) with special guest singers Pat Carmody (My Dynamite), Kat Spazzy (The Spazzys), Tommy Boyce (The Casanovas), Gemma Sharard (Skyscraper Stan and The Commission Flats), Marc Welsh and Ashley Naylor.
To celebrate KISS and to celebrate this incredible show, members of Cold Gin have selected their favourite KISS tracks of all time. Check ’em out below and don’t miss the show this June 27th. Tickets and info at www.yarravillelive.com.
James Coelli (Sheriff)– ‘Strutter’ / ‘Black Diamond’
“Like all denim clad teenage boys that had believed in the fantasy of rock and rolling all night and partying every day, KISS got me real hard. Some of my fondest memories were swapping KISS and Zeppelin CDs on the bus ride to school and obsessing over them with a mate from another school.
‘Strutter’ and ‘Black Diamond’ were always my go to tracks and jamming to them with an unamplified bass got me into a lot of embarrassing situations with gawkers from the streets. There’s just something real wholesome about sleazy rock and roll with theatrics.”
Brett Wolfenden (Davey Lane Band) – ‘Deuce’ / ‘Rock And Roll All Nite’
“KISS Alive! is definitely up there with the greatest live albums of them all. The first line of a KISS song I ever heard was “Get up!!! And get your Grandma outta here!!!”. Poetry it ain’t but Duece is a pretty powerful statement of intent from an up-and-coming band, brash and all balls. Ace’s guitar solo is signature in that tune. And just try surpassing “Rock’n’Roll All Nite” as the ultimate in party anthems.
If you don’t like KISS you still know the tune. I wish I had been old enough to see KISS live in the U.S. circa ‘75-’76; they were outrageous, spectacular, powerful, ruthless, breathtaking and above all fun. The Catman is one of my favourite drummers so I’m looking especially forward to the Yarraville.”
Tommy Boyce (The Casanovas) – ‘C’Mon And Love Me’
“Dear Earthlings, I was born the year KISS Alive! was unleashed upon this earth. It wasn’t until four years later that my obsession with said record commenced. My mum used to set it up on the turntable for me. Clad in massive headphones, I poured endlessly over the inner sleeve of the double gatefold.
The bands’ individual letters to the fans… The starchild, the demon… it was too awesome. Although I was then obsessed with Gene, it was Paul’s songs I loved the most. His totally bitchin’ delivery on ‘C’mon And Love Me’… I could feel his heat and I wanted it. Like Ash, we got KISS make up from the KISS show bag at the Royal Melbourne Show and made cardboard guitars and mimed in our back yard with our mums flashing torches as stage lights.
When they played VFL Park in 1980, as a five year old I scrounged all the 1 and 2 cent pieces I could and sent them to the KISS army with a letter asking for a ticket. It was all in vain but they actually wrote back to let me know! To this day I still rate KISS Alive! as one of my favorite records. A lot of ‘serious’ rock fans write off KISS but their songs are undeniably great and memorable. Long live KISS Alive!”
Marc Welsh (Welshie) – ‘Watchin You’ / ‘Hotter Than Hell’
“I was 14 in 1978, a school mate and I were KISS MAD (before the 1980 Australian Kissteria). Hotter Than HELL became my fave album. It has a darker/heavier feel. The title track is classic Stanley.. punchy and raw, with a great vocal… right alongside Got To Choose which is incredible. Then from Gene ‘Watchin You’, kicks ya right in the nuts!
Perfectly suits the Demon, with that all-time evil riff. It peaks with the harmony guitars and manic Ace
lead riff-age toward the end. I could never figure out those guitar bits when I started playing guitar… NOW, 36 yrs later.. almost all the KISS songs seem so simple.
But, to me.. EPIC.
Every song on Hotter than Hell has its own unique personality. I can’t wait for the gig.
LET ME GO – ROCK N ROLL!!!”
Ashley Naylor (Even, Paul Kelly Band) – ‘Cold Gin’
“Kiss was my first musical obsession. I took a hacksaw to my nylon string, painted it black like Ace’s Les Paul and learned some of those riffs that are with me still. I even made a plywood Iceman like Paul’s except with woolen strings!
‘Cold Gin’ has always been my favourite track from KISS Alive! Somehow I managed to obtain my cousin Greg’s copy of the LP – it is still in my collection and currently copping an absolute hiding with my Les Paul playing along.
‘100,000 years’ is also on my short list of all time favourites- the audacity, the drums, the crowd. It’s all there, overdubbed or not, pure rock and roll energy. See youse at the Yarraville Club.”
KISS Alive 40th Anniversary Celebration
Saturday 27 June, 7.30pm
The Yarraville Club, 135 Stephen Street, Yarraville
GOLD GIN: Ashley Naylor, Marc Welsh, Jim Coelli and Brett Wolfenden. Pat Carmody, Kat Spazzy, Tommy Boyce and Gemma Sharard.
Support act: The Ugly Kings
MC James ‘The Hound Dog’ Young
and DJ Max Crawdaddy till 1am
Tix from $25 from www.yarravillelive.com or on the door if available.
