How I Came Across Kiss or Kill: Carrie Rapaport

From Carrie Rapaport :


I was introduced to the whole Kiss or Kill scene by my then-drummer, Mista John Montgomery. John would come back into the studio on Wednesdays, reeling from nights at the Echo. He'd marvel at the great bands that were there, the cool vibe and the fact that it wasn't the "typical" LA scenesters. After weeks of hearing him describe the goings-on, I decided to accompany him. To Punk Rock Prom, no less. Vahe played acoustically that night...The Randies...and I was introduced during that show to the musical awesomeness that is the one-and-only Porterville.

As I stood there and watched for the first time, unable to keep still for more than a few seconds at most, I looked around to see everyone else dancing crazily, as well. "WOW! No one is self-conscious here!" I thought. "No one is putting up a front of being 'too cool'!"

And what was this?!?!? An entire crowd of people shoving and pushing and dancing onstage with Bang Sugar Bang??? "In Heaven, there is no beeeeer...." No pretention. No "I'm afraid I'll look dumb"...I lost myself to the music, met some great people, and made it a point to start coming back.

OK. No more Echo.

Time for Safari Sam's. WOW! What a kickass venue THAT was! Many evenings I could be found at KoK, rocking out to great bands, and having the time of my life as I shared the stage with so many other fantastic acts.

Here is the most CLASSIC example of what Kiss or Kill was about. And I don't mean the whole "come early/stay late" thing, although that's wonderful.

I'm talking about the INTEGRITY of musicians and music lovers...I remember playing the Sunset Junction show at El Cid. Gaby Godhead had his guitars stolen by some jerkoff who decided to sneak in through the back door. We were in a panic, as Cakecutter was going to be onstage in about an hour. Matt Southwell of Bang Sugar Bang PROMPTLY, without a moment's hesitation, offered use of his Telecaster to Gaby, knowing FULLY WELL that, within a period of the 40-minute set, drool, sweat, face makeup, and God-knows-what-else would be SMEARED across that thing. The show went off without a hitch, I remember rocking out on Joe Dana's very capable shoulders, singing and screaming and yelling as he carted me through the El Cid dining room...everyone smacking my ass as I passed by. Good times, indeed. It turned catastrophe into something SPECIAL.

About 2 weeks later, everyone came together, and Johnny and Siria organized a fundraiser to attempt to replace Gaby's stolen guitars. You know, the money wasn't even the thing. It, again, was about musicians (and, more importantly, FRIENDS) coming together in tough times. Come on, we're all MUSICIANS. Who hasn't been through issues in the past? Just showed, again, that musicians, though we may be dirty, poor, sometimes unemployed, tired and embittered, can also be the embodiment of TRUE CLASS.

Awesome-ist moments:

1. Watching the Chicago-based She's Your Sister was amazingly pivotal for me, because they appeared to do everything so EFFORTLESSLY and were STILL smiling and singing along to their own lyrics.

2. Pu$$yCow? ALWAYS a fantabulous time. Seeing the back of Colin Dana's head bouncing around always made me smile...and Mike Schnee's (oops...I mean Chissum Worthington) videos on MySpace were some of the best examples of fantastic band promotion I could ever think of.

3. Jason Pancake giving his solemn 2 cents about some of the better bands...

4. Siria ALWAYS smiling and willing to engage in some "girl talk"

5. Andy making the thinnest Santa ever, but STILL giving great Ho-Ho-Hugs.

6. Standing outside between bands, laughing, smiling, and hugging everyone.

All-in-all, it was a scene to be remembered.

Thank you Kiss or Kill. You made me smile.

Carrie Rapaport
singer, Cakecutter

How I Came Across Kiss or Kill: NU-TRA

NU-TRA

www.myspace.com/nutra

All Photos of NU-TRA at Kiss or Kill @ The Echo by Flaco

From Vahe of NU-TRA:

I used to hang out at this music store called Future Music on Sunset Blvd.

