Steve Baltin at Forbes.com recently caught up with KISS legend Paul Stanley to discuss his Soul Station side band, a 13-piece revue "that pays homage to the great soul songs of the past." Following is an excerpt from the interview. 

Baltin: What are the plans for Soul Station?

Stanley: "The idea really is at this point to either do a DVD/album or do a live special. So it’s really something that has to be seen to digest and understand because, quite honestly, some people’s first reaction when they hear I am doing Motown or Philly soul is incredulous. Before I ever heard Led Zeppelin or the Who I was lucky enough to go see Otis Redding, I saw John Lee Hooker. So that’s as much where I come from as anything. It’s kind of faulty reasoning to think that the music you play is a reflection of what you listen to and the fact is music is always more vibrant when the influences are more diverse."

Baltin: How does it feel to be able to go back and forth between the massive Kiss shows and the more intimate Soul Station gigs?

Stanley: "It’s a luxury and a blessing. Unfortunately nowadays the great soul music, the great Motown, the great Philly soul is kind of relegated to being samples on rap tunes and quite honestly, those original tunes outlive anything that they’re sampled on. So, for me, to be able to be in the company of an army of musicians, who want as much as me, to faithfully recreate and pay homage to this great music is an incredible blessing. And we all just have a ball, we all count the days until we do this."

Read the complete story here.

On February 26th, 2016 Stanley performed with Soul Station at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, CA. Fan-filmed video from the show can be viewed below.

Soul Station is a 13 piece coalition of some of today’s leading musicians paying tribute to an era of great soul music.

“When I was a boy, before I ever saw The Who or Led Zeppelin, I saw Solomon Burke and Otis Redding. I saw the Temptations. It’s tragic to think that so many people are missing out on experiencing the power of so many great bands, artists and that incredible music,” said Stanley. “That music is part of the foundation of all the music I’ve made and Soul Station is my chance to celebrate it for a night that’s real and live.”

To clarify further he adds, “I don’t play guitar in the band and we don’t do a single KISS song. That’s not what this is about,” Stanley continues. “It’s magical to hear those songs played right and we’re making magic.”