Released by: Frontiers Records
Release Date: September 21, 2012
Genre: Hard Rock
Links: http://www.kix-band.com/
Line Up:
Steve Whiteman – Vocals
Ronnie “10/10” Younkins – Guitar
Brian “Damage” Forsythe – Guitar
Jimmy “Chocolate” Chalfant – Drums
Mark Schenker – Bass
Tracklist:
No Ring Around Rosie
Atomic Bombs
Lie Like A Rug
Don’t Close Your Eyes
Girl Money
Cold Blood
Cold Shower
She Dropped Me The Bomb
Blow My Fuse
Kix Are For Kids
Midnite Dynamite
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
I make no bones about my love for the band Kix. Since stumbling across them many years ago I have found myself a tremendous fan of their brand of straight forward, hard rocking sound. Guilty of never veering from the same musical path they established back in the late 70’s, I see no problem with it. If AC/DC can do it, so can Kix. They also remain one of those elusive bands I have not had the chance to witness live before. For whatever reason they never really hit my area much back in the day, and if they did I just plain missed it, which is a shame as I really am a big fan of their music. But now I have the opportunity to see what they’e all about on the Frontier Records release Live In Baltimore.
From the word go, the band takes the stage in a fury sounding just as good as they ever have. From an audio standpoint, Kix hasn’t aged a day. And from pictures it doesn’t seem that at least Steve Whiteman has aged at all either (the rest of the band looks pretty damn good as well.) You can tell the band and the crowd are totally in sync with each other, which creates that ball of energy between the two making the night that much more special. I wouldn’t normally review live albums, but every once in a while one comes along that makes it worth my time to spread the word about, and this one is one of those albums. They run the gamut of hits and classics from their biggest “Don’t Close Your Eyes” to other Kix staples like “Cold Blood,” “She Dropped Me The Bomb,” “Kix Are For Kids,” “Blow My Fuse,” and “Midnite Dynamite.” Pretty much the essential tracks any Kix fan would want to hear whether it be their first show or they were road traveled veterans. The sound is pretty clear, yet maintains that raw sound and energy that pretty much drags you into the show. These guys sound like they’re having so much fan and the crowd are eating it up.
I realize live albums aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. A lot of times they’re not mine either. But this one, and especially since it’s from Kix, is pretty special. This is the first time they’ve released a live album to my knowledge, and it will also be released as a DVD which will find its way onto my shelf ASAP. And apparently the band are working on brand new material which makes me giddy as hell. So in the interim I shall use Live In Baltimore, as well as the rest of their catalog, to keep me psyched and ready for new tunes. If you’re a fan of Kix, this is a must-have. If you’ve never heard them and are curious, I think from a tracklist standpoint this would be a superior introduction to them.
Written by Chris
Ratings Chris 9/10
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