By: Lucy Hall
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| Kiss Kiss Bang, Promotional Photo |
Bowling Green, Kentucky based rock quartet, Kiss
Kiss Bang formed in 2015. In May 2017, the band released their debut album Open Wide. Which featured two varying in
style singles, the indie alt- rock inspired, “Drive” and the much heavier, adrenaline
fueled, “This Life”. The
radio friendly, “Drive” became a regular requested song on the 98.3 station,
The Edge. A high quality music video soon followed for the single and has
become sort of a Kiss Kiss Bang anthem. The band has performed alongside some
impressive heavy hitters in the business such as Drowning Pool, Black Stone
Cherry, and Stephen Pearcy just to mention a few.
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| Kiss Kiss Bang in Concert at The Forum, Photography by Taylor Burgess |
Kiss Kiss bang states they are influenced by
several rock genres. This is evident by their diverse style. They easily
alternate between soft and loud sections. They have some obvious grunge
inspired elements such as the notably smaller drum kit, which drummer, Corban
Burke bashes with driven, forceful, unbridled, angst, so much so that it sounds
like a full kit that would shame the likes of Dream Theater’s, Michael Portnoy and
his twenty piece. Other grunge elements includes ponderous bass
lines that support song melodies from bassist, Andrew Hopper, vocalist, Trevor Smith demonstrates his range
by using deeper sounding grunge vocals, softer more upbeat melodic vocals, and
dissonant harmonies while guitarist, Malcolm Booher’s repetitive riffs within
the song structures balances out the fusion of distortion-filled, riff based,
hard rocking, bluesy, alternative rock.
I am a bit musically
jaded, and not easily impressed but I must say after seeing Kiss Kiss Bang
live at The Forum in Hazard, Kentucky, I was totally impressed. Their live show was much heavier, louder and faster than you would expect judging
by some of their singles. What separates Kiss Kiss Bang from
the crowd? They are poetic, blues, alt-hard rockers with a passion for their
music, and a determination to deliver a good show. This band definitely had
more heart and enthusiasm compared to some of the headlining acts I have seen.
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing this remarkable band.
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| Trevor Smith- Lead Vocals/Guitar, Photography by Taylor Burgess |
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| Malcolm Booher- Guitar, Photography by Taylor Burgess |
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| Corban Burke- Drums/Vocals, Photography by Taylor Burgess, |
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| Andrew Hopper- Bass/Vocals, Photography by Taylor Burgess |
Interview
with Kiss Kiss Bang:
HEAVY MAKEUP: When did you initially get into music
and why?
Kiss
Kiss Bang: Most of us started listening to rock music at an early age. All of us
grew up with similar interests being from the same area. Led Zeppelin, Guns N’
Roses, and Alice N’ Chains, the greats of rock n roll as we put it. Being from
small towns in Kentucky there really isn't a whole lot to do besides go to
school and play sports. We all played sports growing up but as we got older
music took over our lives and learning our instruments. It was the cool thing
to do!
HEAVY MAKEUP: What bands are you currently listening
to either old or new? Who has inspired you the most?
Kiss
Kiss Bang: We have a diverse musical spectrum. Our playlist ranges to anything
from classic rock, grunge, to even some new rap. There hasn't been one band in
particular that has exactly shaped our sound but rather a broad range. Our view
is, if its got melody and groove then we draw influence from it no matter what
genre.
HEAVY MAKEUP: While in the writing progress, where
do you channel your lyrical inspiration? Do you write from your own
experiences, or do the songs have certain story lines or themes?
Kiss
Kiss Bang: A lot of times when writing we start with the music first. Someone
will have a riff or an idea of where they want the song to go. Once we nail
down the music a lot of times the lyrics have nearly written themselves. We
scat out melodies over choruses and sometimes the words just happen. We can
tell lyrically early on what we want to cover based on the feel and groove of
the song. We love to write about what we know. Whether it's a fun song that
just feels good or a serious song about love and loss.
HEAVY MAKEUP: Describe Kiss Kiss Bang’s sound, where
does the band fit in concerning rock genres?
Kiss
Kiss Bang: Thats a
great question and an easy one for us to answer because the thing is we aren't
trying to fit into a certain rock genre. We are just straight up rock n’ roll.
