1) Kix is an American hard roc… Read Full Bio ↴Multiple artists exist by this name.
1) Kix is an American hard rock band, being best known for the popular singles "Blow My Fuse", "Cold Blood", and "Don't Close Your Eyes". Carving out a nice niche in the booming 80s glam metal movement yet being bitten on the backside hard by record company games, the guys originally called themselves "The Shooze" before changing that to "The Generators" (and, for a couple of weeks, "The Baltimore Cocks") before settling on "Kix".
Donnie played in a band called Kicks and in a band called Jax, so he kind of combined those two things; he liked the three-letter thing, so he just made KIX.
The Baltimore-based band garnered quite a reputation for themselves as one of Maryland's most exciting live cover bands prior to signing to Atlantic Records in 1981. Led by frontman Steve Whiteman and creative mastermind/bassist Donnie Purnell, the band rounded itself out by taking in drummer Jimmy Chalfant as well as guitarists Ronnie Younkins (nicknamed "10/10") and Brian Forsythe.
The band hit the ground running after their 1978 formation. Playing the club circuit six nights a week for three straight years or so resulted in the band cultivating a huge local fan base and finally led to a contract with the Time Warner affiliate. Releasing their self-titled debut in 1981, the band showed off a desire to mix tongue-in-cheek humor with bombastic riffs and take influence from a wide variety of past influences in hard rock, punk music, and other styles. Kix's playlists featured what were to become live favorites such as "Atomic Bombs", the glorious "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah", and "The Kid". To support the release, the quintet set out to hit every club up and down the East Coast. Although often viewed as a part of the booming 80s heavy music scene, the guys featured more of a brash style reminiscent of AC/DC that mixed a tough attitude with catchy hooks, carving a nice niche for themselves.
Still, the guys' 1983 follow-up, titled 'Cool Kids', played up the more commercial side of the band, as shown by their collaboration with "Hot Child in the City" singer-songwriter Nick Gilder and move to a pop-influenced glam rock sound. Single "Body Talk" in particular found the group trying their hand at a dance music kind of style; rumors ran rampant that the song was written solely to appease the band's label. Said record company people were also said to have, eager to capture some steam at radio, also forced the band into shooting a horrendous video for the song which featured the band commiserating with ladies in full-on workout garb. Other songs such as "Restless Blood" and "Mighty Mouth" had a pop metal vibe with far more bite.
Eager to get back in the studio, Kix partnered up with Ratt producer Beau Hill (who'd also later work with Warrant and Winger) and released 'Midnite Dynamite', which the guys would call their "self-proclaimed favorite record ever." The 1985 album featured a great single in "Cold Shower"" and some other notable cuts such as "Sex" and "Bang Bang (Balls of Fire)". At the time, other energetic hard rock groups such as Quiet Riot had broke through in a big way, and the members of Kix wanted to step beyond mere underground acclaim to taste the big time. Nonetheless, a funny thing happened on the way to commercial success with album number three.
As the band got ready for a brief West Coast jaunt, which took them quite a ways from their East Coast home, the guys kept hearing some fishy stuff about another young, good-looking vocalist by the name of Bret Michaels. A big hoopla had started to form that this young upstart had stolen singer Steve Whiteman's stage act. Rumor became fact as the members of Kix discovered that the band Poison had, prior to relocating to California from the Harrisburg, PA area, often come out to see Kix perform live. Now local heroes in their own right, Bret Michaels and his band-mates had more than borrowed a few stage moves from the charismatic Kix lead singer as well as adopted things from several other artists. Sadly, when Kix got the opportunity to open for Poison at L.A.'s Country Club, their fears materialized in the flesh; though having a far lighter, pop-fueled style more in the vein of energetic rock n roll than metal, the Poison line-up had incorporated Kix's whole stage act. The guys felt stunned.
Weathered but not to be counted out, Kix returned to the studio in not too long, and the guys brought in hard rock veteran Tom Werman for assistance. Thankfully, the band achieved the massive commercial breakthrough that they had been hoping for. The band's fourth effort, 1988's 'Blow My Fuse', featured a monstrous hit in the power ballad "Don't Close Your Eyes". As the song raced up the charts, the guys began to garner the recognition that they had fought so long and so hard for. Many other excellent cuts also permeated 'Blow My Fuse', and the album itself earned serious praise from several music critics. The powerful tunes "Cold Blood," "Blow My Fuse," "Red Lite, Green Lite, TNT," and "No Ring Around Rosie" all showcased the band doing what it does best.
