The Original Kiss Army™

KISS fans, are you disappointed because it's been awhile since you've seen your favorite band? Well, cheer up, because the next best thing is sweeping the nation!!!

Three of the Rockin’ Hell Raisers were lucky enough to spend Halloween weekend with the best tribute band to KISS out there! The boys played three awesome shows in south Louisiana that took many KISS fans by surprise!

What makes the Original Kiss Army™ stand out? Well, let's start with the band. This is one of the first bands I've seen really work together to put on a show. It's not just a concert; they put on the whole show!

Mark Jones becomes Paul Stanley. Not only does he have an excellent voice, but he has the body and moves to go along with it! To all the lady Paul fans out there, bring your cameras. This guy is awesome!

Mike Sivo and Peter Criss could pass for brothers. Mike gets better every time I see him, and "Black Diamond" had to be one of my favorites. His drum solo was amazing. If, for some strange reason, someone was sitting down during the show, they were up after this. "Beth" sounded as great as ever!

Val Popovic as Ace also gets better every time I see them. Val rips through every song while staying in character. He eases through an incendiary guitar solo for "Shock Me" and never misses a chord. He has dangerous skills and knows how to use them. One of Val's big fans from Gramercy (120 Decibels Jr.) made it to the show and was pleased as ever.

Last, but certainly not least, Jim Seda is the demon. Jim comes alive on stage with every blood dripping, fire breathing, hip thrusting move he makes. He has been at it for years and has perfected the art of the demon. He has what to takes to set any KISS fan’s heart on fire.

A very special treat was when I heard the beginning of "She." Only a band that really knows what they are doing can make that song sound good, and the boys made it sound great! You probably could have seen my cheesy smile from about 25 miles away – thanks, boys!

This should be more than enough reason for you to make it to an Original Kiss Army™ show. Trust me, you will not be disappointed. The blood, the fire, the lights, the shoes, the band, they are all worth it!

I want to say thanks to the boys for all the well done shows! I love you all and hope you know it!! Also... Metal Slut, Liber Ex Fatum, Demonqueen, Kristy, Mom Mary, Todd, Jimbo, Beth, Margo, Marvin, everyone else and especially Slipknotkarma for making it the great weekend it was. Metal Slut, I promise we will make sure you are in the car before we leave next time. :)

Val Popovic and Jim Seda were nice enough to answer some questions for me recently:

Metal Slut: How long have you been playing guitar?

Val: About 25 years

Metal Slut: How long have you been playing bass?

Jim: Playing bass 21 years.

Metal Slut: How long has the Original Kiss Army™ been playing together?

Val: With me as Ace, a little more than a year, but they were established for about 15 years. I think you can ask Jim for sure.

Jim: I started the Original Kiss Army™ in 1985... took years to get it to the present.

Metal Slut: What made you guys want to play in a KISS tribute band? What made you choose KISS??

Val: I went to see KISS live for the reunion tour in Sacramento, and that show changed my life; they were awesome!! I saw a KISS tribute before, and I was left feeling something was missing. The Ace didn't do any of Ace's solos correctly, not even in the same ballpark. He just played his own solos where Ace’s should have been, so how can that be a TRIBUTE. I guess I got into it to add a bit more attention to detail and realism in the lead guitar department. I am doing a tribute to Ace and showing people that he kicked ass on the guitar and wrote some of the coolest, most recognizable solos in those songs that we all love, and I try every night while stumbling around in those platforms to do as accurate a job as possible.

Metal Slut: How long does it usually take to apply the face make-up?

Jim: My make-up takes 40 minutes or so ...some in the band takes longer.

Val: I am kind of slow at that actually, sometimes up to three hours, but most of the time around an hour and a half . My fastest I did it in was about an hour but it didn't look so good.

Metal Slut: Do you have any other influences besides KISS?

Val: Of course: Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Ozzy, Dio, UFO, Judas Priest, etc.

Metal Slut: What was the MOST interesting place you have played?

Val: There's so many; I have great memories about all of them, either meeting new people, the scenery, the stage, the performance, the road trip, getting there. Here's something I will never forget, seeing Mt. Rushmore on our way to another gig. We felt like kids being there in front of something so historic and beautiful. One thing I realized is that we live in a beautiful country and more people should go see it if given the opportunity, I feel lucky to have gotten the chance.

Jim: Japan, Korea, Universal Studios in Orlando.

Metal Slut: Jim, how long did it take you to learn the fire-breathing, and how dangerous is that really?

Jim: Had to learn to breathe fire real fast (lol) and it's always dangerous.

Metal Slut: What song is your favorite to perform?

Val: Deuce, Shock Me, Firehouse, Watching You, She

Jim: God of Thunder, Parasite, Watchin’ You...100,000 Years, hell. lots of songs!.... lol

Metal Slut: Is there a song the band doesn't play, but you wish you did?

Val: 2000, man, I know I would do it justice!

Metal Slut: Other than KISS, what other bands do you enjoy listening to?

Val: I like AC/DC, Zep, Ozzy, Pantera, but then again I like the Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pat Benatar, classical music, bluegrass. I guess I like a lot of different music.

