Sheldon Tarsha, Troy Patrick Farrell, Ted Poley And Others Discuss KISS My Ankh: A Tribute To VINNIE VINCENT

December 10, 2008, 15 years ago

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Returning ADLER'S APPETITE vocalist Sheldon Tarsha, WHITE LION drummer Troy Patrick Farrell and DANGER DANGER frontman Ted Poley are amongst those commenting on their involvement in the newly released tribute album KISS My Ankh: A Tribute To Vinnie Vincent. All contributing artists have provided their thoughts on the project, ranging from their personal memories of Vinnie Vincent to commentaries on their respective tracks (samples of which are available at the official KISS My Ankh: A Tribute To Vinnie Vincent MySpace page).

A few representative comments follow:

Sheldon Tarsha ('That Time of Year'): "I think I was 10 years old when I got the first Vinnie Vincent Invasion album so I'm excited and honored to be a part of this tribute. For our version of 'That Time of Year,' we performed the song basically the way it was written, each of us embellishing it with our own unique style. The original is a great song with fantastic production, so I listened to it very closely and chose to sing the lead vocals in a harder, raspier tone."

Troy Patrick Farrell ('That Time of Year'): "Since it was difficult to experiment with Marko Pukkila being in Finland and Ryan Roxie in Sweden, our best bet was to stick with the original formula that worked so well in 1988. Tarsha hit every note and not many people can pull off Mark Slaughter! We didn't tune down for this song, either. Personally, I really dig the VVI albums and I think Vinnie was a freak on guitar. Hey Vinnie, I hope our version of 'That Time Of Year' doesn't keep you in hiding longer!"

Paul LaPlaca, Curse God and Die ('Unholy'): "When I was on the road with ZO2 in 2004 while opening for Kiss, 'Unholy' was one of the best songs in their set. So when the opportunity to work on this tribute came along, I was more than happy to jump on it! I decided to do a really creepy and disturbed rendition of the song, to push its limits both sonically and vocally. Unfortunately, my recording studio is directly above the home of a young family with a baby. Hopefully I didn't cause them too much trauma while tracking the eerie vocals. My cat was pretty freaked out, though, and wouldn't come near me for two days!"

Ted Poley ('Ted Poley'): "In 1992, Danger Danger was opening for Kiss on the UK leg of the Revenge Tour. One night after our set I was backstage walking down the corridor toward our dressing room, when suddenly Paul Stanley entered from the other end! Paul has always been one of my heroes and it was a tremendous honor to be out on tour with him and Kiss. When I saw him approaching, I really wanted to say hello and introduce myself... but I got starstruck and lost my nerve! So I ended up just looking down at my shoes and walking past without saying anything. But when I got to the other end of the hallway, I heard Paul belting out my name at the top of his lungs... to the tune of their new single 'Unholy!' The words and melody just fit perfectly. 'Ted Poh-laaaaayyyyy!' I don't care if this sounds lame, but that was one of the greatest moments of my life!"

C.C. Banana ('Ted Poley'): "Immediately after I heard Ted's story, I knew I had to write the song parody! Even though he is known for being a fairly levelheaded guy, I thought it would be funny to paint a picture of a Ted Poley whose rock star ego is completely out of control. A man whose sense of self-importance became overinflated at the peak of his fame and kept right on growing. In other words, what if Ted Poley were more like Gene Simmons, the man who sang 'Unholy' in the first place? That, my friends, is the circle of life."

Steve Brown ('A Million To One'): "First of all, 'A Million To One' is a great, great song! Great melody, stellar chord progression and most importantly... an emotional, believable vocal. I knew right away where I wanted to go with it... a little modern, a little retro. I hope Stanley Eisen approves! I added everything but the pool and hot tub. The track has absolutely massive production! Mutt Lange would be proud. It's just killer. Everyone I've played the song for asks, "Why isn't this on the radio right now?" They say it sounds current, like Daughtry or Nickelback. The best part is when they ask me, "Who wrote this song?" When I tell them it was Paul Stanley and Vinnie Vincent, they're floored! Those two wrote some awesome tunes. Recording 'A Million To One' really got my creative juices rocking again! I honestly think it's one of the best songs I've ever recorded."

Danny Stanton, The Dead Zoo Keepers ('I Just Wanna'): "When we were approached about being on the album, 'I Just Wanna' was one of only two tracks left to choose. We were honestly surprised that nobody else had taken it yet! Cool song, great lyrics, very Kiss. The one thing we knew we didn't want to do was a straight cover. Why do that when Kiss had already done it so well? Instead, we chose to reinvent it! With that approach in mind, we added a new twist here and a new idea there, giving the track a more industrial arrangement. We had a blast recording it and we hope everyone enjoys hearing it!"

Additional artist commentaries and liner notes are available here.

Though Vinnie Vincent himself has not released any new material in over a decade, KISS My Ankh: A Tribute To Vinnie Vincent will pay tribute to the undeniable musical legacy of the former KISS guitarist. Vinnie's compositions are widely regarded as a highlight of the KISS catalog and remain a staple of the live KISS set list. Included on the tribute will be selections from the three KISS albums to which Vinnie contributed, as well as the two albums he released with the Vinnie Vincent Invasion. Further details and pre-order information can be found at the SplitScreen Entertainment website.



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