KIX Singer Steve Whiteman: “Donnie (Purnell) Is A Bitter Person

In an interview with the Cobras & Fire Podcast, KIX front man Steve Whiteman, when asked why founding member and principal songwriter, bassist Donnie Purnell wasn’t included in the bands reunion said:

“Donnie is a very bitter person. And um, the only reason that were doing these shows and the only reason that we ever even got back together was because Funny Money would go out and play and I had Mark on bass and I had Jimmy on drums and then once in a while Ronnie’s band would come out and play with us and we’d get Ronnie up on stage and do a mini KIX set.  Then this promoter gets the big idea “lets fly Brian in and let’s put the whole band together and see what happens.”   And it exploded  locally.  That’s what triggered it. So there was no need to bring in the headache, the iron fist.  The guy that’s going to rule everything.  And control everything.  And we thought you know this is so fun.  This is so nice to not having to deal with that stuff.  That we should leave it alone and that’s what we did.”  

You can hear the entire interview below.

On the 30^th Anniversary of their platinum album, Blow My Fuse, Maryland hard rock icons, KIX will release Fuse 30 Reblown on September 21, 2018, exactly 30 years after Blow My Fuse’s original September 19, 1988 release date.  KIX announced the release from the stage of the M3 Rock Festival where the band performed Blow My Fuse in its entirety last weekend to their hometown crowd.

Fuse 30 Reblown features a stunning Beau Hill (Alice Cooper, Ratt, Warrant, KIX) re-mixed and re-mastered version of their Atlantic Records Blow My Fuse album, as well as special never-before-released demos of all 10 tracks, recorded in the early to mid 1980’s.  The album Blow My Fuse features the group’s biggest hit, the power ballad, “Don’t Close Your Eyes,” which reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1989. The album achieved platinum sales and peaked at #46 on the Billboard Top 200, making it the band’s most successful of their 35-year career.

“We are proud to be celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the biggest album of our lives,” says singer Steve Whiteman.  “We went from clubs to arenas, a van to a tour bus, and from the U.S. to Japan and Europe. And 30 years later, our fans are still right here with us.”

Fuse 30 Reblown will be available for pre-order in July through the band’s PledgeMusic store www.pledgemusic.com/projects/kix, where fans can also purchase special commemorative merchandise.

KIX gracefully eased back into the public consciousness in 2008.  After sold out hometown gigs, the quintet hit the stage at Rocklahoma in front of over 20,000 people, venturing out of the Mid-Atlantic for the first time in 13 years.  Delivering a triumphant set alongside Sammy Hagar and Alice Cooper, they left their mark on old and new fans alike.  After capturing their fiery reunion on 2012’s Live in Baltimore CD & DVD, the members agreed to enter the studio once again.

In 2014, KIX released their seventh full-length album, Rock Your Face Off (Loud & Proud Records) their first studio effort since 1995’s Show Business. The album debuted at #1 on Amazon’s “Hard Rock and Metal “chart, in the Top 50 on Billboard’s “Top 200 Albums” chart, #5 on the “Independent Albums “chart, #11 on the “Top Internet “chart, #17 on the “Top Rock Albums” chart, #27 on the “Indy/Small Chain Core Stores” chart and #33 on the “Physical” chart.

KIX last released CAN’T STOP THE SHOW: THE RETURN OF KIX on October 21, 2016, a two-disc DVD/CD set that entered the Billboard Top Music Video Sales chart at #3, and rose to the #1 position, the band’s highest charting debut and first #1 ever in their 35-year history.  The 71-minute film offered an in-depth look into KIX’s decision to record their first new album, 2014’s Rock Your Face Off, in almost 20 years.

FUSE 30 Reblown

Disc 1 – Blow My Fuse remixed and re-mastered By Beau Hill:

1. Red Lite, Green Lite, TNT
2. Get It While It’s Hot
3. No Ring Around Rosie
4. Don’t Close Your Eyes
5. She Dropped Me The Bomb
6. Cold Blood
7. Piece Of The Pie
8. Boomerang
9. Blow My Fuse
10. Dirty Boys

Disc 2 – Demos:

1. Red Lite, Green Lite, TNT (Demo recording, 6/20/86)
2. Get It While It’s Hot (Demo recording, 11/10/86)
3. No Ring Around Rosie (Demo recording, 1987)
4. Don’t Close Your Eyes (Demo recording, 11/25/86)
5. She Dropped Me The Bomb  (Demo recording, 6/20/86
6. Cold Blood (Demo recording, 3/21/87
7. Piece Of The Pie (Demo recording, 6/20/86)
8. Boomerang (Demo recording, 3/4/84)
9. Blow My Fuse (Demo recording, 9/5/86)
10. Dirty Boys (Demo recording, 11/10/86)

KIX will be performing select shows for the rest of the year. All tour dates (more TBA soon) can be found on the band’s website HERE and below.

Tour Dates:

MAY 19 @ Rocky Gap Casino – Cumberland, MD

MAY 26 @ BMI Speedway – Versailles, OH

MAY 27 @ HerrinFesta Italiana – Herrin, IL

JUN 16 @ Club XL – Harrisburg, PA

JUN 23 @ Freedom Fest – Littleton, CO

JUL 12 @ Bottle and Cork – Dewey Beach, DE

JUL 21 @ Moondance Jam – Walker, MN

AUG 18 @ North Woods Rock Rally – Glen Flora, WI

SEP 01 @ Shenandoah County Fair – Woodstock, VA

SEP 07 @ Grand Rocktember Music Festival – Hinckley, MN

SEP 08 @ Arcada Theater – St Charles, IL

bakko@decibelgeek.com