Whiskey Kiss reinvents themselves with their follow up album Retro. Revamped.
Whiskey Kiss is all grown up. What started as a sweet, rockabilly-influenced act has morphed into a straight-up roots rock band with vintage flair and edgy kicks. The result is a classic backbone driven in a modern direction: Retro.Revamped.
Their new record is exactly that: the retro groove is there, but they spice it up with aggressive guitars, kinetic energy, and high powered vocals that pack a punch. The best things about this band is their versatility. Each track on the album brings something new. From “Keep it to Myself”, the powerful guitar-driven single with the deceptively pure lyrics, to “Vixen” the sexy, Cramps-influenced surf number, to “All You Need” a jumping, rockabilly tune with sprinkled swing, every song on this album celebrates the sounds of a bygone era, but makes it accessible to the modern listener.
Whiskey Kiss has been stirring things up since 2012, and have nicely settled into a groove with a revamped lineup. Niki White, lead vocals, has come into her own as a performer and songwriter. The tracks on this new record are edgier and catchier, and her vocals keep up. Her husband, Nick White’s move to guitar from bass drives this new sound: his gritty guitar tone and bluesy melodies are a great matchup. Tommy Collins, the acrobatic upright bass player, has matured as well, and this album proves his musicality is just as strong on the electric. Bruce Legge, original member, has become a multi-instrumentalist adding saxophone and flugelhorn to his trumpet and trombone skills, and Michael Robinson, drums, makes his recording debut that is driving and tasteful.
Whiskey Kiss’ stage show has been praised as “dynamic and acrobatic- some would say insane” (Buster Fayte’s Rockabilly Romp). Ed Masley of AZ Central writes, “with the showmanship they brought to that performance, they should have no trouble conquering the Continent…And it goes beyond the retro-friendly sex appeal and jaw-dropping vocal abilities of singer Niki White, although that clearly helps. Guitarist Nick White is a brilliant roots guitarist with great tone and all the right moves, including soloing while perched on top of Tommy Collins’ upright bass”. They have played Viva Las Vegas, the biggest rockabilly festival in the world, as well as performing with the Rockabilly Queen, Wanda Jacksons, as her backing band. They’ve shared the stage with many artists such as The Chop Tops, The Blasters, Nikki Hill, Deke Dickerson, and many more.
Whiskey Kiss is returning to Europe this summer after a succesful debut in 2017. As Mitchell Hillman of The Phoenix New Times said, ““They’ve got the sound, the look, and the record ready to launch them well into next year and bring them to a much larger audience than they have reached before. Keep your eyes on Whiskey Kiss; their aim is high and so is their trajectory.”
Whiskey Kiss calls their music retro-revamped- a fitting genre for a band that sports vintage style and roots-based rock with a modern edge. What started as a sweet, rockabilly-influenced act has morphed into a straight-up roots rock band with vintage flair and edgy kicks. The result is a classic backbone driven in a modern direction: Retro.Revamped.
Summer 2017 took the band across the pond to share their sound with Europe for the very first time. While the band pleased the crowds in Belgium, Germany, Holland, and France, there was one part of the tour they had trouble with: the van.
Oh, the van was the typical tour van: overloaded with gear, littered with snacks, and fights over who got to pick the music. The problem wasn’t the van, per se, but the fact that these guys went through four of them. That’s right- four.
After a rolicking night “down at The Oak” in Gierle, Belgium (made famous in the Voodoo Swing lyrics), the band started the drive to their lodging for the night at about 2 in the morning. After about a mile, the van wasn’t responding well, they smelled burning rubber, and before they had gone another minute, they were stuck. The clutch in this manual van had gone out. Stranded in small town Belgium at 2 am with all their gear, the band made the decision to push the van, gear and all, the two miles to the motel.
After a grueling evening, the guys and girl of Whiskey Kiss got up early to call the rental company. In only half an hour, Avis sent a tow truck to pick up the busted-down van, and the only available replacement van of that size was almost two hours away in Antwerp. So, a few of them took a taxi out to pick up the new van.
New keys in hand in Antwerp, they paused for a quick detour of the beautiful train station where the rental office was located. Even though they had a show that night, the half hour of sight-seeing was worth it. Then, they headed six floors underground to retrieve the new van. There was about one inch of clearance in the garage, and they watched the sides of the van carefully as they went up and up six floors of the twisting ramp. Just at the top, literally light at the end of the total, an enormous crunch of glass sounded as the back window burst: the van had been squeezed at the top by the curve of the concrete.
Shamefacedly, they reversed the six floors down, walked back up to the top, and sheepishly asked, “Can we have another van please?”.
That was van number three. Van number four came when they had to trade it in due to the company policy of only leasing a car for thirty days. They promptly named that van “Lucky”.
This year, it will be different. This year, it’s The One Vand Band Tour, and after surviving last year, there is no telling what this band can do. The crowds in Europe must have felt their momentum; this year, the band is playing in some of the continent’s best roots festivals like Vlissingen Vintage in the Netherlands and the Firebirds Festival in Germany. Check out their tour dates below, and get yourself to a show this summer to see Whiskey Kiss!
“I just saw Whiskey Kiss last weekend at the Lowview Lowdown, and with the showmanship they brought to that performance, they should have no trouble conquering the Continent, where the roots revival has been strong for so long, I’m not sure it’s fair to even call it a revival. And it goes beyond the retro-friendly sex appeal and jaw-dropping vocal abilities of singer Niki White, although that clearly helps. Guitarist Nick White is a brilliant roots guitarist with great tone and all the right moves, including soloing while perched on top of Tommy Collins’ upright bass”
- Ed Masley, AZ Central (May 02, 2017)
“... that's when lead guitarist Nick White steps into the spotlight with a scrappy guitar lick that sounds like Chuck Berry filtered through the best of Johnny Thunders. This is first single out of the box from an album called "Retro Revamped" and it definitely lives up to that title with a sexy, self-assured performance.”
- Ed Masley, AZ Central (Jan 04, 2017)
“Niki White is the kind of singer who can grab a listener by the collar and demand attention, setting the tone here with an understated pout of "When I'm watching you walk / Hearing your sweet lips talk" to the raspier snarl that sets up the chorus with "So when I get you alone."”
- Ed Masley, AZ Central (Jan 04, 2017)
“Their new music is killer, their sounds is unique and traditional all at once, which is perfectly fitting with the title of their new album, “Retro.Revamped”.”
- MSD Blog (Dec 13, 2016)
“Let's also take a moment to step out of my normal character and congratulate vocalist, Niki White, on her spectacular performance all throughout this record. Most folks here will know my standard indifference to vocals. It was impossible not to focus on them as her pipes are big, strong, and throaty.”
- Nik Cameron, Glacially Musical (Dec 09, 2016)
“They’ve got the sound, the look, and the record ready to launch them well into next year and bring them to a much larger audience than they have reached before. Keep your eyes on Whiskey Kiss; their aim is high and so is their trajectory.”
- Mitchell Hillman, Phoenix New Times (Dec 08, 2016)
“It’s (Keep it to Myself) a boozy, smoke-filled number that feels like the music you want with you as you head out on the desert highway in your convertible. This is right in line with some of the finest revivalist acts this town has ever known, like the Love Me Nots and the Rebel Set. Still, as the album title suggests, it’s just as much revamped as it is retro, and Whiskey Kiss has a signature sound that brings it all into the modern age.”
- MItchell Hillman, Phoenix New Times (Dec 08, 2016)
“It seems wildly appropriate that the forthcoming album is titled Retro Revamped, because that sums up the entirety of their rockabilly-tinged sounds. This track is something of a scorcher largely fueled by the sultry vocals of Niki White and the searing guitar licks courtesy of Nick White.”
- Mitchell HIllman, Phoenix New Times (Dec 08, 2016)
“This band gives rockabilly a very cool modern edginess, absolutely dig on this track (Keep it to Myself) .” - Scott, 50thirdand3rd (Nov 28, 2016)
“Indeed, “Retro.Revamped” is a great title for the album. It is very much in the rockabilly style, but still has a modern approach that prevents it from feeling dated. It’s great to see a band carrying on the tradition of good old rock n roll.”
- Soulofaclown, The Soul of a Clown (Dec 01, 2016)
“Whiskey Kiss is a fitting name for the band as the stunning lead songstress, Niki White has a voice that dishes out a strong, sweet and smokey slap just like a shot of good ol' 100 proof. This girl can transcend from sultry jazz songstress to blazing rockabilly powerhouse seamlessly, and without cause or concern.”
- Paul Biagini, Cruizin' Magazine (Dec 17, 2015)
“These guys have managed to homogenize some blazing rockabilly, jazz, swing and rock and roll into one sexy, exciting and beautifully produced album that will thrill the open minded listener.”
- Paul Biagini, Cruizin' Magazine (Dec 17, 2015)
"Wow, and once again... Wow. Whatever is in the water in Phoenix, AZ USA, I want to bottle it and sell it! Relatively new to the landscape, husband and wife team Niki and Nick White have put together the outfit Whiskey Kiss and offered up this little piece of paradise title "Dangerous One"
- Paul Biagini, Cruizin' Magazine (Dec 17, 2015)
“All in all, this is a very tight record with a lot of cool influences that the band manages to wrangle into their own sound. It’s a good listen when you’re looking for something that evokes rockabilly but pulls you out into something more.”
- Buster Fayte, Buster Fayte's Rockabilly Romp (Dec 26, 2014)
“The band plays with equally scary attitude and you know they mean business on this cut ["Who Let You In?"]. It’s a great cut to close this record–one of the best closing tunes I’ve heard in a long time. It leaves you with a great memory of the group.”
- Buster Fayte, Buster Fayte's Rockabilly Romp (Dec 26, 2014)
“The disc’s closer, “Who Let You In,” is a dark, menacing number where the band sounds mean and Niki White is at her best. This is the kind of delivery she proves she’s more than capable of conjuring up...She sings this tune in her “voice” and man, she delivers it with a solid punch to the gut. When she sings like that, she’s got you completely hooked.”
- Buster Fayte, Buster Fayte's Rockabilly Romp (Dec 26, 2014)
“The band scored a real coup by picking up the dynamic, acrobatic (some would say insane) Tommy Collins who was looking for a new gig after the demise of Voodoo Swing.”
- Buster Fayte, Buster Fayte's Rockabilly Romp (Dec 26, 2014)
“If you don't mind artists looking over the horizon to different styles of music you're in for a real
treat. I honestly can't wait to catch this band on a stage somewhere.”
- Tom Calleuw, Street Styled (Feb 16, 2015)
“The...album is a brilliant mix of 'traditional' rockabilly (I Wanna RockAnd Roll, Rockabilly Boy and Two-Timin' Two Step) and jazz & rhythm (Hot Toddy and The Boy Who Cried Wolf).”
- Tom Calleuw, Street Styled (Feb 16, 2015)
“Top 3 retro revamped records (Arizona)”
- YabYum Music and Arts Awards Issue (Jan 13, 2015)
“Dangerous One infuses several varying styles to cover an expanse of styles from the 40s and 50s with a splash of contemporary sass as vocalist Niki White goes from kittenish to wailing on the album.”
- YubYum Music and Arts Awards Issue (Jan 13, 2015)
“Dangerous One is an album sure to wow all the group’s fans.”
- Matt Marn, YabYum Music and Arts (Nov 26, 2014)
“Their trumpet player, Bruce Legge, is amazing. If that's not enough to get your attention, singer Niki White wooed the crowd with her seductive voice. Yet the showstopper of Whiskey Kiss' set, for me, had to be their upright bassist, Nick White.”
- Garyn Klasek, Skamp Zine (Aug 21, 2014)
“These cats know how to rock”
- Garyn Klasek, Skamp Zine (Aug 21, 2014)
“Downright outstanding”
- Garyn Klasek, Skamp Zine (Aug 21, 2014)
"They're gonna surprise you. They're gonna come out of left field, they're gonna jab you, and they're gonna tell you what's up."
- Tiny, Friction in the Static (Jul 14, 2014)
"These guys are artists. They are musicians, and they have come up with an angle that I think is pretty freaking cool"
- Tiny, Friction in the Static (Jul 14, 2014)
“Go see this band live! Niki's stage presence is that of a true pro: sassy, sexy, confident, and powerful. She never fails to wow her audience.”
- Bill Garrett, Lowview Magazine (Nov 02, 2013)
“...each performance this band steps it up and vocalist Niki White has quickly become the
reigning rockabilly darling in town”
- Bill Garrett, Lowview Magazine (Nov 02, 2013)