In 1989 I was 15 and a freshman in high school. This is when I first got into KISS, which was during the Hot in the Shade tour, which was also my first KISS album. I remember buying Smashes Thrashes and Hits and hearing the old KISS songs for the first time. To be honest, I didnt like the 70s era songs back then, but I did love the way they used to look with the costumes and makeup.
Back in high school I played guitar in a band called Nightmare Alley. We covered Cold Gin back then. I saw KISS again for the Revenge tour in 1992, but of course everything changed when I saw them in 1996 for the reunion tour. Since then I have seen them many times and I love every show.
Similar to other members, I stopped playing guitar when I was in my early twenties. I then got married, bought a house and had kids. In late 2009 I realized that I was missing something so I started checking for bands in the area. I knew I wanted to play bass because I was looking for something new. An ad looking for people to join a new KISS tribute band quickly got my attention one night. I took a chance and tried out for the Gene part with my new $50 bass.
Fast forward to today and I remain in the band. Although members have come and gone, the other three guys that make up KISS Forever are dedicated and truly understand what this band is and what we can become.
John Saner