KIX to perform in Hagerstown

KIX to perform at Interstate Rock Fest in Hagerstown

Written by CRYSTAL SCHELLE

KIX founding guitarist Brian Forsythe can still recall what it was like to perform on an arena stage for the first time.

It was 1989 and the Hagerstownbased band was playing at the Capital

Centre in Landover, Md., with headliners Ratt and Britny Fox. KIX was riding high off its 1988 mega-hit

“Don’t Close Your Eyes.”

“When we got to the Capital Centre, they switched our slot and put us second, since it was our hometown,” Forsythe said during a telephone interview from his Nashville home. “And I remember going out there on stage and the whole audience was so loud. They were all holding up their cigarette lighters and the whole place was lit up. People were singing along to every single song, and it gave me goosebumps.”

It’s one reason why Forsythe still wants to be a musician, something he was inspired to do when he saw The Beatles perform on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964.

“I don’t think that’s ever gone away,” he said. “When I got into high school and started playing with bands, I knew this was my career choice. I didn’t finish high school or go to college, so I have nothing else to fall back on. I get paid to have fun.”

Forsythe expects the fans to have as much fun when KIX performs for the first-ever Interstate Rock Fest. The event runs from Friday, Sept. 9, to Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Washington County Agricultural Education Center. The KIX lineup performing Saturday includes Steve Whiteman on vocals, Bob Paré on guitar, Jimmy Chalfant on drums and Mark Schenker on bass.

Becoming KIX

In 1977, a 20-year-old Forsythe lived with his parents in Frederick, Md., while playing with bands in the area. He was approached by guitarist Ronnie Younkins, who asked if he would like to join a band that he and bassist Donnie Purnell were forming. Younkins told him they wanted to perform and write original music and get a record deal. They needed a second guitarist. The band was originally called Shooze.

“It was weird because I was thinking that I didn’t want to start all over from scratch,” he said. “I was looking for an already established band.”

Forsythe said he was convinced after Donnie Spence (now deceased), Shooze’s drummer, called and chatted with him.

“He said, ‘At least try it out and get together with them,’” he said. “So that’s what we did.”

From the beginning, Forsythe knew the group had something special when it started playing “Atomic Bomb,” which ended up on the band’s 1981 self-titled album, “KIX.”

“I just remember playing that song and thinking, ‘This is a really cool song, and it’s an original and not a cover,’ so they kind of sold me on it,” he said. “And throughout the years, we’ve had some personnel changes, but it all ended up as KIX.”

Forsythe was excited to work with a group that wanted to be more than just a weekend band.

“This was the first situation that I was ever in where getting a record label was the goal,” he said. “It had never previously crossed my mind because I never knew how to achieve that goal.”

Seeing success

Forsythe credited Purnell’s songwriting for giving KIX its signature sound. Its eponymous album also included fan favorites such as “The Itch” and “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.” The band followed it up with 1983’s “Cool Kids.”

But it was 1985’s “Midnite Dynamite” that launched the group from Tri-State performers to a national act. The album was produced by Beau Hill, who worked with Ratt, and songwriter Bob Halligan Jr., who wrote along with Purnell and others, was added to the mix. From “Midnite Dynamite,” KIX was on the charts with the singles “Midnite Dynamite” and “Cold Shower.”

On a roll, the band followed up with 1988’s “Blow My Fuse,” which included its biggest chart-topper, “Don’t Close Your Eyes,” which peaked at No. 11. That album was certified platinum. By then, the band was playing at arenas like the one in Landover, and most notably, Tokyo.

“We had a lot of fans waiting at the airport with banners and posters. It was kind of like a mini-Beatles experience,” Forsythe said.

KIX’s next albums were 1991’s “Hot Wire” and 1992’s “Live,” which was recorded at the University of Maryland, College Park.

In 1994, Atlantic Records dropped the band.

The following year, KIX released “$how Bu$ine$$” with CMC International. But by 1996, the members went their separate ways with personal projects.

In 2004, the band reunited without Purnell. In 2014, when audiences were craving nostalgic acts, the reformed group released “Rock Your Face Off,” its seventh studio album. In 2018, the group released a double-CD anniversary edition set, “Fuse 30 Reblown – 30th Anniversary Special Edition.”

Love to the fans

Through it all, KIX’s fans have continued to find them and show up, something for which Forsythe is grateful.

“I feel blessed that I’m able to still be doing this,” he said. “When we were doing those big shows, like the Baltimore arena, it was always in the back of my mind when the other shoe was going to drop. When are these people going to decide, you know, that’s enough? … I think it’s just amazing that our fans have stuck with us. It’s not only our initial fans, but they bring their kids with them now. We have several generations going.”

He also contributed the band’s longevity to its work ethic and giving it all on the stage for the fans.

“We give 110%, no matter what,” he said. “Rather than shrug it off and give a partial show, we would always put everything into it. We would put as much into it, whether it was one person or tens of thousands. It kind of goes both ways because we want fans to enjoy it as much as we do. That electricity gets sent back and forth between us and the audience.”