As we head into another summer weekend, lets do a little cool ass rockabilly and meet…Whiskey Kiss. They do rockabilly ,with a little added horn action to give it a new take . Whiskey Kiss are the real deal, having the right lead vocal in Nikki makes it all gel. I’m a big fan of Imelda May so I appreciate whenever I hear anyone who reminds me of Wanda Jackson and the early days of Rockabilly. I’ve always said if there was a tribe that I belonged with , it’s the rockabilly kids. Love the music, clothes, style and altitude. This is fun stuff and since life is short you oughta just give in to the coolness of Whiskey Kiss and dance your cares away….
Hi our name is….
Whiskey Kiss
– our sound is……
Rockabilly, but an article written about us called us “Retro revamped”. We are digging that and using it more and more. Maybe it is the new “alternative” for our style of rock-n-roll
– We are…
Niki White: Lead Vocals
Nick White: Guitar
Tommy Collins: Upright Bass
Mike Robinson: Drums
Bruce Legge: Horns
– We are from…….
Phoenix Arizona
– Who are some that have an influence on you
Imelda May
Johnny Cash
Wanda Jackson
-How old were all of you when you started to play and who plays what in the band
Niki White: Lead Vocals, musical theatre at age 11, lead singer in this band 4 years ago
Nick White: Guitar, started at age 12
Tommy Collins: Upright Bass, started age 10
Mike Robinson: Drums, started age
Bruce Legge: Horns, started very young, plays in orchestras and other ensembles as well
-Can you tell us about the process you use, from writing the songs all the way through getting the songs out
The songs start with Niki and I (Nick) together. Most of the time Niki has a melody, lyrics and concept in mind. She brings it to Me and i work out the music on acoustic guitar. After there is a solid structure we then take it to the rest of the band and everyone works on their parts for bass, drums, and horns. The song really begins to take form once we start to play it live.
– what are some of the challenges you face as musicians and how have you overcome those challenges
For us it is our style. We are not 100% traditional rockabilly. We are however very heavily influenced and rooted in the rockabilly sound and overall vibe. We bring in sounds from various other influences which makes us sound different. I think we overcame this by just being aware of it and accepting it. We aren’t trying to be anything but who we are and have fun while we are doing it.
–1st rock concert you went to and age….
Nick White: The Cure, I am a huge Cure fan ever since I was young. My older brother took me to the show in Detroit when I was 12. I have seen them several times since.
– coolest band t-shirt you ever bought…
Jethro Tull. My dad took my brother and I to see them when I was younger on a reunion show tour, it was awesome! I bought a great “aqualung” tshirt that I wore all through high school
-the most insane concert you ever went to or were a part of….
Nick White: the most insane concert i ever went to was when I was in high school and I saw Rage Against the Machine in the “pit” ( mosh pit for those who missed out on the 90s) As a young skinny kid, it was nuts. I saw a guy get his arm torn out of the socket. Zach Delarocha check sp. , the lead singer of Rage was running around stage with a broken foot, having just broke it at Woodstock a few days prior. That was a great show, WuTang clan opened up, that made it even more insane.
Playing: most insane was when we got a call two weeks prior to a festival we were playing and were asked to be Wanda Jackson’s backing band. She is a huge influence on us and we are all giant fans. It was a very surreal experience and one I’ll never forgot. She was very nice and a class act all the way.
-If you could open for any Band right now who would that be and why?
Imelda May, she is one of our biggest influences and someone we really enjoy. We had a chance to meet her when we were both playing Viva Las Vegas (largest rockabilly festival in the world) two years ago. Her and her band were extremely nice and just 100% a class act all the way.
–My youngest son is 13 and in a Band, what advice would you offer him…
Just keep playing no matter what happens. There will always be tough times when forming or playing in a band, if you truly love music, just keep playing and make sure you are having fun doing it. I always tell people who ask what’s it like to be in a band that, “it’s like dating four people at once”. You spend a lot of time together, share money, share ideas, share beds at times. You get close but that can be hard. I’m lucky I get to play in a band with my wife so as a 5 piece I’m only dating three other people 😉
– your thoughts on the state of rock ‘n’ roll in 2015…..
Real rock n roll today to me is more on the independent side. It feels as though things are coming back around and rock n roll can be found by searching. The revival of vinyl has also brought back the idea of listening to an album as a body of work, not just one song from an artist. The main stream isn’t always great, but if you search there is some true rock n roll out there.
-Our plans for the rest of 2015…..
We plan to hit the studio again as well as small US Tours. Next summer we are in talks to head to Europe.