PRESS RELEASE
4/7/00

"...you wanted the best and you got it, the KIttest band in the world....HOss!!!!!" [get it?]

On April 21 at 10:00 PM at ABC No Rio on Manhattan's Lower East Side, classically-trained composer Evan Hause (a.k.a. HOSS) will perform the entire double LP, KISS Alive!, on solo electric guitar and voice accompanied by a moderate amount of critical commentary and musical analysis.

Released September 10, 1975, and recorded on tour in the summer of 1975, Alive! was the New York band's first gold record and remains a powerful testament to their explosive live sound. Fueled by a stunning sold-out May date at Cobo Hall in Detroit, followed by dates in Cleveland and Wildwood, New Jersey, Alive! compiles live performances of songs from Gene, Paul, Ace, and Peter's first three ear-popping albums released over a mere thirteen months. (It is the Alive! version of "Rock and Roll All Night" which constitutes their first hit single.)

KISS's unique fusion of Beatles-style pop and Zeppelin-esque hard rock stands apart from the blues-driven riffs of Heavy Metal's most notable founders, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, and may be seen, along with contemporaneous bands such as Aerosmith, as the forerunner of 80's Pop Metal typified by Van Halen and Def Leppard. Created at chronological ground zero of the Me decade, Alive! has been variously noted as one the greatest live rock and roll albums (for sheer raw energy) and the greatest "party" album ever.

The evening's performance will feature each album side played (a bit up-tempo) without break, a faithful transcription of Paul Stanley's between-song banter, near-replicas of many of Ace Frehley's lead guitar breaks, and Peter Criss's 10-minute drum solo on available instruments. (Gene Simmons fire-breathing and blood-spitting antics will unfortunately not be executed, though there may be some tongue-wagging and high-stepping.) Between album sides, Dr. Hause will highlight key analytical features of the songs, and read selected passages from Creem writer Robert Duncan's 1978 hype classic, "KISS". No makeup will be worn.

Also featured on the ABC No Rio program known as Aural Barbacoa will be LA TABLE and Magali Babin Trio (Quebec) and Gary Miles. ABC No Rio is located at 156 Rivington between Ludlow and Essex (F and JMZ trains to Delancey/Essex). A $5 donation is traditionally requested.