In a recent chat with the X5 Podcast, Paul Stanley’s son Evan Stanley noted that KISS is more than just a spectacle.
“All the theatrics aside, which are awesome, they’re just great songs,” the musician said. “If you close your eyes and go to a KISS show, they’re killer, killer players playing great songs. And I think a lot of times people will try and go, ‘Oh, it’s all spectacle. It’s not a real band.’”
He continued, “It’s, like, get up there and try and do that. Good luck. I’m, like, no. They have incredible songs, timeless songs, great, great players, and it’s so cool-looking. And they blow up a million pounds of sh*t every show. How do you top that? It’s, like, you’ve got everything.”
Evan is also making music with his band Amber Wild which began in January 2023. After playing at various clubs in Los Angeles, they performed at their first festival, Aftershock, in Sacramento. In October, they released their debut single ‘Breakout // Silver.’
In a talk with Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com, Evan talked about rumors of him possibly leading KISS. The rocker explained, “No, it’s the funniest thing. People keep asking that constantly. It’s like, dude, you can look at like a thousand interviews where my dad says it, Gene [Simmons] says it, I say it, Nick [Simmons] says it.”
He added, “It’s like, no. That’s my dad’s thing. I’m busy with my thing. I appreciate it. I’m grateful for it. I love it. I’m a fan of the music. I’m a fan of the show. I’ve gotten to have a really unique and very wonderful life as a direct result of it.”
“Do I want to put the makeup on and be baby Paul? F*ck no, I got my own thing going. That’s not a knock,” Evan stated. “I think there’s someone out there who probably would want to do that, and they’ll probably do an amazing job. I’ve not spent my life trying to be that so, no, I got too much other stuff going on.”
Amber Wild opened for the band during the KISS’ End of the Road tour.