Future Music was a well respected store owned by gear guru Jack Waterson. Jack is like the musicians Yoda and his store was like a haven for bands and friends. Jack was friends with Matt and Cooper so Jack being a NU-TRA fan he suggested I meet them.

One day I had randomly met Matt at Future Music and we hit it off. We were residency at the Echo in the winter of 2004 and Jack had told Matt to come out so Matt showed up with Cooper and they saw us live.

This is the first time I had met Cooper. Next thing I know Matt called and asked us to play KORK and let me tell you something... I have never heard anyone so enthusiastic about us. We were doing well as a band in LA but booking agents made us miserable by not caring like we did. We worked hard promoting shows and we filled up venues but we still got treated like shit. Matt made us feel important so we were happy to come aboard. I was told the last KORK show at Zen was coming up so I decided to check it out. FAMILY FUN TIME!

Everyone was having a great time like one great big family. NU-TRA's first show was at KORK when they had just moved to the Echo and boy was that successful! We were asked to have a residency right away.

I had not met Johnny 99 till we played KORK. Johnny was always good to us... I loved the fact that he would play the "Truth About De-Evolution" DVD on the projector... It made me feel right at home.

My relationship with Matt and Cooper grew and we have become great friends over the last few years. I am glad this was all a part of my life. I have read a few KORK stories and one thing it fails to mention is how much work Matt did. This not knocking Johnny 99 or Cooper or even Siria because they all worked hard but I think Matt did a lot of the scouting and bringing all of you the fine entertainment that was KORK.

I want to thank Matt, Cooper, Johnny 99, Siria and all the fans that made us feel important.

Thank you for accepting us in your world.

Thank you for believing in our vision in any way.

NU-TRA loves you.

Vahe

How I Came Across Kiss or Kill: Present Tense

Present Tense

www.myspace.com/presenttense

From Singer Amanda Rowse:

you may also remember Amanda from this Chissum Worthington Promo:




For myself and Present Tense, Kiss or Kill has truly been a family. It has been a constant and positive reminder of that which we all seek in our musical endeavors; a place where player and spectator alike can appreciate a community of supportive, driven, fun individuals who come together each week (and often times more frequently than that) to create something bigger than any one band or fan or promoter, no matter how successful, could experience alone. Call it a "scene". Call it a group of friends. To me it was always more than these words can sum up.

I first came to Kiss or Kill during it's time at The Echo, when the Echoplex downstairs was new. I had heard about it from various acquaintances, but after several years of Present Tense gigs and nights out as an onlooker at countless clubs, phrases like "a really fun club" and "great music" and "cool people" began to lose much of their substance. I had played and seen some great shows, but the Amanda that first walked into The Echo that night years ago was becoming a rapid convert to the much touted belief that Los Angeles' live local music scene had become too disjointed, and that too often people DID just come out to see a specific band, have a drink, then hop back in their cars to make the drive home without a second thought as to the night as a whole. So often I had seen or been put on bills that just didn't make sense musically, each band having nothing to do with the next, with the exception of a possible "hello" or a "is your drum kit clear of the stage yet?” Although we live in a town with countless musical possibilities occurring every night of the week, people had been overwhelmed by this disconnected, pay-to-play standard which saturated so many great venues, audiences left not knowing what to think of these musical arranged marriages of sorts. There were exceptions to this, of course, there always are, and we were fortunate enough to find some of these, but I was definitely starting to see this problem as a reality of time and place.

