ABOUT | kk-wilde

A STAR IS BORN

KK Wilde was born In a small loft in Hollywood, CA. Kris Kurry and his band Kid Curry were coming off a great run with their EP and MTV awarded video "In America." Signing a deal with Noel Monk (Van Halen fame) and Premier Talent Agency (Michael Jackson, Van Halen and most of the other major bands) allowed Kid Curry to build a great team. Kid Curry was touring, selling records (EMI/Greenworld) and was quickly becoming a well-known band across the country and overseas.

But, at the heigth of their success came a huge contract offer that the band knew if signed would make them stars, and if not, would most likely end their run. EPIC RECORDS was knocking, wanting speciific things from Kris and the band that were not in accordance with management and booking.

"We (Kid Curry) were falling into that place that we all agreed we would never go. It was like a football team that was winning the Super Bowl game with 3 seconds to go and the other team scores on the last play. Most teams and team owners blow the team up at that point. So me and Mike Krammer, my drummer and co-producer, agreed that it was time to call it. It was one of the greatest rides of my life. I loved those guys so much and I was being kind of an asshole most of the time but the pressure was high stakes shit."

Kris left for NYC to stay in East Hapmton and songwrite and to spend time thinking the offers over. The band had just come off a national tour and, upon its end, they played one final show at San Diego Collesium in front of 40,000 people.

Kris was already feeling the stress of the road, the band and their future. The burden everyone was feeling was causing stress. After that show, which Steve (KK Wilde) drove from Los Angeles to watch, Kris and Kid Curry called it quits; thus KK Wilde was born.

It was back to the lab for Kris. Instead of using the clout Kid Curry had, Kris decided to hold live auditions at his Hollywood Studio, the famous Music Box Recording.

There Brian Black walked in with his drum cymbals in a Pizza bag. Chris, Steve and Eddie knew he was the one. Kris also took keyboardist Rich Halamecek (his right-hand man and virtioso). From the first rehearsals, Kris knew that the band was special and that something about it was very magical. They immediately started to work on their debut CD "Rock n Roll." This CD would later become legandary in the underground CD-buying market as would the follow-up. The band entered the studio with one goal: to make something special.

From the first tracks, "Rock n Roll," "Inside Out," "Ain't No Doubt" and others, the band knew the CD would make waves. Premier Talent stayed on board as the band departed from manager Noel Monk.

Febuary of1989, KK Wilde booked a small show at the famous Whiskey A Go-Go for their opening gig. The show was packed as the band hit the stage and tore the house down. The youth that Kris added brought girls from all over California. That night everyone knew that this was something special. The next day at SXSW in Texas, Kris' home state, they called Kris' office to ask if they would headline the rock stage. The band quickly hit the road for warm up dates and then traveled 28 hours to headline a show that, to this day, was the band's favorite gig.

"We came in took the roof off and laid down the law. LOL. It was a show that, to this day, I don't think I have seen at that event. We were tight. The sound was incredible. We spent years on refining a sound. We were using hard drives when no one in the country knew what a hard drive was. It was just a massive wall of sound. Brian was so on time and Steve proved to be the right move. I kept Rich on keyboards and as my MD and right-hand man. Eddie was on as usual and we just arrived as a band that night."

The begining 1986.

Like Kid Curry, KK Wilde's ride to the top of the strip was as fast as the band's growing audience. KK Wilde started street teams clear across the country. The band purchased a 1-800 number and it paid great dividends. KK Wilde was a favorite amongst the younger female rock audience. The band gained a national following immediately after the release of "Rock n Roll."

The first fan club to pop up was right outside of Boston, and then over 30 more followed. This allowed the band to gain popularity throughout the country quickly. The group was growing quickly. The band's members were feeling the quick growth and it was draining on them. Kris saw the need for constant performing so the band purchased their own Eagle tourbus, hired a driver and hit the road. Performing live in support of the CD turned the band into a national powerhouse. KK WIlde was the first national band to use rack-mountable hard drives. The band was years if not decades ahead of the pack. Sometimes that can actually work against a band. Upon the return from the road, the band showcased for 3 major labels at the famous Gazzarris on the Sunset Strip.

Upon the final showcase it was evident that all offers were not going to match the sales, so the band continued to manage, release and sell it's own product. Controlling their content created more interest from the lables.

Upon the return of a stint up the West Coast, KK Wilde returned to the studio to start a new CD. The band was experiencing some road burn-out. Kris wanted time to write the CD, so he informed the band that he would take 5 months off. This led the other members into a bit of a stall. This time was needed, and upon returning to the practice room, Kris decided the band needed a change of environment. Kris rented a church and an auditorium and hired a horn section and three female singers. The band then entered the studio to produce a horn-based EP entitled "Sex, Lust, Long Legs and Rock n Roll." The EP was to be for fans only and was given to the national and international fan base for free. This was a very innovative idea and ended up a major success. The band's international audience was growing, and the free EP helped the band further grow its worldwide audience.

Japan, the UK and other countries started taking notice of KK Wilde. Upon the release of the video "Rock n Roll," the band reached #8 on MTV UK and #3 in Japan. It was evident to all that KK Wilde was starting a trend that would be three decades ahead of it's time by self releasing their own product and controlling the flow on it's income.

In a major lable world, KK Wilde was defying the norm and setting the standard for indie artists in the future. Many took notice, including one major label that had it's eyes set on the band. It was the fall of 1992 and the band entered the church to rehease three songs that were to change the coarse of the band's future. "Cocaine Cowboy" was the title track. The band knew what worked for them in the studio and live. KK Wilde had reached the pinnacle of the indie world, and their underground audience was expanding daily.

Finishing the CD "Cocaine Cowboy" was a daunting task, and Kris was feeling the pressure from the band to tour. Upon the completion of the CD, the band emabarked on a tour that stated in Los Angeles and Las Vegas and ended in Utah. It was on that leg of the tour that Kris started to think about the future of the band. Him and Eddie were not seeing eye-to-eye.

When they returned to Hollywood they met to discuss the future of the band. The same week a major label came a knocking on their door. They had heard the songs "JFK" and "Million MIles Away" and decided that KK Wilde was a force of a band and that their sound was unique. Their use of loops, drop-D tuning and deep lyrical content was intriquing to the label. The deal offered was huge and that was the start of a divison between Eddie and Kris. That was the start of the end of KK Wilde.

Throughout the fire of the situation came one incredible CD "Cocain Cowboy," and with that CD came major label money, control, issues within the band and more success. In the end, the CD has become such a commidity that it is one of the most collected 80's band CDs in the world.

KK Wilde's lead singer returned to Texas to start a 23-time Grammy Awarded label, Tejas Records. Steve and Brian became successful in their businesses and Eddie settled and married. Unfortunately Rich passed away; Rich was Kris' closest friend.

But KK Wilde lives on. Kris and the boys are back in the studio with a follow-up EP coming out soon.