Kix finally graduated to large scale arenas. For the next year and a half, the band would open for heroes AC/DC and Aerosmith, as well as a slew of others including David Lee Roth, Ratt, and Britny Fox. KIX were on top of the world -- if only momentarily. Much larger problems were looming on the horizon. The old adage of "more money, more problems" had materialized itself as a stone around KIX' collective necks for years and years. The band's financial matters were now in a state of complete disarray. Now severely indebted to Atlantic Records, the band faced a painful wake up call when they realized that they hadn't made a penny off Blow My Fuse. To make matters even worse, the label had plans to shift KIX from their roster to the label's new imprint EastWest Records America. This proved to be disastrous move for the quintet as they now had to deal with a new regime to work their yet-to-be released fifth record.
By the time Hot Wire finally hit record stores in 1991, the musical climate had shifted dramatically. "Hair bands" were now a thing of the past. Grunge was all the rage, making a band like KIX a laughingstock. The new trend made it virtually impossible for KIX to garner the radio support necessary for them to prosper commercially. In hindsight, Hot Wire may have proven to be the band's best sounding record ever. Bolstered by a little MTV airplay, the album's first single "Girl Money" showcased everything that made KIX a first-rate bar band. With double-entendre verses in the vein of classic Bon Scott-era AC/DC, great musicianship, and a hearty sense of humor to boot, the track would have probably been huge in 1989. Selling just under 200,000 units, the album came and went and KIX returned to doing what it had done all along -- hitting the road.
The band then toured the Orient and recorded a live record at the University of Maryland's Cole Field House in 1992. It would be released by Atlantic in 1993 under the uninventive moniker, KIX Live. The 12-track live album would finally fulfill the band's contractual obligation to the label. By the time KIX Live was released, founding member and guitarist Brain Forsythe had quit the band returning to the fold in 1994 in time to record Show Business, the band's ill-fated debut on CMC. Released in 1995, Show Business tanked and the band was history.
Other projects (1996–2002)
In 1996, Steve Whiteman formed a band called Funny Money in Baltimore. Jimmy "Chocolate" Chalfant joined Funny Money as their drummer in 2003.
In 1998, Brian "Damage" Forsythe teamed up with ex-White Sister and Tattoo Rodeo drummer Rich Wright, and erstwhile Rhino Bucket members rhythm guitarist/lead vocalist Georg Dolivo and bassist Reeve Downes to forge Deep Six Holiday. He joined Rhino Bucket full-time in 2001.
Ronnie "10/10" Younkins relocated to Baltimore City, and would be part of the rock 'n' roll act Jeremy and the Suicides. He then moved to L.A., then wrote, recorded, and released the album The Slimmer Twins: Lack of Luxury, as a collaboration with vocalist Jeremy L. White in 2000. Back on the East Coast, he founded The Blues Vultures in 2002, maturing into the lead vocalist and primary songwriter, and in 2005, released the album The Blues Vultures: Cheap Guitars & Honky Tonk Bars.
Reunion (2003–present)
Kix reformed in late 2003 without songwriter and band leader Donnie Purnell. Kix then lined-up shows for September 2004, the line-up consisting of Whiteman (lead vocals), Younkins (guitars), Brian "Damage" Forsythe (guitars), Jimmy "Chocolate" Chalfant (drums, backing vocals), and Funny Money bassist/vocalist/songwriter Mark Schenker in place of Donnie Purnell.
On August 7, 2012, Frontiers Records announced that it had signed Kix; the band subsequently released a live CD/DVD, titled Live in Baltimore, in September, with a new studio album to follow in 2013.
On April 16, 2014, it was announced that the band had signed with Loud & Proud Records to release the band's first studio album in 19 years. On June 18, 2014, it was announced that the band would release this album - their seventh studio album - titled Rock Your Face Off, on August 5. Upon release, it debuted at No. 49 on the Billboard Top 200 (the band's second highest-charting record after 1988's Blow My Fuse), while debuting at No. 1 on Amazon Hard Rock, remaining there for more than three weeks. It was well-received by fans and critics alike. The hard rock webzine Sleaze Roxx published that Rock Your Face Off was awarded No. 1 in the Top Ten Albums of 2014 by editors and staff as well as No. 1 in Top Ten Albums of 2014 in the Sleaze Roxx Reader's Poll. The first time in the web site's history that an album has taken the top spot in both categories. Stereogum.com chose Rock Your Face Off as Album of the Week.
In February 2017, it was announced that Kix would headline the first night at Rockingham Festival 2017, which was held at Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom.