So, as I say, I first attended Kiss or Kill not really knowing what to expect, but having heard enough good things to warrant a drive out from Hollywood to see what the night was all about. I remember liking all of the sets that I saw that night, but I remember more than anything being struck by the force and energy of the crowd in the club. This was not the self conscious, detached, hipster crowd that seemed to have taken over so much of the East Side of Los Angeles. These people knew each other, LIKED each other, and didn’t bat an eye before rushing up to the front, singing along, showing their enthusiasm for each band to take the stage. The crowd was the same for the entire evening, only growing as the night rolled on. I felt a rush of enthusiasm and appreciation for what I saw, for whatever this was, it was different than anything I had seen around town in a while. It was so intimate, my enthusiasm was somewhat countered by a tremendous awareness that I was an outsider, which only served to heighten my curiosity - one can only be an outsider in a situation where there are established bonds strong enough to be visible to someone new. Our friend Gint had come to the club with me that night, and I remember our excited conversation with Tom later, describing what we had seen, deciding we would go back the next week to see if it happened again.

And it did. We went back, and have been going back ever since. Throughout the years since I first found Kiss or Kill, some things have changed: some faces, venues, days of the week, but the constancy of its community and spirit have remained strong. We have played and partied with all of you, from squirt gun filled summer bbqs at the Old Towne Pub to late night camaraderie outside Little Pedro's, basking in the glow of Safari Sam's sounds system as Rob Z's eloquent introduction mingles with a driving fender and the audience's shouts and applause, the all day and night sun and tequila infused mayhem of Sunset Junction at El Cid. Proms, toga parties, record releases, reunions, birthdays, graduations, the list could go on. But you know that, because you were all there experiencing and participating in it too.

I know that in this world change is arguably the only constant, and that at this juncture Kiss or Kill too shall come to pass. And although I understand why it is ending, I won't forget what it did for me, what it did for all of us these past years. But really, all of the bands, promoters and supporters are what made Kiss or Kill more than just a random club night, more than just another gig; we made it a true musical and social community that brimmed with talent, drive, and friendship, so I should really say that I won't forget what we did. I was not there from the first days of the club, but I am very happy in knowing that for some time now Present Tense and I have been a piece of the "we" - it has been such a major part my life these past several years in large part because that "we" gave me a new appreciation for what can happen when people come together with a common vision and a positive outlook. And because it fucking rocked.

To all of you I say thanks. You don’t have to go home, but you can't stay here - well, maybe for just a few more shows.

How I Came Across Kiss or Kill: Get Set Go

Get Set Go

www.myspace.com/getsetgo

As told by Mike TV in an earlier interview that can also be found here on the Kiss or Kill Blog:

On their first Kiss or Kill show...

Hmm...you know, I don't know. I remember Matt and Cooper from Bang Sugar Bang coming out the Tuesday nights at Mr. T's, and I remember them telling me that they were starting something up at the Garage (now known as the Little Temple) on Sunday nights. And I remember going to a few shows out there, which were always loads of fun. I mean, this was at a particularly hard-boozing period in my life, and if there's one thing beside make music that the Kiss or Killers do well, it's putting back the alcohol. So, it was always glorious fun. Insofar as our first show, I really don't know. I think it was at Zen (Sushi). Although, we played the Garage a bunch of times, and one of those might have been a Kiss or Kill show. My brain doesn't work so well, anymore.

On what made Kiss or Kill different...

Well, basically, Kiss or Kill is about community. It's about bands who love music supporting other bands who love music. And, for whatever reason, that's a pretty rare breed of band. And I live for those nights when I'm seeing bands that I love, surrounded by people that I love, and all of us are sharing an experience that is singularly ours. It doesn't belong to strangers. It's not about getting rich or being famous. It's about music, and each other, and love. And man, if that's not PR I don't know what is.

And, what was Launchpad's influence on Kiss or Kill? I don't know. Maybe, just maybe it inspired Cooper and Johnny and all of the architects of Kiss or Kill to realize that you don't have to wait around for someone else to make a place for your music to belong. You can do it yourself. But that might be assuming way too much. I really don't know.

But I do know that I'm happy that Kiss or Kill exists. Without it, the Los Angeles music scene would be a dramatically bleaker environment.

