Get Your Kix...

Editor's Note: This article was penned by Heater, the ever-present co-conspirator in bringing back glam. She's helping me out today while I tend to some out of town family business. Be nice to her, glam readers...and enjoy!

As I was getting ready to go out last night I was listening to the Arena Rock channel and "Don't Close Your Eyes" by Kix came on.  I had forgotten about this band, and how much I enjoyed their music back in the day.  Immediately I went to my computer to check out their MySpace page and see what they're doing now...but there was no such page to be found.  It was then that I realized how much I rely on the Internet - and that site in particular - to keep up with the bands I like. This prompted a little research.

Right now, some 31 million bands have MySpace profiles.  The site is a great way for fans to keep up with their favorite musicians and feel a little closer to the action.  After all, who wouldn't want to call Motley Crue a "friend?"   It's also a great way for bands to get their image and music out there and reach new audiences.  As always, with the good comes the bad.

When I am looking for something to do for the weekend, I check out the paper to see what local bands are playing and if I see something that interests me, I go to their MySpace page and check them out.  If I don't like what I see and hear, I move on.  It occurs to me now that I may be missing out on some great experiences.  Many of the songs I like now are not "cover" songs, so who's to say that if I went to a live show, I wouldn't hear something I liked that may not be on their page?  That also means that bands are losing money from people like me who simply log on, rather than go check them out live.

I think overall, MySpace has been good for the music industry, especially local bands who are just starting. And who knows? Some of the one-hit-wonders may still be around today if they'd had this kind of exposure.   Just some food for thought.

By the way, I finally found the info I was seeking about Kix on www.wikipedia.com

Steve Whiteman and Jimmy Chalfant are now with Baltimore based "Funny Money."  Ronnie Younkins started "The Blues Vultures"... and continues as their lead singer. Brian Forsythe plays guitar for "The Snakehandlers" and "Rhino Bucket."  They have teamed up a few times over the years for reunion shows...but to this date, bassist Ronnie Purnell has refused to take part.

Comments

[aXe mAn]

That was a good read!
I am a big Kix fan as well!!
"Don't Close Your Eyes" is a good ballad!
I also rely on the internet to keep track of the bands and find out about new ones!
Some of my other favorite Kix songs are:
"Cold Blood, Midnite Dynamite,& Blow My Fuse"!!!
This site rocks!!! The best articles around!!!

[Hard Rock Hideout]

You must check out Funny Money. It is killer stuff. All 3 discs are worth picking up. Not surprizingly, it sounds exactly like Kix.

Their old guitar player, Brian Forsythe is now playing in Rhino Bucket.

[Metal Mark]

Evey area has at least one band that may not be that big anywhere else, but they are big in your area. Here in Maryland if you were a teenager in the 1980's then you knew KIX. In the 80's the local rocl stations played them as much as say Motley Crue or Ratt. Funny Money have played at some really tiny dives near where I live. However the few times a year that KIX play I have heard they pack the people in. One of my favorite KIX stories is the one where they opened for David Lee Roth in 1986 in Landover, Maryland. They were alotted 45 minutes, but where spurred on by the local crowd so they played for like 65 minutes. Supposedly as soon as they came off stage David Lee Roth had a bodyguard grab KIX singer Steve Whiteman in a headlock. Diamond Dave proceeded to tell them that they would never open for him again. I don't know if it really happened or not but it's a good story.