“Every
      single
      night
      I
      get
     
     
      asked
      ‘who
      does
      your
      makeup?’
     
     
      And
      I’m
      like,
      ‘Well,
      J
      do
      it.’
     
     
      They’re
      like,
      “Get
      out
      of
      here!’
     
    

    
     
      “Are
      you
      a
      KISS
      fan?”
     
    

    
     
      “For
      sure.”
     
    

    
     
      Sitting
      at
      a
      booth
      at
     
     
      Myron’s
      at
      5:30
      PM
      were
      myself
     
     
      and
      Kurt
      Frohlich,
      lead
      guitarist
      of
     
     
      Black
      Diamond,
      which
      is
      justifi-
     
     
      ably
      known
      to
      be
      the
      ultimate
      trib-
     
     
      ute
      to
      KISS.
     
    

    
     
      Tribute
      bands
      run
      rampant
     
     
      across
      Canada’s
      various
      music
     
     
      scenes,
      performing
      the
      music
      of
     
     
      bands
      that
      normally
      would
      not
      play
     
     
      in
      venues
      that
      their
      small
      town
      fans
     
     
      attend.
      While
      it
      is
      understandable
     
     
      that
      fans
      of
      an
      arena-rocking
      group
     
     
      like
      KISS
      would
      pile
      into
      a
      venue
     
     
      such
      as
      Myron’s
      to
      catch
      the
      music
     
     
      of
      a
      tribute
      like
      Black
      Diamond,
     
     
      what
      I
      really’wanted
      to
      Know
      is
     
    
   
   
    
     
      what
      would
      possess
      someone
      to
     
     
      travel
      around
      in
      greasepaint
      under
     
     
      the
      guise
      of
      KISS.
      Frohlich
      was
     
     
      happy
      to
      indulge
      me
      with
      the
     
     
      details.
     
    

    
     
      “When
      we
      started
      doing
     
     
      this
      [around
      seven
      years
      ago]
      we
     
     
      had
      an
      original
      act,
      and
      one
      of
      our
     
     
      guys
      was
      managed
      by
      Paul
      Stanley
     
     
      [founding
      member
      of
      KISS].
      We
     
     
      wrote
      some
      original
      stuff
      and
      it
      was
     
     
      very
      Van
      Halen-David
      Lee
      Roth
      era
     
     
      sounding.”
     
    

    
     
      Unfortunately
      for
      Frohlich
     
     
      and
      his
      group,
      glam
      metal
      had
     
     
      crested
      just
      as
      a
      new
      style
      of
      rock
     
     
      was
      emerging
      on
      the
      map.
      “That
     
     
      was
      just
      when
      Pearl
      Jam
      was
     
     
      breaking,
      and
      we’re
      really
      not
      into
     
     
      the
      grunge
      scene,
      and
      never
      have
     
     
      been.”
      Unwilling
      to
      try
      to
      sound
     
     
      like
      something
      that
      wasn’t
      close
      to
     
     
      their
      interests,
      they
      sought,
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      received,
      permission
      from
      Stanley
     
     
      to
      create
      a
      KISS
      tribute
      band.
     
    

    
     
      “That’s
      why
      we’re
      allowed
     
     
      to
      use
      the
      [KISS]
      sign
      and
      their
     
     
      logo
      —
      they’ve
      shut
      down
      other
     
     
      bands
      that
      used
      their
      logo.
      But
     
     
      we’re
      endorsed
      by
      KISS
      —
      they
     
     
      stand.
      behind
      us
      and
      take
      pride
      in
      us
     
     
      doing
      it.
      And
      we
      love
      doing
      it.”
      It
     
     
      seemed
      to
      be
      a
      natural
      choice
      for
     
     
      the
      group,
      who
      were
      all
      raised
      on
     
     
      the
      music.
      “Between
      [the
      four
      of]
     
     
      us,
      we’ve
      seen
      KISS
      in
      concert
     
     
      around
      thirty.
      times.”
     
