Steve Whiteman (Kix singer)

Episode 194 - Steve Whiteman of Kix!  Steve has new solo album out now titled “You’re Welcome.”  Lots of great hard rock songs similar to Kix! We’ll discuss the whole album plus updates on Kix and his bandmates, some stories about the old days and more! 

00:00 - Intro
01:22 - Welcome & Brian
01:58 - Playing All Instruments 
03:03 - Easy & Get the Wild Out 
04:36 - Shock & Makeup 
05:23 - Prick Teaser & Sex Themes 
06:33 - Kid Dynamite, Ronnie & Drugs 
07:57 - Bad Blood & Donnie 
10:07 - Solo Album vs Kix Album 
13:40 - Solo Shows & Kix Shows 
15:50 - AC/DC & Dean Delray 
17:35 - Living in L.A. & Rockstar
18:55 - Bankrolling Money During Midnight Dynamite  
21:55 - Party Ends & French Fry Stands 
23:43 - Funny Money 
24:45 - Done with Teaching & Semi-Retired 
26:05 - Covid, Cancelling Shows & Vaccine 
28:30 - Autism Rocks 
29:20 - Wrap Up

Kix band website:
https://www.kixband.com

Autism charity website:
https://www.autismspeaks.org

Chuck Shute website:
http://chuckshute.com

No Shave November website:
https://no-shave.org

Transcript

Chuck Shute: 0:14

Welcome to the show. And if you could real quick, if you haven't already, please hit that subscribe button on YouTube or you can subscribe or follow wherever else you're listening. I appreciate that. My guest today is Steve Whiteman, singer of kicks. He has a new solo record out right now. It's called You're welcome. And the album artwork is it's a very simple drawing that he does. And the story is there's two stories, I guess. You're welcome thing is he would, you know, say thank you to the audience. And then he says, you know, jokes like, Hey, you guys are supposed to say You're welcome. And the album artwork, his little stick figure that he does when he gives autographs because he got sick of just, you know, giving his regular autograph. So he drew a little stick figure. So that's the album artwork. And it's pretty cool. The album is really fun, bluesy rock riffs, very similar to kicks, maybe a little bit of a departure on some songs, but really catchy tunes, and I really enjoy it. So we're going to break down some of the songs on that album. We'll also get an update on Kix and what's going on with them. And Steve's just a really fun guy to chat with very open and honest and some great stories. So enjoy it. Okay, please welcome Steve Whiteman. How you doing?

Steve Whiteman: 1:24

I'm great. How are you doing?

Chuck Shute: 1:26

I'm great. This is amazing. This is a longtime comment. I interviewed Brian for your band made of kicks. And that was a lot of fun. So this should be good, too.

Steve Whiteman: 1:34

Yeah. Okay. You actually got Brian to talk. Yeah. It's not usually a talker. He's no but Brian. Brian's like Mr. Ed, he says something when he has something to say. He's not like, he's not a very conversationalist guy. But when he has something to say, it's usually pretty interesting.

Chuck Shute: 1:50

Yeah, he had some good story. He had a great story about working with Steven Adler, when they were both kind of like, you know, hooked up on Yeah. So let's get to you, though. You have a solo album. This is cool, because you sang on it. And you play drums and bass on a couple songs where there's a couple songs where you play everything, right?

Steve Whiteman: 2:08

Yeah, I mean, I did everything on the demos. And when I when it came time to actually decide to go ahead and do this thing. I wanted to do it right. So I brought in some people who were more qualified than I am so but there i There were a couple of tunes that I wanted to play the drums and the bass and the rhythm guitar do all the vocals that just because it's fun. It's like a bucket list for me. Okay, yeah,

Chuck Shute: 2:30

cuz I just had Paul Gilbert on for Mr. Big and he he does he is a solo album too. And he said he likes playing the drums. Like it's really fun. Is it really fun to play the drums as a first instrument? Yeah, you started out Led Zeppelin cover band as a drummer or something like that.

