Producer Discusses 'KISS Cover to Cover' Tribute Album

With just one week left before the release of "KISS Cover to Cover", TributeAlbums.com sat down with its producer, R.E. Asbury, to talk about the details of the project. An excerpt from the interview follows:

TributeAlbums.com (TA.com): Where did the concept for "KISS Cover to Cover" come from?

R.E. Asbury (R.E.A.): I was talking to a friend of mine about starting TributeAlbums.com. We heard a story about a KISS tribute CD that was supposedly halted by Gene Simmons because the producers didn't have the proper licensing in place. I said something to the effect of "Wouldn't it be funny if someone put out a KISS tribute CD, but only did the songs that KISS covered so that KISS wouldn't get any royalties?" We had a good laugh, but after the conversation I checked into it a little bit and found that the songs for the CD were all cool songs and also that this was one of the only things that hadn't been done yet in terms of a KISS tribute album.

TA.com: Tell us how you went about recruiting for the CD?

R.E.A.: I didn't really have a plan for this, so I looked around online at bands websites, sent lots of emails, and told anyone I could that I was looking for bands to record these songs. I actually invited Jon Rubin, who recorded "Then She Kissed Me", to participate at the New York KISS Expo last year. I also put in calls to all kinds of recording studios, clubs, and anywhere I thought bands might hear about it. Once word got out most of the bands came to me.

TA.com: What kind of response has the project gotten thus far?

R.E.A.: It's been amazing! We've had to upgrade our website hosting twice since announcing it because the traffic was intense!

TA.com: Have you heard anything from KISS?

R.E.A.: We did get a call from the KISS office requesting review copies of the CD, and KISSonline.com, the official KISS website, featured the announcement on their main news page.

TA.com: Tell us about the style of the songs on the CD?

R.E.A.: There are a wide variety of styles on the CD. Heavy rock, acoustic guitars, and a little bit of everything. Marc Zouhar, who recorded "Tossin' and Turnin'", has a cool digital lounge sound that is really interesting.

TA.com: How did you decide on the track list?

R.E.A.: The track list is actually set up in the release order of the KISS versions of the songs. Jon Rubin gets the prize for noticing that first!! Tracks 3, 4, and 5 all came out at the same time on the KISS solo albums, so I put them in alphabetical order (Criss, Frehley, Simmons).

"KISS Cover to Cover", a tribute to songs covered by KISS, is set for release on April 5. Since the project was announced just over a month ago, KISS and music fans alike have been buzzing with anticipation due to the unique nature of the project. Most tribute albums contain cover versions of songs written by the band to which the tribute is acknowledging. In the case of "KISS Cover to Cover", the songs were all written and performed by artists other than KISS, but later covered by the masked monsters of the '70s. In some cases, these songs are more known for the KISS version! In addition, "KISS Cover to Cover" will be an enhanced CD with bonus features accessible through your computer. Pop "KISS Cover to Cover" into your CD-ROM drive and enjoy song histories, photos, artist bios, and more! Pre-order your copy now, and receive "Prophecy – A Tribute to Eric Carr" free with your order!

"We have a lot in store for the next few weeks," says Asbury, "and when you visit TributeAlbums.com on the 5th, there will be a lot of cool stuff!" R.E. Asbury is the driving force behind Lunar Moth Entertainment and TributeAlbums.com. His award-winning concepts and unique presentations are sure to peak the interest of many pop culturists!!

Lunar Moth Entertainment and TributeAlbums.com provide new and interesting products in various mediums. Keep an eye out for upcoming novels, comic books, CD-ROM adventures, CDs and DVDs.