Bill Aucoin died today… He was Kiss’ original manager. As a die-hard Kiss fan in my pre-teen years, I knew who everyone in the Kiss camp was as I devoured every article, Interview, etc.. that I could about them. They were equal with Spiderman and Superman..they played guitars and were super-heroes of sorts..

Tonight, Derek Sorrells, drummer for London Calling/The Ruled, shared a pic with me via facebook..it spurred the nostalgia for me..I grabbed my copy of our CD and popped it in for the first time in a few years. A flood of memories came back..mostly good..but bittersweet as we never fully reached our collective goals.

In 2007, we reformed for a short bit and recorded some new songs…they haven’t been released formally and a few tracks I don’t believe have been heard by anyone other than the band circle. One such track is “So Alive”..the first verse of the song paints a pic from my childhood by name checking the first few Kiss album titles..in backwards order from release (yes, even ‘Hotter Than Hell’…it’s part of the realization that the innocence of youth is gone…the 2nd verse deals with the death of my mother. I spent Sept. 11, 2001 in the hospital as our nation was attacked. I had some resentful feelings towards my mom and had kept my distance for awhile..but on that day, I was with her til the end. I’m glad I was there. I had peace.

It’s almost 1 AM as i type this..I am tired but I wanted to post this…
London Calling - So Alive (Unreleased)

2007
Rowe/Gilbert/Sorrells/Shipp
Recorded by Tim Bushong