Steve Whiteman: 2:44

I played a lot of cover bands. It wasn't really just a Led Zeppelin cover band. But no, I started playing drums when I was like eight years old. Yeah, my dad used to take me out to bars. And I'd played a jukebox and pass a hat and make about 20 bucks when I was eight years old, like, whoo.

Chuck Shute: 2:59

That's so fun. So some of the songs if we talk about, you know, the old days like the song easy. Tell me about this one. Because you wrote it. You said you wrote about reminiscing about times when you were in a band, it was really easy to pick up girls. What is that? Like? Because I've never experienced that I've only had rejection. So you get a big ego if it's easy to pick up girls or?

Steve Whiteman: 3:20

Well, it's kind of a double entendre. I mean, you can say that easily pick up girls, but you're also saying hey, I'm easy. So pick up so you can reverse it, you can go either way with it.

Chuck Shute: 3:30

Okay, so and then the other song that's kind of like piggybacks on that is get the wild out. So you talked about you wrote that about, you know, telling somebody to one of your students who's getting married, you asked him if, Hey, did you get the wild out? So do you think but do you think you can truly ever get the wild out of somebody? Like if you're just if that's kind of your thing? Like you just want to like fuck everything in sight. Like, can you really get ever get that out? Like, do you guys ever get sick

Steve Whiteman: 3:54

of that on living proof? Yeah. Okay.

Chuck Shute: 3:57

Like you just got bored of like being with a bunch of different women.

Steve Whiteman: 4:00

Well, it's usually they're a bunch of sluts, usually. And when you come to the realization these aren't nice girls, I wouldn't take these girls that meet my mom. And when you finally do meet that girl that you want to take to meet your mom. Then all those slits go in the rearview mirror.

Chuck Shute: 4:15

So you just Yeah, you don't have that desire to go you get the wild out basically. Right.

Steve Whiteman: 4:19

Get the wild out. Yeah. And then once you find that special girl, then you know you're you're ready to settle down.

Chuck Shute: 4:24

Yeah, and so are you married then? 38 years 38 Oh, you got the wild out a long time ago then. Oh, wow. That's amazing. Well, congratulations. Thank you. Um, another song shock you wrote that about when you were again another stuff song about the old days playing in cover bands and you were wearing makeup and girls clothes so those are like the kiss day so was it more like the kind of was it like glam rock then or you didn't have like the Alice Cooper kiss makeup kind of stuff on right? Pretty much yeah, we did. Oh, you did?

Steve Whiteman: 4:54

Yeah, we were goofy clothes, high heel shoes, you know the big high heel shoes and I weren't knickers. Sit up in a stupid hat. And I had lightning bolts going down my face so Oh, I was all in. We were all in it was the era you know? Yeah, she did

Chuck Shute: 5:11

the lightning bolts on. That's okay. That's different. I haven't I haven't seen too many people do that. Yes. Or pictures of that. Somewhere probably

Steve Whiteman: 5:17

is but I won't share them. Oh,

Chuck Shute: 5:18

okay. I was gonna say I was like I've never seen you with lightning bolts. That's kind of cool. Let's see what else we got. Prick teaser. I love the title of this one. Me too. It's like so yeah, and then like the tug of war is again another song about sex. Both those songs are really blatant, really catchy songs. I love the songs. But I feel like some artists are trying to get away from that and like oh, we don't want to talk about sex that's not you know, and you're just like foreign embracing it. So why is that different for you?

Steve Whiteman: 5:45

Cuz I got the wild out No, I can do with dream.

Chuck Shute: 5:52

You're not worried about getting like me tude or any of that stuff or being politically correct.

Steve Whiteman: 5:57

Fuck that. Oh,

Chuck Shute: 5:58

yeah. And you're not worried too about because I feel like that was a like bands of your era. That was a thing where they got lumped into this like, oh, all your songs are just about partying and sex and, and so a lot of bands are like, No, we're gonna be more serious. And you're saying I fucking love sex. So this is we're gonna write songs about it.

Steve Whiteman: 6:13

Exactly. I love sex. I love making people laugh. I love that party atmosphere. I love I love sex, drugs and rock and roll. I mean, that's been the motto for for my whole career. So why change now?