Many times people try to compare you to certain bands which is fine but we want
to stand alone on our own and be something different. We aren't trying to
reinvent the wheel of rock per se but rather bring back the edginess the fun and
the realness to rock music because it seems like many of todays bands have lost
that mentality.
HEAVY MAKEUP: What is your favorite song to perform
live?
Kiss
Kiss Bang: “Are You High” has always been one of our favorites. It just slams
and usually its our closer. It has everything we love in a rockin' song which is
big melodies, a big chorus, and some very cool harmonized guitar leads.
HEAVY MAKEUP: Do you have a favorite moment from any
particular performance?
Kiss
Kiss Bang: There are probably many that we could cover but honestly we treat
every show like its our last. We love to entertain and always bring the energy
whether its 100 people or 1000!
HEAVY MAKEUP: Have you opened for any other acts
that has left a long lasting impression on you? Or that you were super excited
about being on the same bill?
Kiss
Kiss Bang: Black Stone Cherry would be a band thats up there. We have been
fortunate to share the stage with them twice. They just kick ass every show. We
have a show coming up with Tom Keifer of Cinderella. Talk about a legend. What
an amazing voice and great songwriter. We are also playing soon with some
legends from our area; The Kentucky Headhunters. Their guitar player Richard
Young has been working with us some on the management and development side of
things so we are honored to share the stage with him. Any time you can share
the stage with a Grammy award winning artist you must be doing something right!
HEAVY MAKEUP: Is there a facet of the music business
that you prefer? Recording, touring, or writing?
Kiss
Kiss Bang: We love it all. We love everything that goes into it. The music
business is stressful and it is a very hard business to be successful in but we
work very hard at every aspect of it. We always try to remember to have a good time
no matter what!
HEAVY MAKEUP: Is image very important to any of the
band members?
Kiss
Kiss Bang: Of course it is. We want to look like we belong on stage. It
wouldn't be very cool to go see a rock band in penny loafers and khakis would
it? haha
HEAVY MAKEUP: Have you ever had any mishaps or
Spinal Tap type experiences?
Kiss
Kiss Bang: Of course what band hasn't haha. Luckily so far very few have
happened on stage other than the occasional mistake because we aren't a band
that runs tracks or has a smoke and mirrors light show. We are real to the core
so what you see is what you get. If someone hits a wrong note or a drum stick
is dropped its cause it was live and in the moment and it was real. We have had
some bad luck with getting to shows and the studio. We have more tire blowouts
than we can count. We were once stranded on the side of the road somewhere in
Kentucky for nearly 3 hours. Boredom set in so we threw rocks at cans. Talk
about lame haha.
HEAVY MAKEUP: Kiss Kiss Bang had some impressive
merchandise at the Hazard Forum show, who all has a hand in designing merch?
Kiss
Kiss Bang: We worked with our merch man Matt Hesson who has drawn some of our
logos as well as our good friend Patrick Galanis Jr. from Virginia. Both very
talented dudes.
HEAVY MAKEUP: How much fun are you having? Anything
that you are super excited about? What’s next for Kiss Kiss Bang? Any upcoming
projects?
Kiss
Kiss Bang: We are having an absolute blast! We have some very awesome shows
coming up with some great acts and we are currently recording more music. As
far as what's next with us who knows? The sky is the limit!
Band
Members:
Trevor Smith- Lead Vocals/Guitar
Andrew Hopper- Bass/Vocals
Malcolm Booher- Guitar
Corban Burke- Drums/Vocals
Andrew Hopper- Bass/Vocals
Malcolm Booher- Guitar
Corban Burke- Drums/Vocals
Tour
Dates:
Oct.
20th @ Taps Live, Indianapolis, IN.
Oct.
27th @ Club 1341, Sevierville, TN.
Oct.
28th @ The Plaza Theater, Glasgow, Ky.
Nov.
5th @ Balcony TV, Lexington, Ky.
Nov.
11th @ Schmitts Saloon, Morgantown, WV.
Dec.
9th @ Backseat Bar & Grill
Kiss Kiss Bang Contact Info:
Email:
kisskissbangmusic1@gmail.com
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| Author, Lucy Hall with Guitarist, Malcolm Booher |
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| Author, Lucy Hall with Drummer, Corban Burke |
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| Author, Lucy Hall with Vocalist, Trevor Smith, Author, Julia Pope, and Bassist, Andrew Hopper |
Rock Video for
“Drive” Single
Lucy
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