Original Shooze drummer Donnie Spence died at the age of 64 on January 19, 2018 in Hagerstown, Maryland. On September 21, 2018 a 2 CD anniversary edition set named Fuse 30 Reblown – 30th Anniversary Special Edition was released. Producer Beau Hill who previously worked with Kix on their 1985 album, Midnite Dynamite remixed the original 24 track recordings. Fuse 30 Reblown is the original concept of current guitarist Schenker, who with help from record executive Madelyn Scarpulla, was able to obtain digital transfers from the original analog master recording reels. Schenker was also instrumental in rescuing the original 8-track demo reels and to digitally enhance and rescue the original 2-track demos. The second disc contains the 10 demo recordings for each one of the album tracks."
In 2020 the previous album Midnight Dynamite was remixed and re-released; called Midnight Dynamite Re-Lit, it is, to date, only available as a digital download. Beginning in November 2020, guitarist Ronnie Younkins took a leave of absence from touring and beginning in May 2021, Bob Paré began performing live with Kix.
In late February 2022, Ronnie returned to live performances with his own band. He remains on hiatus from live performances with Kix. On November 18, 2022, drummer Jimmy Chalfant suffered an apparent severe cardiac event while on stage at the Tally Ho Theater in Leesburg, VA, Matt Starr filled-in for Chalfant for live performances.
On May 7, 2023, from the stage at the M3 Festival, KIX announced their final show is scheduled for September 17, 2023 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD.
KIX played their final concert Sunday, September 17 at the Merriweather. The show featured a special setlist along with appearances from KIX's former guitarists Ronnie Younkins and Brad Divens.
Final setlist
01. Atomic Bombs (with Ronnie Younkins on guitar)
02. The Kid (with Ronnie Younkins on guitar)
03. Midnite Dynamite
04. No Ring Around Rosie
05. Red Hot (Black & Blue) / Body Talk / Ball Baby / Luv-A-Holic / Love At First Sight / Love Pollution (instrumental medley)
06. Red Lite, Green Lite, TNT
07. Scarlet Fever
08. Don't Close Your Eyes
09. Girl Money
10. Book To Hypnotize / Cool Kids / Cold Chills / Bang Bang (Balls Of Fire) (instrumental medley)
11. The Itch
12. For Shame (with Brad Divens on guitar)
13. Mighty Mouth (with Brad Divens on guitar)
14. Cold Shower
15. Cold Blood (with Ronnie Younkins guitar intro and drum solo outro)
16. Blow My Fuse (with Ronnie Younkins on guitar)
17. Tear Down The Walls / Walkin' Away (with Ronnie Younkins and Brad Divens on guitar)
18. Yeah Yeah Yeah (with Ronnie Younkins and Brad Divens on guitar)
Discogs
Kix - 1981
Cool Kids - 1983
Midnite Dynamite - 1985
Blow My Fuse - 1988 - US: Platinum
Hot Wire - 1991 - US: 200,000+
Live - (1993 - Live album
$how Bu$ine$$ - 1995
The Essentials - 2002 - Compilation
Thunderground - 2004 - unofficial bootleg of demos
Rhino Hi-Five - 2006 - EP
Live in Baltimore - 2012 - Live
Rock Your Face Off - 2014 - US: 20,000+
Fuse 30 Reblown - 2018 - 30th Anniversary Special Edition of Blow My Fuse album
Midnight Dynamite - Re-Lit - 2020 - Midnight Dynamite remixed for 35 year Anniv.
--==--
2) Kix, is a little known one off alias of Tom Middleton, with one release, the "To tha Beat" Ep.
Scarlet Fever
Kix Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And her kiss
Why'd it taste so sweet
You put me on the sick list
I was fine
You knocked me off my feet
It's a potion
So strong
Strange emotion
But what hit me
Baby I don't know
Na na na na na na
All that I see
Is a color in my head
Na na na na na na
I've got the disease
From the lips painted red
Scarlet fever
I got it bad
Contagious all the way
Scarlet fever
In my head
It's red hot night and day
Yeah - Yeah - Yeah
My heart was barley beating
Cold chills
Running down my spine
My meter wasn't reading
Overload
Past the danger line
Sweet seduction
With a look she stopped me in my tracks
Panic button
With a touch there's no turning back
Na na na na na na
Red hot lips
The ____ flickers and the ____ ____
Na na na na na na
I can't walk away
You are the hunter
And I am the prey
(chorus)
Poison from her red lips
And her kiss
Why'd it taste so sweet
You put me on the sick list
I was fine
You knocked me off my feet
(chorus)
The song "Scarlet Fever" by Kix is a tale about a man who is entirely enamored with a woman. She's got the lovers hooked on her kisses, which are toxic and addictive, and he can't seem to resist her dangerous allure. The "poison" from her "red lips" has infected him with "Scarlet Fever," a disease that drives him wild with passion, agitating his senses to the brink of overload.