Chuck Shute: 6:26

But you're you're not you never got into the drugs really? Right. He was more just drinking. Yeah. Because, you know, Kid dynamite. I mean, that is a little bit more of a serious song. That's about your guitar player, Ronnie. And he's obviously been battling addiction for years. How's he doing right now? Is there any updates on that?

Steve Whiteman: 6:44

Last I spoke to him? He was, um, he's, he's working like two normal jobs. He's still he's still living in like a rehabilitation clinic. And I think he still has a ways to go. I mean, even when he's, he's set free and go out into the world. You know, like you did before, we still have to make sure that he's a he's going to be able to stay clean, sober. So but right now he seems like he's doing really well. He's following all the all the rules, and he's doing everything he can to get his life back in order.

Chuck Shute: 7:13

Well, that's good. Yeah. Because he was sober for like 10 years or something like that. He was

Steve Whiteman: 7:18

totally fine. 2020 years. Yeah. So

Chuck Shute: 7:21

and then it was just a pandemic that

Steve Whiteman: 7:24

it was even before the night before. Okay, yeah, I he got Hep C. And he had to he had to use intravenous needles to battle the Hep C, it was before the newer treatment came out. So, and I haven't we all think that that just kind of took his mentality back to the days when he was using, and not me mean, that's speculation. Okay. To ask him that. Sure. Seemed like, that's when things flipped for him.

Chuck Shute: 7:50

Oh, that's rough. Well, I'm glad to hear he's doing better than because, you know, I want everybody to be doing better. And then, yeah, bad blood. I mean, that's so that song about it's about having good friends and having a falling out. And I think everyone's experienced that. And you don't want to name names on this one. But I mean, you could kind of like guess who it might be about right?

Steve Whiteman: 8:10

Yeah, you can guess Yeah, I

Chuck Shute: 8:11

mean, cuz I've heard you tell I've already told a story about with Donnie, and how you just like he yelled at you about you want to use some song on funny for funny money, and he screamed at you. And as last time you talked to him, do you think you'll ever talk to him again? I mean, do you? Or is there a part? Are you just done with all that? Or is there part of you? That's like,

Steve Whiteman: 8:29

I've moved on? Yeah. Last time I spoke to him was 9595. Hey, I'm gonna use you wanna put together and he just tore me an asshole and I, I took it. I let him get it. Get it all out, spew all his nastiness. And I thought never again and hung up. I said, I'm sorry. You feel that way. I always respected you. But now I don't.

Chuck Shute: 8:50

That's really sad. And he hasn't. He hasn't said anything. There hasn't been anything in the press or he's just kind of been laying low, huh?

Steve Whiteman: 8:56

We don't have well, he had no idea where he's at what he's doing. No clue. And honestly don't care.

Chuck Shute: 9:02

Yeah, that's, that's interesting. It's just he makes me I don't know, for some reason. I'm curious. I'm just curious. Like, what happened? Like, what why is he so angry? Like, I don't know. I guess we'll never know though unless he ever comes forward. But

Steve Whiteman: 9:13

he was always angry. He was he was a very much of a control freak. And when when he didn't get his way, his his anger just spewed out of him and it wasn't just against all the bandmates. It was against everybody. It was against record company, management agents, all the road crew it was it was just his his dominating personality and it was hard to take so how we lasted 18 years is beyond me and and it's been 18 years without him and it's and it's been wonderful.

Chuck Shute: 9:41

Interesting. So is that your advice? If people have a relationship or friendship like that, is to just get out and don't look back?

Steve Whiteman: 9:48

Absolutely get out of it because it just it just drags you down. Then you know life is short when you want to go through it happy and if you're not happy, get the hell out. I don't care if it's a marriage a girl Friend A band whatever it is, if you're not happy doing it Get the hell out.

Chuck Shute: 10:03

Oh, that's great advice. I love it. So let's see lightning bolt that was a really catchy song strip that was a good song. Do Do me like you done before another like, that's a great like a Blues Blues rock song.