Jim: Judas Priest, Crue, anything 70's/80’s ...plus old disco...yeah, I said it!

Metal Slut: Is there any band out there that you think really kicks ass but hasn't got the recognition they deserve?

Val: UFO: Michael Schenker kicked some major ass and great songs. I think everyone should buy Strangers In The Night.

Jim: Well, everyone deserves a shot.

Metal Slut: I see you guys have decided to take a break from the road. Do you plan to pick up again in 2007?

Val: Yea, we need some rest. It’s hard work doing as many shows as we did without a crew. We would drive to the gig, then unpack, do sound check, get in costume and makeup, then perform, meet and greet, get out of makeup and costume, tear down , load up and head to the hotel to sleep. Then wake up after sometimes only a few hours and repeat the cycle. Believe me, it is hard work. So we are taking a well deserved rest.

Jim: Yeah, pick up and continue to kick ass.

Metal Slut: Jim, where is my Original Kiss Army™ tank top?

Jim: I'll get you a tank top when I get the chance..lol What do I get? lol..

Val: I would like to say I love playing with Original Kiss Army™ and I think we do a great job tributing one of the greatest bands ever... KISS!

You can check out the Original Kiss Army™'s MySpace profile at: http://www.myspace.com/KISSthisarmy7

Review By: Christine Sixxteen
Interview By: Metal Slut

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A Fan Testimonial
My wife and I got a babysitter (for our 6 kids) and after closing up our computer repair shop, we immediately set out for our 2.5 hour drive to see "THE" Original Kiss Army™ Tribute Band. We quickly made only one stop for gas and landed in Burlington, NC for a newly-opened bar of only 3 weeks old called The Raven. And, never did I "ever" see such an atmosphere like I saw in this bar, "NEVER!" This place was different.

From immediately setting our feet in the door, we were greeted by high compliments about the band and my first impression of this Kiss tribute band was comforted without even seeing them first, and from then on, I knew something was special about them! It was like the original rock gods of KISS took the stage! The look, the atmosphere, their voices -- oh my God, were they real?

I consider myself as a most informed and experienced Kiss fan. Having owned and heard almost every album Kiss ever created (even the rare overseas ones), read interviews, and researched on the internet constantly; I have spent years of my life listening over and over (countless times) "all" the Kiss songs ever made. Like the back of my hand, I know and can sense every minute detail, every chord, and every beat -- therefore, to carefully discern, analyize and compare and dissect from the original recordings, for me, it was easy to compare. To my amazement, the Original Kiss Army™ tribute band performs as close to perfection as one can get.

Original Kiss Army™, their music ability, sounded "clearly" as close to perfection as one can achieve. NEAR PERFECT! Kiss Army plays as close to the "original" Kiss as you can get! I mean, how LUCKY can you get to hear the original Peter Criss drum solo from Kiss Alive! and the exact Kiss Alive II solo on "Shock Me"? These two songs clearly mark the distinction between those who do their homework with all their heart mind and soul and those who are comfortable with "just fitting the bill."

Richard and Carla Jones
DiscernerComputers.com

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Better Than The "Other Guys" (Blog Excerpt)
Saturday night, I went over to Burlington to see the Original Kiss Army™ Band at a new club called The Raven. I went with Kim Thore and our friend and clothing designer Cheryl Wiegert. I knew, like me, Kim was a KISS fan so we knew that we’d have fun watching the spectacle and enjoying the tunes. I was kind of worried how Cheryl would react to them. But my fears were immediately gone as I saw her smiling and bopping along to the music. All through the performance, she never left her spot.

Now I have seen both of the KISS Army Bands and I have found that the Original Kiss Army™ Band is by far the better of the two. The "Original" guys had better costumes and were tighter players. They put to a lot of time and effort into the outfits ala’ KISS Alive!.

In case you didn’t realize it, there’s a slight feud going on with these 8 guys. There’s a former member of the Original who left or was kicked out that formed The Original Kiss Army™ Band (the second one). The Original Kiss Army™ Band with Jim, Mike, and Val were in fact the best of the these KISS Tribute bands. Hell, I’ll go out on a limb and say that these guys are in fact better than the others like Hotter Than Hell and Strutter.

I got to hang out with the guys up in the VIP Room at The Raven after the show. I ran into Lisa Kyle who I haven’t seen in a while but, for me, the weirdest moment involved a pinball machine.

Kyle and her ex-husband once ran a used record store in Burlington where they had a KISS Bally pinball machine on display. Now it’s residing in the VIP Room in The Raven. The weird moment came when the faux Ace started to play a game on the KISS pinball machine. I don’t know why, but it just seemed a little crazy and surreal.

Eugene B. Sims
On-Air Personality
Promotions Assistant
Rock 92.3 WKRR
Asheboro, NC
http://djeugene.blogspot.com/

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View the testimonial by Richard Perry, Program Director of Modesto/Stockton, CA radio station KHKK FM 104.1 "the Hawk", which promoted the May 29, 2005 Original Kiss Army™ show at Fat Cat Music House & Lounge in Modesto. Click here!