    

    
     
      The
      band
      has
      taken
      great
     
     
      measures
      to
      recreate
      the
      KISS
     
     
      experience.
      “We
      get
      a
      lot
      of
      people
     
     
      offering
      to
      buy
      our
      outfits.
      The
     
     
      boots
      are
      a
      big
      thing.
      The
      costumes
     
     
      we’
      ve
      figured
      are
      worth
      more
      than
     
     
      $2,000
      each
      because
      we’ve
      had
     
     
      them
      custom
      made
      to
      our
      specifica-
     
     
      tions.
      We
      had
      a
      seamstress
      make
     
     
      everything.”
      The
      group
      payed
     
     
      tremendous
      attention
      to
      details.
     
     
      “For
      example,
      Paul’s
      vest
      with
      the
     
     
      rhinestones
      on
      it,
      we
      would
      count
     
     
      how
      many
      across
      —
      that’s
      how
     
     
      specific
      we
      got!
      It
      was
      exactly!
      It
     
     
      sounds
      anal
      retentive,
      but
      KISS
     
     
      fans
      know
      that
      stuff!”
     
    

    
     
      Performing
      in
      front
      of
     
     
      KISS’s
      hard
      core
      fans,
      known
      as
     
     
      The
      KISS
      Army,
      opens
      Frohlich
      up
     
     
      to
      criticism.
      “I
      get
      a
      lot
      of
      guitar
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      author
      circa
      1997.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PRPS
      EE
      ES
      AF
      ASHES
      LES
      IIS
      ASAE
      EES
      FAA
      GNA
      OCE
      PRS)
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
      players
      coming
      up
      to
      me,
      because
      I
     
     
      play
      Ace
      [Frehley]
      in
      the
      band,
      and
     
     
      theyll
      say,
      ‘You
      did
      that
      solo
      a
      lit-
     
     
      tle
      different,
      what
      happened?’
      And
     
     
      I'd
      go,
      ‘Well,
      have
      you
      seen
      the
     
     
      bootleg
      video
      from
      1974?
      That’s
     
     
      where
      I
      got
      it
      from.’
      So
      we’re
      pret-
     
     
      ty
      sticky,
      as
      far
      as
      singing
      and
      play-
     
     
      ing
      and
      versions.
      We
      don’t
      change
     
     
      anything
      to
      suit
      us.
      We
      do
      every-
     
     
      thing
      the
      way
      KISS
      did
      it.
      It
     
     
      becomes
      second
      nature.
      All
      the
     
     
      antics,
      we’ve
      studied
      videos
      end-
     
     
      lessly
      to
      get
      the
      moves
      down,
      even
     
     
      holding
      my
      guitar
      pick,
      down
      to
     
     
      that.
      We
      think
      about
      everything.”
     
     
      And
      yes,
      bassist
      Darren
      Harikima
     
     
      has
      the
      lengthy
      tongue
      necessary
     
     
      for
      his
      depiction
      of
      Gene
      Simmons.
     
    

    
     
      Not
      only
      does
      the
      band
     
     
      recreate
      the
      sounds
      and
      appearance
     
     
      of
      the
      band,
      but
      they
      also
      have
     
     
      taken
      efforts
      to
      bring
      the
      visual
     
     
      show
      of
      KISS,
      which
      features
      fire
     
     
      breathing,
      blood
      spitting,
      smoke
     
     
      and
      explosions,
      to
      the
      fans.
      ““We’re
     
     
      just
      big
      fans,
      and
      we
      want
      to
      do
      it
     
     
      up
      to
      the
      expectations
      of
      KISS
      fans.
     
     
      A
      lot
      of
      them
      [tribute
      acts]
      half-ass
     
     
      it
      and
      give
      us
      a
      bad
      name
      as
      a
      KISS
     
     
      cover
      band.
      We
      see
      ourselves
      more
     
     
      as
      a
      specialty
      act,
      like
      a
      Vegas
      act.
     
     
      All
      the
      flash
      and
      flare.”
     
    

    
     
      “The
      difference
      between
     
     
      seeing
      KISS
      and
      Black
      Diamond
      is
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Pa?