Silver Needle

Kiss or Kill Club

By Victoria Joyce

February 3, 2006

SugarBuzz Magazine

The Needle’s bass man is one of the KOK’s producers, John Arakaki. He and Cooper and Matt from Bang Sugar Bang have been doing this for a few years now. Getting bigger and better with every new show. They have two compilation CD’s under their guitar straps (Volume II reviewed here) and they are not slowing down.

We got there in time to see Silver Needle take the stage to a lightly packed house and do a searing set of their pop punk. The crowd loved em, singing back up on almost every song and playing along on air guitar and pretend drums. Dude, this was such a love fest. We were getting all misty.

This evening’s line up is all KOK regulars: The Randies, Midway, Silver Needle, Get Set Go, Pussy Cow and Bang Sugar Bang.

We emailed John Arakaki for a day-after interview:

What did you think of your Sunset Strip debut?

“It's funny because the very first incarnation of Kiss or Kill began at the Whisky a Go-Go a little over three years ago. Bang Sugar Bang & Silver Needle did a show with the Spicy Rizzaks from NYC & we promoted the event as a cohesive package. The next show after that was our first "official" Kiss or Kill @ The Garage.”

“There were moments last night where I reflected on the growth of the community to this point. We ended up with 500+ who attended the event; it's a long way from the Garage when we started with 30 people. It's cool, because the movement up is organic. Kiss or Kill was built from the ground floor & we are thrilled with our continued momentum.”

“I loved the show. I think the talent was top notch. We intentionally stacked the lineup showcasing Kiss or Kill's best acts. To see the Randies warm it up & end it with Bang was just so cool, it was special.”

“The Kiss or Kill community came out in full force, it was great to see all the familiar faces, rocking out & having the time of their lives. I can't wait until the next Key Club show!"

Was there a big difference in the audience?

(i.e. Silver Lake vs. Sunset Strip?) “To be honest, not much. Kiss or Kill's crowd is very resilient. Last year, even with our track record of success we were bumped over a dozen times from our scheduled performances. Our core crowd is loyal & dedicated. We still pulled in the same number of people on each show even with a short notice location change.”

“Kiss or Kill has a reputation of being an extremely open community. If you are cool & love Rock & Roll; you are going to meet friendly, intelligent people with mad

Will there be a new direction with your new home?

“We see both Safari Sam's & The Key Club as partners vs. hosts. The term "partners" was shared with both owners. Sam (Safari Sam's) & Keith (Key Club) have been very encouraging & proactive in helping build the Kiss or Kill family. Mad props to both owners for giving us the platform to succeed with our new Friday Night showcases. Each venue has a great staff & the experience has been amazing. Everyone does what they say they are going to do, & that's rare in a city like LA. We are fortunate.”

“We have moved from Tuesday's to Friday night lights! Also, we are going from 18+ to All Ages (15+ at the Key Club). We were averaging 300+ on a Tuesday night. With our move to a weekend night, this will give us an additional spike in attendance. It's so cool, because Kiss or Kill outdraws several major label artists. It's amazing. I see it all the time. Our bands don't have the luxury of radio play, touring budgets, & TV appearances, but on the street level - Kiss or Kill is more successful with limited resources. Sooner or later the major's will catch up with what's really happening & find out that Rock Roll is thriving in Los Angeles.”

“Another new item that we are incorporating is National acts. Last year we were fortunate enough to have The Muffs & International Noise Conspiracy play Kiss or Kill. This year, I am creating a new series of shows called Kiss or Kill is "Under the Influence" which will feature rock legends, who have influenced several of the Kiss or Kill bands. We are in talks with several big names, which is truly exciting. Today, we just confirmed an act that is a British Punk Legend for Friday March 3rd @ The Key Club.” “We are going to keep with our policy of keeping it a low dough show, but we are bound by contract to keep it a "surprise guest" tag until the night before the show. If you are interested, we are going to be selling discount tickets at the Safari Sam's show starting on Feb. 17th. You can also hear the rumors from our regulars on who it might be. We also hope to have our friends in the Muffs back for another show this year.”

“One last note, several of the Kiss or Kill bands will be hitting the road together to preach the KOK gospel to the red states & our label War Room Records will be launching early this year.”

Were you happy with your band's performance?

“I was thrilled. It's our first show back since Dec. 6th. We have been writing & recording our new record, so it was a huge release of emotion. We were excited to preview some new material & happy to get positive reaction from the crowd. I personally love big stages, & I think Silver Needle thrives in this environment. Also, the Key Club's staff was great - they gave us the full light show & a great monitor mix. They are pro & we appreciate all the effort. Par for the course, Silver Needle as a unit delivered high energy, catchy dynamic songs, & a stylized presentation. Maybe even a little blood, sweat, & beer!”

1. Volcano

2. Defcon Uno

3. Lenoire

4. Tourniquest

5. Shuttered Heart

6. Brief Reflection

7. Don Bovee

8. Savior Skin

9. Diesel

10. COVER - Ziggy Stardust - w/Simon from XUK