Steve Whiteman: 10:16

Yeah, that's just Oh, yeah. Just a boogie woogie song. Yeah, yeah,

Chuck Shute: 10:21

great stuff. So now what are you going to do with your solo career? Are you going to do some live shows or a tour? Like would you consider opening on a bigger tour

Steve Whiteman: 10:30

or I don't even know if I have a solo career. I never really intended to put out a solo record. I mean, it just kind of just fell into my lap. Jimmy Chalfont our drummer, and Brad Gibbons, who, who produced it, were getting together and Brad studio at his home during COVID, just for something to do. And they were they were doing cover songs and putting them out on the on Facebook and wherever. And just, you know, collecting clicks and likes and all that. And Jimmy just said to him one day University sitting on a pile of of originals that I don't know if they're kick songs or not, maybe we get him over here and record a couple of them. But I was just trying to get more experienced in his studio. So they invited me to come over and I took my little pile of songs over and we sat and listened to all 12 of them. And Brad said, Let's do all of them. And I said, Well, I looks like I'm making a solo album. And doesn't it? He goes, Yeah, why not? So then we got Bob Perry involved and course Jimmy, and in COVID, you know, kind of, it got worse, and everybody had to go back to their houses and record from from their house. So everybody learned how to how to make records from their home because you had to

Chuck Shute: 11:35

uh huh. So but those songs were you presented them to kicks and kicks didn't like any of them, or

Steve Whiteman: 11:42

I got crickets when I sent them out to them. I mean, I literally got crickets from them. So I just realized, okay, then this step, I can't write kick songs, but I can write Steve Whiteman songs. So that's, that's what I did.

Chuck Shute: 11:53

Paul, that's interesting. Yeah. Cuz some of these songs. I mean, like I said, I'm trying to think if they're, I don't think there's a bad song on the record, in my opinion. Like, I think every song is like really catchy. And I could definitely, I mean, they some of them sound like kick

Steve Whiteman: 12:04

songs. Let's go to my voice.

Chuck Shute: 12:07

Yeah. Well, in the riffs, I feel like the riffs are very, they're just real catchy, like toggle love. I mean, that's just like, I could totally hear kicks doing that. But I guess if they Yeah, they didn't want I'm not I guess they're, they're your songs now. Well, there's

Steve Whiteman: 12:19

also I don't know if everybody would be ready to do a kicks album anytime soon, just with the economics of it, and the work that you have to put into it. And the reward is very little. Sure if you're not a rich band, and we're not, you know, we didn't make a ton of money. So nobody really has that stash of money to just throw new music out for the fans just because you want to throw new music out for the fans.

Chuck Shute: 12:42

But you couldn't do it like you did this solo record. Just the same thing is the way Kix doesn't want to do it that way.

Steve Whiteman: 12:48

No, I think there's a higher standard for them guys and especially Mark shank or Mark Mark and and Taylor Rhodes really hit it off when Taylor produced rock your face off. And I don't think Mark would want to do it without having Taylor involved and Taylor doesn't come cheap. And we did it in March studio in his house and but we did have to go to a studio to record live drums. So it's it's an endeavor, and it's expensive.

Chuck Shute: 13:13

Kevin, I love that album so much like I that's your best album. Would you agree?

Steve Whiteman: 13:19

I don't know if it's your best album, but it's damn good. I mean, we were out of it. Yeah, I

Chuck Shute: 13:23

mean, let me with your top down is such a great frickin song. Like, I think that's my favorite kick song. It really is like, I love that song.

Steve Whiteman: 13:29

We still do that one live, because that one that one's still gets over. That's that I believe that one in wheels are my two favorites off that record. Yeah,

Chuck Shute: 13:38

those those are great. And then so yeah, so But um, because you said Brian is going to do Rhino bucket shows in January, February. So maybe you could do some solo shows, then

Steve Whiteman: 13:48

there's a chance. I mean, I really haven't put a whole lot of thought into it. Right now, in order to do something like that Brad Davis would not he's on the road with Enrique and Glacies. So he would have to be around. I had to go through a whole bunch of rehearsal just to just to get enough material to go there. I don't think 12 songs would would make a set. I don't know. It's not I never say never because if Brad's around and they would want to do it. If we just did some opening stuff and played an hour. You know, maybe we could do something like that.

