Santa Fe Reporter Block Party
Wednesday, June 7
You know it was an interesting night before when you arrive at work the next day to find blood spilled all over the office front stoop. Of course, in this case, last Thursday, it was fake blood, courtesy of Love Gun, Santa Fe's best-and only-KiSS cover band, who headlined the paper's third annual Block Party.
The thing about cover bands, especially KiSS cover bands, is musicianship is essential. Oh sure, you can ride camp and irony
***image1***
and costuming for a bit, but if you ain't got the chops, all the wigs and Paul Stanley makeup in the world can't save you from lameness. Fortunately, Love Gun is built of a cadre of seasoned, sensational Santa Fe musicians-Andy Primm (Paul Stanley), Mikey Baker (Ace Frehley), Peter Williams (Gene Simmons) and Ken Maestas (Peter Criss)-who nail every lick, fill and scream with perfect accuracy. Love Gun's ability to inhabit their roles comes second to their spot-on ability-"Detroit Rock City" and other classics pounded the ears of young and old alike as devil-horns-hands shot skyward.
And being able to take the musicianship for granted is great, because then the camp and the shtick get fun, as Primm proved by sauntering around in a skin-tight catsuit, as Baker dropped to his knees for guitar solos and Williams spewed blood down his bare chest. The theatrics-much to the chagrin of some Reporter staff but to the delight of this writer-culminated with a bit of pyrotechnic chicanery that almost caught the Reporter offices on fire. Rock on!