How We Came Across Kiss or Kill: The Mulhollands

The Mulhollands

www.myspace.com/themulhollands

The Mulhollands @ Kiss or Kill - Safari Sams 2006

The Mulhollands @ Kiss or Kill Presents...Metal Skool @ Key Club 2007

As told by Sarah Jeanette and Jeremy James in an interview that you can view here on the Kiss or Kill blog:

Well, we started hanging out at Kiss or Kill and really loved the scene. So Johnny decided to book us an opening slot and it went really well, so we continued to play pretty regularly.(Our first show was) April 21, 2006

We loved playing Kiss or Kill the best because it has a family type vibe. There are so many regulars and everyone is so supportive

Kiss or Kill is different because as mentioned above, it has an awesome vibe...it is its own little community, like a big family of musicians and genuine music lovers. Thats hard to find in LA.

We played a Kiss or Kill show opening for Winger and Metal Skool which was probably the craziest show to date. The crowd was amazing and yeah, its Winger...enough said.

Outside of the Kiss or Kill Community, we have a group of LA bands we have formed a community with...Automatic Music Explosion, Ok Stranger, Spycamera, The Scene, The Ringers, American Eyes etc.

The Mulhollands at Kiss or Kill @ Safari Sam's 2007

How I Came Across Kiss or Kill: The Letter Openers

The Letter Openers

www.myspace.com/theletteropeners

The Letter Openers @ El Cid 2007

So, here's how I remember it:

Mac with the Letter Openers at the Echo 2005

The Letter Openers started as The Lamed Vovniks, and the first club that would have us was Launchpad. Launchpad was put together and run by the one & only Mike TV. We played our first show at Launchpad West, which was held at the Billiard Inn (now the Good Hurt). We also played at Launchpad East (held @ Mr. Ts Bowl). These Launchpad bills were populated by many future Kiss or Kill bands, including Vermicious K (who morphed into Get Set Go), Billion Stars, The Dollyrots and The Friendship Motor Inn (who became The Randies), to name a few.

When Launchpad moved to The Echo, we met Matt & Cooper of Bang Sugar Bang. We knew them from the year before, when we shared a bill with BSB at Duggan's Pub in Culver City. There was another band on the Duggan's bill called The Shapes. Their vocalist was the drummer for Martin's & my first band together, The Super Glorious Fucking Assholes. His name is Kevin Murphy and he was instrumental in starting the scene that turned into Kiss or Kill. And now back to BSB...

We met Matt & Cooper at The Echo and they asked us to come and play Kiss or Kill, which was then being held at The Garage. It was at The Garage shows that we got to know bands like Silver Needle, The OAOTs and Zeitgeist Auto Parts. The club then moved to Zen Sushi and the rest is history...

The Letter Openers at El Cid 2007


Sincerely,

Mac

How I Came Across Kiss or Kill: The Automatic Music Explosion

The Automatic Music Explosion

www.myspace.com/theautomaticmusicexplosion

The AME Live at Kiss or Kill - Safari Sam's 2007 - photos by Ashley Ford

By Matt:

“A few years back I went to The Echo & saw my first Kiss or Kill night. I had never been to a night of live bands that had such a supportive & friendly vibe. I had moved from New York City where things were definitely NOT like that. I couldn’t wait to get a band together & be part of the scene.


We got a last minute offer to play @ 7pm on a mostly DJ oriented night at Safari Sam’s. We had been playing out for a couple months & we were looking to play anywhere & were definitely excited to be playing Safari Sam’s regardless of the time slot.


Cooper was working at the bar that night, she saw us & that was that.


Our first KorK was (I think) Jan 29, 2007. After that we were asked to be the resident band for April. It was a huge thrill & we made lots n’ lots of new fans & friends. After that we played every couple months including a show with Metal Skool @ The Key Club.

"We definitely owe a HUGE “Thank You” to Cooper, Siria & Johnny for all of the opportunities we’ve been given!


We’ll miss Kiss or Kill!



XOXO,




Matt, Jodie, Chris, Jeff & Max!

THE AUTOMATIC MUSIC EXPLOSION