Greg Kihn's business card says 'Rock Star, Author, Reformed Wild Man'...and it's all true. Greg has been a professional songwriter, musician and performer for over 35 years. As leader of the Greg Kihn Band, he has released 18 albums, scored top hits with “Breakup Song” and “Jeopardy”, and worldwide notoriety and regular airplay on MTV. Greg is also an award winning author, having written five novels, and edited short story collections featuring contributions from famous musicians. Greg toured the world and settled down in the Bay Area, where his speaking voice has become just as iconic as his singing voice.
Greg Kihn began his career in the evenings at KFOX in 1994. He proved to be a natural at radio, and quickly rose to the role of morning show host. Every morning you can hear Greg, along with his co-host Chris Jackson, share his stories about his years in Rock n' Roll, and talk to (and frequently play with) his many accomplished musician friends he has worked with over the years.
Besides radio, rock n' roll, and writing, Greg loves spending time with his family (which includes playing guitar in the Greg Kihn Band with his son Ry), watching the Giants and A's win, crab cakes and his kitties.
RECENT INTERVIEWS - Check out Greg's interview with the Legendary Jeff Beck
Today at noon is the next Greg Kihn Band rehearsal- the last one before the big reunion gig at the Catalyst Saturday night. I can't wait! Today we try all the songs we've been working on for the past few weeks. I've got the Vox Phantom 12-String electric ready and it's as jingly-jangly as ever! Plus I've my Boulder Creek Solitair acoustic all tuned up. Not to mention my timeless Telecaster which I've been using for 25 years straight. All the old tunes require the Vox for the authentic sound. Mix in the drumming of original drummer Larry Lynch and you've a got recipe for memories that won't quit. Also, Greg Douglass and Steve Wright will be there. What a kick it is to do these songs again!
I've been hearing from all my old friends in Santa Cruz. They are all coming out the woodwork for the reunion gig on Saturday night at the Catalyst. Some of these people I haven't seen in 25 years! My old friends, fans, groupies, hangers-on, and musical partners will all be there and I can't wait! See you there!
KFOX's own Laurie Robers will be introducing the band and Chris Jackson will be joining us on stage for some jamming. Everybody who walks in will get a download card good for 3 tunes from the The GKB's Best of Beserkley CD, we will also have door prizes like autographed CD's, posters, and somebody's going to win an autographed guitar!
Here's an old photo of the original lineup of the band. Of the 5 guys who cut the Breakup Song back in 1981, only 3 have survived and only 2 of those remain standing.
From left to right- Steve Wright (suffered a stroke in 2006, but he'll be there) Larry Lynch (he'll be there), me (I'll be there), Gary Phillips (deceased), and Dave Carpender (deceased).
The Greg Kihn Band is going to rehearse one more time before the reunion gig at the Catalyst this Saturday night May 19. This gig is going to be a blast! If you haven't seen the band in the last 25 years- it's even better! And if you haven't been to the Catalyst in 25 years... well, there's no excuse for that. Saturday night it is the place to be! The opening band is The Unauthorized Rolling Stones. There will be loads of door prizes including download cards for tunes off the new "greatest hits" CD, some signed CD's, posters, and somebody in the place is going to win an autographed guitar! BAM magaizine will be filming it. The Catalyst will hold back a certain amount of tickets to accomdate the walk-ups so everybody is assured a spot! Don't miss this one, it will NEVER be repeated!
This is the last week before the reunion gig and frankly I’m a little nervous. The last rehearsal is coming up Thursday afternoon, we all plan to get to the Catalyst early Saturday afternoon and do a lengthy sound check that will also double as a rehearsal. I know the band will sound great- I’ve seen the rehearsal- I know the level of musicianship will be extraordinarily high, it’s me I’m worried about. Will my voice hold up? Will I hold up? Am I playing with fire here, trying to go back and recapture my youth?
I do have some trepidation. It’s more like a trip trough time. Maybe that’s what’s got me spooked. I remember those days and I was a wild man. Is that what I’m afraid of? Going back to a Greg I thought I had put to bed? I don’t know. I do know I am incredibly excited about it. Musically I fully expect it to be our finest moment. These songs, these musicians, this musical legacy, this is my life. I can’t tell you how important and special it is to me. If you’ve never been to another gig by the Greg Kihn Band, this is the gig to see. I'm not just doing this for me and you, but for Gary Phillips and Dave Carpender (may they both Rest In Peace) who won't be there (except in spirit) and I know those guys will be hovering above us.
What is Radio?
A lot of people ask me, they say, hey Greg, you’re in radio, what’s it like? How do you do it? I mean what’s involved? Well, to those individuals I say, I’m glad you asked. Radio is very simple and at the same time very complex, it involves gentle rocking motions and occasionally the formation of whole sentences and creative secretions that can’t be stopped or controlled- but lets not get ahead of ourselves here, the whole thing about radio is this: it’s free. It’s live. It’s real. Somewhere out there a guy is talking into a microphone and you’re somewhere else listening to it while it’s happening. It’s good for you. It stimulates the frontal lobes. I play music and talk on this end, and you tune it in on that end. It’s that simple. But how do the sounds get there, you may ask? Good question. The sounds get there by way of billions of tiny bugs, called micro-schlubs, who fly at supersonic speeds and carry miniature cd players on their backs. Now, because the micro-schlubs are so small, it takes ten thousand of them to carry one song across the miles to your radio, imagine how many it would take to transport a whole album. But it doesn’t stop there, the micro-schlubs dock in tiny docking bays in the back of your radio, too small to see, and they off load their music onto a jukebox caterpillar which crawls across the dial, depositing pollen as it goes, spreading the music until it coats the membrane thoroughly, then it dries into a hard shellac-like coating. That’s where I come in; I’m in charge of the caterpillars of classic rock. Are we confused? Darn right we are! Proud if it. The day I figure all this crap out is the day I hang up my earphones. But, so far so good, eh? I don’t have a clue and you guys are diggin’ it. Let's keep it that way.
The Gods of rock. Who are they? Where do they come from? How do they assimilate information? How do they poop? What do they want?
To understand, you have to go back to the early Paleozoic era, when dinosaurs roamed the earth. The Rock Gods languished then, under pale blue skies, letting their long hair grow, cultivating their tattoos, contemplating their piercings, waiting for the day when they would rule the earth. Patient as the sun, they waited, knowing that time and tide wait for no man, and that no man is an island, he’s a peninsula, and that, given enough moisture, and moonlight, and chemicals, any toadstool can flourish.
Let us list the Gods or Rock here. Bonzo, God of drums, Bringer of thunder, lighter of farts, the fires of flatulence. Bonzo, who can change the course of mighty rivers and strike fear in the hearts of men from miles away.
Janis, Mistress of phlegm, goddess of screech, maven of southern comfort. The daughter of Pegasus, the winged horse, and Hornius Maximus, God of fertility.
Flavius Maximus Hendrix, the god of flaming guitars. A brutal and merciless destroyer who routinely stomps all over your tomato garden. He is the shaker of rumps and the mover of mountains, with his twin sons, feedback and distortion, he rules the realm of heavy metal, he is the God of power chords!
Shrieking Big Hair Gnome, the God of Singers. Confident, swaggering, shirt off, mic in hand, all knowing, all seducing, the mumbler of unintelligable lyrics.
The Greg Kihn Band came together, slowly, over the course of the late seventies: led by the singer-guitarist Kihn and the bassist Steve Wright, the band started off in roots rock, flirted with New Wave, and then flowered fully just as MTV was coming to dominate music. It specialized in unflashy rock and roll, played sharply, sung passionately, with a high degree of intelligence and subtlety: there weren’t always big hits, but there were consistent pleasures. The group’s two biggest-charting singles, “The Breakup Song (They Don’t Write ’Em)” and “Jeopardy,” became radio and TV staples; the latter even earned the ultimate honor of a “Weird Al” Yankovic cover. The new compilation “Best of Beserkeley: ’75-’84” includes the hits, of course, but digs deeper into the string of punnily titled records from the period—especially “Rockihnroll,” from 1981; “Kihntinued,” from 1982”; and “Kihnspiracy,” from 1983. Of special note is the Springsteen connection: Kihn covered “For You” in 1977, which Springsteen liked, and he rewarded Kihn by donating “Rendezvous” to the band.
High notes- and the men who hit them. To tell you the truth, those high notes get harder to hit every year. It's not like the song "Jeopardy" is going up a half-step every year, it's more like my voice is heading the other direction. Sometimes it's like singing
Mon 3:38 PM
High notes- and the men who hit them.
To tell you the truth, those high notes get harder to hit every year. It's not like the song "Jeopardy" is going up a half-step every year, it's more like my voice is heading the other direction. Sometimes it's like singing opera in a language I don't know. Since I quit smoking my voice has improved a lot. I thought it would be impossible to hit the high notes on "For You" again after all these years, but it sounded pretty damn decent in rehearsal. Likewise the ending of the other Springsteen tune "Rendevous" which has some twists and turns in the melody that would be more suited for Roy Orbison than me, but somehow I could sing it. Maybe it was the freshness of not having sung it for a long time. Come to think of it, when was the last time I did "For You" as part of the regular set? I think we were still playing the Keystone Berkeley then. Hearing Larry Lynch attack the drums on those two songs is inspirational. Maybe that's what spurned me on. We decided to hook up the two Springsteen songs and perform them as a medley- a "mini rock opera" if you will. It worked in rehearsal, God knows what it will sound like on stage at the Catalyst. But that's the cool thing about this gig- we're going to wing it. We are going to try all kinds of stuff and that's why it's going to be special. I've seen the rehearsals, guys. This plane is gonna fly.
Another word about the ongoing condition of the Vox Phantom 12-String- we didn't think it would stay in tune but it did quite well in rehearsal- battle conditions may be a different story. The thing is- the bridge is so old and crusty, I don't think we could change the position of it even if we wanted- so it's stuck- but it's stuck in a good position. It's a miracle that the pickups still work- but they do. That old guitar has been through more with me than I can tell you. I'm truly surprised how well it still plays.
All these mysteries will be revealed at the gig. What a night that's gonna be! It's looming on the horizon like Godzilla's head coming up over a hill in the suburbs of Tokyo. Should be a real adventure.
Greg Here- The second rehearsal for the Greg Kihn Band reunion gig at the Catalyst May 19 is coming up next week and I am pumped! This is a once-in-a-lifetime 90-minute concert with combinations of players and instruments you'll never see again. I really hope you can make it, it won't be repeated. Witness some real rock and roll history and have a great time!
Memorial Day at the Ball Park- Last week I was asked by Julie De Maria of Operation Care and Comfort to sing the National Anthem on Memorial Day (May 28) at the Giants game at AT&T Park, however Barry Zito (who supports the troops like I do...) had already requested that one of military singers he works with sing the anthem that day. So, I agreed to step aside and let Barry's guy do the honors. I'll be signing GOD BLESS AMERICA in the 7th inning stretch and also TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME.
The reviews of the new for Greg Kihn Band Best Of Beserkley CD are in and they are excelllent. Here are two-
iTunes Review
Greg Kihn and his band were one of several key signings for the Bay Area's Beserkley Records, a power pop label that featured the unique talents of Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers and The Rubinoos among its highlights. This stellar compilation features the original recordings of Kihn's pop tunes, which put the power in power pop. "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em Like That. . .)," "Happy Man," "Testify," and "Jeopardy" are among the finest hits of the late '70s and early '80s. Kihn was also a crafty interpreter of Bruce Springsteen's songs, giving "For You" and "Rendezvous" Byrds-like jangling that impressed the Boss himself. The unpretentious, straightforward approach gave the tracks a kinetic energy that could only be developed through intense rehearsal and a pure love of rock 'n' roll. The songs got more detailed productions as budgets permitted, but the ability of Kihn and bassist Steve Wright to write concise, heartfelt pop tunes made the group a rock band of genuine consequence.
Here's another one- from the Dutch Guy On The Radio:
One of my favorite records to talk up the ‘ramp’ (talking over the instrumental intro until the lyrics starts) till this day is ‘Jeopardy’ by the Greg Kihn Band, preferably including the ‘wohohoho’!
When my good old friend Bryan Cox told me that Greg Kihn had released a new compilation album, I knew I had to get my hands on it. Now I know what you think, what has Greg Kihn to do with brand spanking new music or promoting new artists/bands?
Everything I do, if it’s on the radio or writing these reviews, it all comes down to my love of music. And I couldn’t promote new artists and/or bands if I didn’t respect the classics. You got to have a firm base to start from, to get your knowledge from, to get inspired from. And Greg Kihn is one of my favorite artists, who sits tight in that musical base of mine. Even Greg himself has his own influential persons, one of them being Bruce Springsteen.
So yeah, I am excited to hear that he hand-picked and remastered all the tracks on this new compilation album himself. Because you know that had to be a labor of love, love of music!
There is a little story behind this compilation album, that will make this release extra special. A story that shows Greg’s passion, his love of music, his desire to share the music he made with you and me.
Back in the 70s and 80s, The Greg Kihn Band was signed to a very small record label called Beserkley Records. And although the band was the labels best act, ‘Jeopardy’ became Beserkley Records’s biggest hit peaking on the Billboard Charts at #2, the label sold the original Greg Kihn Band master recordings, along with the rest of the Beserkley Records catalog in the late 80s.
After years and years of legal hassle, Greg finally managed to get the rights back of his own material and decided to release a compilation album he personally hand-picked and remastered the tracks for. Or as he puts it: ‘These songs really represent and bring back all of the best memories of my achievements and peaks of my musical career as a Beserkley Records recording artist‘.
‘Best of Beserkley ’75 – ’84′ contains all the biggest hits of the Greg Kihn Band like ‘Happy Man’, ‘Love Never Fails’, ‘The Break Up Song’ and of course the biggest of them all, ‘Jeopardy’!
Besides the biggest hits, Greg also included two special tracks. Remember Bruce Springsteen being one of Greg Kihn’s biggest musical influences? ‘Rendezvous’ and ‘For You’ are Greg’s tribute tracks to The Boss, and it shows!
‘Best of Beserkley ’75 – ’84′ not only holds twenty-one of Greg Kihn’s greatest hits, but also a nine page booklet, even with the digital copy. And in my eyes, that’s what makes this compilation album even more special!
It’s an absolute joy to read, as Greg wrote down his personal experience to each track on the album, to give you an inside look on how things were done or came together.
One of my favorites is when Greg memorizes ‘Rendezvous’, one of the Bruce Springsteen tribute tracks. He remembered The Boss dropping by at one of his gigs and watching the show. After the show was done, Springsteen dropped back stage and told Greg how much he loved Greg’s version of ‘For You’. Greg recalls:
‘He gave me ‘Rendezvous’ that night. I never knew the real lyrics until later in life, when Bruce pointed out that there were no ‘squirrels’ in the song‘.
Nowadays, Greg Kihn tries to keep himself busy. Besides releasing ‘Best of Beserkley ’75 – ’84′, his four novels and one book of short stories will be released on iPad and Kindle later this year. He also has a screenplay in development for a new cable series about how the mafia ran the music industry in New York City during the early 60s and (and this even I didn’t know), he is a radio personality like me. Greg is the Classic Rock morning man on KFOX FM in San Francisco and San Jose!
The only difference between him and me, I still have that ‘natural’ face for radio. Oh wait, there’s another one! He really did live the Rock & Roll lifestyle, which gives him the edge, while I pretend to live one. Where’s my glass of milk?
So why should you get this compilation album, ‘Best of Beserkley ’75 – ’84′? Maybe you already own some of the tracks, like me. Hell, I’ve got most of them right here at my home studio! But you’ll get Greg Kihn’s greatest hits on one disc, remastered and crystal clear. Together with that awesome booklet, and you tell me which artist/band still does that these days, this (in my eyes) is a must for every music lover!
Therefore, I rate Greg Kihn’s ‘Best of Beserkley ’75 – ’84′, 5 out of 5 stars. It’s respecting the classics man! And maybe you’ll start to understand a little why I can play so many different genres on my radio show, why I love to promote hot upcoming new artists and bands. It all comes down to respecting the classics, the musical influences, the foundation of musical taste and Greg Kihn is one of mine. And to be honest, can’t wait till I can talk up that ‘Jeopardy’ intro again. But hey, that’s that nerdy radio side of me…
Grab your hardcopy at Amazon or download the digi-album on iTunes, follow Greg on Twitter or Facebook and enjoy the music video of ‘Jeopardy’ down below.
Here are some of the guitars you might see at the Catalyst reunion gig May 19 in Santa Cruz. I dusted off my old 1967 Vox Phantom 12-String and it is still as jingley-jangly as ever. That guitar sounds like nothing else in the world. I still love it even though its a high maintainence instrument. I used it on all the early recordings like "For You" and "Rendevous" as well as "Madison Avenue." It figures to see lots of action on May 19th at the Catalyst.
The song "Remember" was written and recorded on my Guild acoustic 12-string. These days I use a Boulder Creek 12-string because it sounds so good through the sound system. My good friends at Boulder Creek have come up with a bold new design for acoustics that minimizes the feedback because it has no sound hole!
My old Rickenbacker 12-String is going back in the closet. The damn thing is just too hard to keep in tune. I'll use the Vox for all the electric 12-string tunes.
This is my baby. It's a '69 Telecaster that I've been using for 20 years and it's NEVER let me down. This guitar has outlasted all my wives, record companies, and managers! I'll use this one on everything that DOESN'T require a 12-String or an acoustic. This is the same guitar Bruce Springsteen uses so it must be good.
We have set up another rehearsal for next week and I am really looking forward to it. I had a ball last time. Playing music again with my old buddies on my old guitars is an emotional experience.
I hope most of you have purchased your Catalyst reunion tickets because this one could sell out and I'd hate for you to be left out in the cold. In addition to playing music with my old band members on the early material with vintage guitars (which is big time fun for me!) I am truly looking forward to seeing the old fans again. We played the Catalyst countless times back in the day, and I got to know so many of the fans in Santa Cruz personally. You might say that many of us had a "personal relationship." In fact, if those walls could talk.. well, let's just say it's better that they don't (or we'd all be busted for life.)
And don't forget that this is a record release party, so we'll have door prizes, posters, meet & greets, and an autographed guitar you can win! Plus lots of other surprises. See ya there! May 19th.
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Greg Kihn's business card says 'Rock Star, Author, Reformed Wild Man'...and it's all true. Greg has been a professional songwriter, musician and performer for over 35 years. As leader of the Greg Kihn Band, he has released 18 albums, scored top hits with “Breakup Song” and “Jeopardy”, and worldwide notoriety and regular airplay on MTV. Greg is also an award winning author, having written five novels, and edited short story collections featuring contributions from famous musicians. Greg toured the world and settled down in the Bay Area, where his speaking voice has become just as iconic as his singing voice.
Classic Rock KFOX
