Steve Whiteman On His New Album “You’re Welcome,” The Future Of KIX, Life During COVID-19, Poison, Maryland & More

Sometimes, you have to do things for yourself. That is the attitude longtime KIX lead singer and frontman Steve Whiteman took to heart when he decided to record his first-ever solo album, You’re Welcome, which is being released via all major digital platforms and on CD on July 2, 2021. Co-produced by Whiteman with his trusted collaborators Brad Divens (who had played on the KIX album Cool Kids), Jimmy Chalfant and Bob Paré, it was recorded and mixed by Divens at Fixintogetmixin Studio. The recording process for You’re Welcome began in earnest in late 2020 before almost-tragic circumstances dictated otherwise for bassist and co-producer Divens, who had emergency quadruple bypass surgery over the holidays. That harrowing episode put the brakes on in-person recording sessions before the Welcome team soldiered onward by finishing their musical contributions to the project remotely; fortunately, Divens is doing much better nowadays, in case you were wondering.

When it comes to the music that infuses the lifeblood of You’re Welcome, Whiteman is not afraid to embrace his broad-stroke influences, which are somewhat different than those of his KIX brethren. In Whiteman’s words: “I grew up loving Grand Funk Railroad, Three Dog Night, James Gang, Deep Purple, and Alice Cooper. KIX and I connected over Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, and AC/DC. Those are the pillars of what KIX is all about, but I have a number of different influences beyond those great bands.” In turn, the material you hear on You’re Welcome is a mix of classic rock and material you may expect on a classic KIX full-length. And beyond writing the songs on You’re Welcome, Whiteman played a lot of the instruments on the final product after playing “everything on the demos” himself.

On June 28, 2021, I had the pleasure of speaking with Steve Whiteman via Zoom, as embedded below. Beyond You’re Welcome, we spoke about the future of KIX, life during COVID-19, KIX’s influence on other bands, hobbies outside of music, and more. Additional information on Whiteman, You’re Welcome, KIX and upcoming tour dates can be found by clicking here, here and here.

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Tags: Atlantic Records, Baltimore, Kix, Maryland, Steve Whiteman

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."