Chuck Shute: 14:22

Yeah, you could play kick songs and funny money and solo stuff. Yeah, yeah. True. I think that'd be awesome. Yeah, I would say either, like do the local shows like we're in your hometown? Or if you could get it I think an opening slot on some like a bigger tour would be fun.

Steve Whiteman: 14:37

Who the hell would have me why? Can't even get on a bigger tour. How Why would they let me on it? You can it's really not. But we do festivals and we do casinos and we do local clubs and theaters, but we've never had an offer to do to open for anybody.

Chuck Shute: 14:55

That's shocking. Yeah. Because I mean, you're definitely one of the bigger bands of that era like I've seen seen other ones that go on tours together and have you tried to reach out to some of these guys

Steve Whiteman: 15:05

How do you do that?

Chuck Shute: 15:06

I don't know is silly we

Steve Whiteman: 15:09

have an agent that yeah, feelers out all the time but maybe they don't want to have kicks open forum maybe they see a little bit of a threat of a bunch of bunch of crazy ass energy driven guys that could possibly show them up.

Chuck Shute: 15:25

Or would you have some some bands open for you and do like a three band tour like,

Steve Whiteman: 15:30

oh sure that like say we do that all the time we we go out with slaughter and great white vixen. And all you know all the bands of our era, Tom Kiefer, and we opened for those guys Tesla. So we're all great friends and we all see each other a good bit. And yeah, we do that all the time. But it's on weekends. It's you know, sure flies.

Chuck Shute: 15:50

Now you guys, you've never done a show with

Steve Whiteman: 15:52

AC DC have you? Never had man, we'd love to done that, too. That

Chuck Shute: 15:57

would be an amazing show. I feel like you'd be the perfect opening band for ACDC. I agree. Have you ever had any interactions with them or method? Because like, I mean, just similar vein of rock?

Steve Whiteman: 16:08

Yeah, we I mean, they were definitely a heavy influence on us. And we did actually get to meet him at the capital center in DC one night, our record. A record God from the area took us down to to see their show and got us backstage to meet him. It was real brief, but it was exciting. And you know, you got through a number.

Chuck Shute: 16:29

No, but I'd love to have him on the show. That'd be a lot of fun. Like, I'm sure they got some great stories. What's that? They don't do much press. No, I know. No. Yeah, like that. And like Axl Rose. I think that'd be a really fun one too, because I'm sure he doesn't do any press. And he's doing he's a fascinating guy.

Steve Whiteman: 16:45

Oh, Axel. Not Axl. I saw Angus and Brian. On Dean Dean Del Rey. Yeah,

Chuck Shute: 16:52

yes. Yeah. Comedian ma podcast. Yeah. Huge

Steve Whiteman: 16:56

ac dc fan. And he somehow got those guys on his podcast. And then he had Phil and then he had Phil Run. Then he had the bass player. Cliff Williams. Oh, wow. He had the whole band on but but yet, Angus and Brian first and then the other two? Solo but great interviews too.

Chuck Shute: 17:17

Oh, yeah. I've heard some of his like, yeah, I've definitely listened to a lot of the Dean Del Rey stuff. Yeah, he's got some great guests. Pretty amazing.

Steve Whiteman: 17:24

I don't know how to get some

Chuck Shute: 17:27

connections if Yeah, if you come in LA and the comedy scene there and everything. It's like it's weird how everything is all connected with the music and yeah, did you ever live in LA or have you always lived on the East Coast?

Steve Whiteman: 17:38

Well, if called Making a record in LA we lived out there twice because you're usually out there for a couple of months. Okay. hated it. Just was not my scene. I'm the guy through and through that whole phony baloney. Here's my card. And I do this. I do that I'm on me on you know it just too much on me. I'm I couldn't take it. Really?

Chuck Shute: 18:00

Okay. Yeah, cuz I don't really like it either. But yeah, that's interesting. I thought if you're if you're a bigger rock star, I think like you fit right in. There's all the or is it just too much competition or

Steve Whiteman: 18:09

there lies a bigger rock star. We've never been rock stars. You don't think so? I've never considered myself a rock star. Never.

Chuck Shute: 18:17

But you have fans you have. I mean? That's

Steve Whiteman: 18:21

Rick. Mick Jagger is a rock star rock steward, the rock bands that have mansions and multiple cars and 10 wives. Those are rock stars. I live in Hagerstown, Maryland, and a little ranch home with my wife for 38 years. That's not a rock star.

Chuck Shute: 18:35

But you're still able to make music and make a living off of making music and while so you do the teaching and stuff, too. But yeah,

Steve Whiteman: 18:42

yeah, yeah. I mean, I consider myself fortunate that I'm, I'm 65 years old, and I'm still doing what I love to do when I was a kid. So

Chuck Shute: 18:50

yeah, and you guys had so much success with with kicks. So tell me about this. I know this is a little bit of a rerun, because I've heard you tell the story before but explain to it. Can you explain to my audience how you, you bankrolled the money during the midnight dynamite album time, like the record company wasn't putting in a lot of money. So you guys would like, go out and do a bunch of shows and then use that money to save up and do your own tour and stuff. I thought that was really cool.

Steve Whiteman: 19:15

That's well, we had no choice because the first album, they put out, they put it out as a single out before MTV meant anything. So there was there was no no videos. second album, they put out cool kids, which we hated. And we did a video for that suck and Body Talk, which we hated. put out a video for that. That suck. So the third album, we had new management, we had Bowhill coming off all the rat success. We had great songs for the record. We thought this is the one just can't miss. The record company put out cold shower and it was done. And it's like fuck this. We're not we're not doing this. So we have amassed a huge following on the East Coast like We could go from Boston to Florida. And we decided it's time to branch out. So we would play, bankroll a ton of money because we were making pretty good money back then. And then we would do our own tours, we will go to Chicago and Detroit and Cleveland, and the whole Midwest, come back home, bank, roll some more money, go to Texas go to Nashville go. And we just worked our way across the country. And finally got the LA opening for Guns and Roses. They were unsigned. We're on our third album, on Atlantic Records, big powerful Atlantic Records, and we're opening for unsigned bands at the Whisky or wherever the hell it was. troubadour, and but people out there knew who we were when people were actually very disappointed because they thought we were going to be headlining. And when they come in, and we were done, they were all pissed. So the next time we played, we played our own gig and it was packed. People knew about us out there. So it

Chuck Shute: 20:54

was these tours that you were banked that you spent spent your own money they were doing well, like people were showing up because you're out you still had the album and okay. Yeah,

Steve Whiteman: 21:03

what got the record company's attention. Finally, they saw all the work and all the effort that we put into that making our own tour with our own money, and they started to see all the interest so they they push the magic button on blow my fuse and the other thing that happened on blow my fuses a radio station and I think Kentucky picked it up and ran with it. And they you know, they knew it would do well in our in our, our area in New York and Baltimore and DC and all it but when they saw it outside of our comfort zone, and they go, Oh, we got this and then they push that magic button and you know, put out videos and got on tour with rat and great white and Tesla and Whitesnake and went to the UK with Japan. So that album, you know, really, really catapulted our careers and we thought okay, finally, we're in and then hotwire down the toilet.

Chuck Shute: 21:56

Oh, yeah. And then that's, I like that album. I like a lot of the songs but I like

Steve Whiteman: 22:01

I've never little band called Nirvana that came along, kind of kick everybody out of the party.

Chuck Shute: 22:06

Ah, that sucks, though. I like how you said, you went from playing arenas and large theaters to clubs. And what would you call them? French fries stands.

Steve Whiteman: 22:14

Right? They were they were burger joints that we tried to convert into a into a rock show. And when it got to that point, that's when we all looked at each other said it's time to put this down. Let's let's take a break. And let's see if this this grunge shit doesn't if it doesn't go away, the more fucked

Chuck Shute: 22:32

Yeah, and you never thought of like, Hey, maybe I should join a different like, change my style and try to fit it with the grunge.

Steve Whiteman: 22:39

Now hell no never even enter our minds. Not us. I mean, when you've been doing a genre of music your whole life. It can't just flip it. I mean, and if you do, you're a phony.

Chuck Shute: 22:50

Yeah. Oh, yeah. Cuz I mean, I know like you guys were on CMC records. And like you have that 1995 Was it show business? Is that the one? Yeah. And that's like, it's true to your sound, even in the mid 90s, when most bands were kind of trying to fit in with the grunge more and right? Yeah, but you guys stayed true.

Steve Whiteman: 23:08

Well, that album did nothing. And that's when we really knew that it was over. And Brian had left the band. We brought in Jimmy K bones and he had left the band. We were just we were getting exhausted just bringing in people and having them leave leave us because they you know, they thought we were like you thought we were rock stars. And we weren't. And the the the offers kept going down, the money kept going down. So it was almost impossible to maintain a living at that. So I bailed. We all decided it was time to bail. And I started teaching

Chuck Shute: 23:40

right yeah, yeah. And then you started the band funny money. So was funny money, it was more just like kind of like a hobby band at that point.

Steve Whiteman: 23:47

Um, it was to get your guys out, you know, I missed it. I took about a year off of playing and just did nothing but teaching. And then Billy Andrews was doing a fundraiser in Baltimore and he approached me and said I'd like to come up to your house and talk to you. And he was just trying to get me off the couch and back out on stage and I he come up and said you got a you got a music laying around. I played him a bunch of stuff that I've been writing and he said we could put a band around this so we did and it got us back out and I loved it. They lasted about five years and then they all decided okay, we're not going anywhere with this band. So I brought in another bunch of guys and that lasted about 18 years and then when kickstart playing way too much when I thought I got I can't be don't funny money and played all these kick songs in funny money and then going out as kick so it's kind of competition for kicks. So I had had to put it down.

Chuck Shute: 24:41

Yeah, that makes sense. Well, so with the teaching you teach vocals, drums, guitar and harmonica, and some of your students Jordan white, he's kind of a big name and then obviously Lizzy Hale of Halestorm. Who's the next Lizzy Hale is there somebody you're teaching right now that's gonna you think's gonna blow up.

Steve Whiteman: 24:58

I'm not teaching anymore. Oh, you're not COVID Nope, the school shut down when when COVID hit. And I just came to the realization that I was I was tired of doing it after 25 years of teaching, I'm like, it felt good to not have to go out and teach and I liked it. And I didn't really need the money wasn't that much money? So I thought, I'm just gonna put it down. I didn't charge that much. I only charge like, $30 a lesson.

Chuck Shute: 25:23

Wow, that's a steal.

Steve Whiteman: 25:25

It is a steal. But I help people. Yeah, if you charge somebody $100 a lesson, they're gonna take two. If you charge somebody 30 They're gonna take 10. In the long run, you're gonna make $300 over $100. That's the way I looked at

Chuck Shute: 25:38

that one. Also, that sounds like you just have a good heart. And you actually want to help people.

Steve Whiteman: 25:42

Yeah, that's it.

Chuck Shute: 25:46

Well, so what are you doing now? I mean, besides the solo, the solo album is done. And kicks in. I mean, kicks has a few shows. So you just basically kind of semi retired in a way,

Steve Whiteman: 25:56

I would see as one way of putting it. I mean, Kix was busy as hell. At the end of May we work from May, June, July, August, I mean, almost every weekend to three Shows a week just to make up for all the shows that we that we miss, through COVID. And then we got COVID. And we had to shut it down for about a month miss, like another eight shows, because it was it was weird, because I got it. And we were vaccinated. So nobody really was was in harm's way. I mean, it was very mild for all of us. But it get I would get it one week, then mark, come up with it next week, then Bob Perry got it. And just it's spread out to the point where we had to take the whole month off and lose a whole lot of shows.

Chuck Shute: 26:39

So even though you're vaccinated, it was a breakthrough cases. And but it was mild enough to or mean, it was severe enough that you had to cancel shows like it wasn't just,

Steve Whiteman: 26:48

we didn't want to infect other people. I mean, your if you have it you trot infect people, so we follow the protocols, and we all quarantined and, you know, we wouldn't fly with it, we wouldn't go to shows because you're around a whole bunch of people will eat them. Even if they're not in your band. They're still around you all the time. And we didn't want to infect other people. So we decided to shut it down to everybody come up with a with a a negative test.

Chuck Shute: 27:14

Yeah, so was it just feel kind of like a bad flu? Or how severe was it? I mean, you say it was mild? For me,

Steve Whiteman: 27:21

it was it was I thought I was getting a little bit of a cold. I mean, I basically had to clear my throat a couple times a day. Okay, like headache, and a lost taste and smell for about a week and a half.

Chuck Shute: 27:34

Okay, but then a week and a half. It came back then. Yeah, that's crazy. You'd have all those symptoms, even with the vaccine, though.

Steve Whiteman: 27:40

Yeah, but many people are going you know, that's why the boosters are out now. Because a lot of people are right through cases who, you know, you thought you were you were safe, but the vaccine didn't. didn't last.

Chuck Shute: 27:53

Yeah. How long from when you got the vaccines or when you got COVID? Because maybe the vaccine had run out.

Steve Whiteman: 28:00

Obviously, I got my second shot within March and we got in September. So just about six months, which Okay, at about the time when they tell you you need a boost?

Chuck Shute: 28:09

Oh, really? I thought it was like seven or eight. I thought it was small. So I think six to eight is what they say. So yeah, that's about Yeah, yeah. All right. Wow, crazy. Well, so that's hopefully that's in the rearview mirror then. So you do have some shows on the books for kicks coming up? And are you still doing the p90x and all that stuff staying in shape? Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Good stuff. All right. Well, I like to end this episode with a charity is there is a cause or a charity that you want to promote here at the end.

Steve Whiteman: 28:36

Um, I have two really close friends. And one of them is our sound man, Joe Corcoran, who has an autistic child. And Ronnie younguns has an autistic child. So if a charity for autism, you know, I think that would be the one

Chuck Shute: 28:53

Okay, yeah, I actually had somebody on Kenny Walker said who he handed like a cookbook with a bunch of rock stars. And it was like autism rocks. And it's that that's a that's a good cherry autism rocks. I think they do. I think that's the name of the charity or they work with another charity that helps. So I will put that in the notes along with the link to your solo album and and the kicks, tour dates and all that good stuff. Right. Okay. Well, thanks so much for doing this. I'll see you later, Steve.

Steve Whiteman: 29:19

My pleasure.

Chuck Shute: 29:20

All right. Bye. All right. Well, that was a fun little chat with Steve Whiteman singer of kicks, new solo album is out now. It's called You're welcome. It's available everywhere. You can even get the physical CD on the kicks website along with all their other albums and lots of really cool merch on their website. So follow Steve on Facebook. And I think kicks is on all social media, you can follow them as well. And while you're on social media, you can give me a follow and the podcasts and everything and I would really love you to subscribe to the show on my YouTube channel. I would really make my day really trying to get my goal of 1000 subscribers there. So that would help me out. In addition to Steve's charity for autism. I'm also doing a No Shave November, if you couldn't already tell. It's the the reason for this is to bring awareness to cancer. And the idea is that you don't shave or get a haircut and you embrace your hair, which of course many cancer patients lose. And then you can donate the money that you usually spend on shaving and haircuts and grooming products to a cancer charity. So I think we've all known someone who has battled cancer, my own father had prostate cancer and thankfully was able to beat it. So just something to keep in mind if you're alive right now. Be grateful. I am definitely grateful for every one of you. I appreciate you all. I hope you have a great rest of your day and remember to shoot for the moon.