The lyrics vividly express the extreme level of satisfaction and passion that this woman is capable of arousing in her lovers. Her kiss is so "sweet" that it makes them think that they're okay, but in reality, she inflicts contagious diseases in them. The man admits that he is stricken with the disease, and he knows that he has no way out.
To conclude, Kix uses clever imagery in the lyrics of “Scarlet Fever” to create a tale about a woman who has the power to intoxicate men with her charms, giving rise to an unstoppable fever that eventually consumes them. The chorus repeats the name of the song four times to evoke the sense of loss and longing that the singer feels for the woman who's poisoned him.
Line by Line Meaning
Poison from her red lips
The woman's kisses felt like poison to the singer. He felt as if he was being harmed by her actions.
And her kiss
The singer felt the poison not only from her lips but also through her kiss.
Why'd it taste so sweet
The singer couldn't resist the woman's sweet moments, even though he felt suffocated by her passionate love.
You put me on the sick list
The woman's love made the singer feel as if he was under the weather.
I was fine
The singer was completely okay before he met the woman.
You knocked me off my feet
The woman's love destroyed everything that the singer believed in.
It's a potion
The love of the woman is a potion that makes the singer helpless.
So strong
The love of the woman was incredibly overpowering and intense.
That it won't let go
The singer can't get over the woman. He's obsessed with her.
Strange emotion
The singer was surprised by the intensity of his feelings for the woman.
But what hit me
The singer asks himself what it was that made him feel so strongly.
Baby I don't know
The singer could not come to terms with his feelings and love for the woman. He didn't know what made him feel so attached to her.
All that I see
Everything that the singer looks at reminds him of her.
Is a color in my head
The singer could only see a single color in his mind's eye - the fiery red color of love.
I've got the disease
The singer realizes that his love for the woman is contagious like a disease.
From the lips painted red
The woman's red lips were responsible for the spread of the disease.
Scarlet fever
The singer has caught the disease of love from the woman.
I got it bad
The singer's disease of love has left an indelible mark on his heart.
Contagious all the way
The singer's love has spread beyond him and has affected everyone around him.
In my head
The singer is still fixated on this woman in his thoughts.
It's red hot night and day
The intense fiery love that he has for this woman never goes away, day or night.
My heart was barley beating
The singer's heart was barely able to take the intensity of his love for the woman.
Cold chills
The love that the woman showed him left the singer with chills running down his spine.
Running down my spine
The passion and emotions that she afflicted the singer with were intense and overpowering.
My meter wasn't reading
The singer's heart couldn't bear to experience this much love - he was overloading with passion for this woman.
Overload
The intense feeling of love for the woman took over the singer's entire being, and he couldn't handle it.
Past the danger line
The singer had crossed the threshold of what he believed was acceptable.
Sweet seduction
The woman's actions and love feel like they are seducing the singer, even though he understands how harmful they are for him.
With a look she stopped me in my tracks
The singer could not help but pay attention to the woman's every move, even if it was detrimental to him in every way.
Panic button
The singer realizes that he's trapped in the intensity of love that the woman has given him and doesn't know how to escape.
With a touch there's no turning back
The physical touch of the woman solidified everything for the singer - he was beyond redemption.
Red hot lips
The woman's lips are still as fiery and passionate as his love for her.
The ____ flickers and the ____ ____
The singer's mind is completely consumed by the woman and her fiery love - he is unable to think about anything else right now.
I can't walk away
The singer is aware of the detrimental effects of his love for this woman, but he is unable to let go and walk away from her.
You are the hunter
The woman is always in control of their relationship and the power she holds over him is equivalent to that of a hunter and prey dynamic.
And I am the prey
The singer feels like the woman's love consumes him completely, leaving him with no choice but to follow her lead.
Poison from her red lips
The singer's heart is being poisoned by the woman's love, and he can't escape from the pain that it's causing him.
And her kiss
Every time the woman kisses him is like another dose of the love poison that's driving him insane.
Why'd it taste so sweet
The singer is aware that the love is toxic and dangerous, but he cannot help but fall for it each time - it's almost as if he's addicted to her kisses and love.
You put me on the sick list
The woman's love made the singer feel as if he was unwell and left him in unbearable pain.
I was fine
The singer was in a better place before he met the woman, and the intensity of the love that he's felt for her has shattered his entire existence.
You knocked me off my feet
The love that the woman has shown the singer has taken him off his feet entirely and left him in a state of complete disarray.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: ROBERT SIDNEY JR. HALLIGAN, DONNIE PURNELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind