Hottest Kiss tribute band
By Jessi Virtusio

This originally appeared in The Star's Firstlook magazine on May 30, 2002

Pyrotechnics, full Kiss costumes and makeup are just a touch of what one can experience at a Kings of the Nighttime World show.

Jay LaSalle, Scott Leonard, Greg Sasinka and Randy Banks, who don the personas of Kiss' Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, respectively, bill themselves as the Midwest's hottest Kiss tribute.

"They're basically an average band as far as musical talent goes, but when it comes to overall show and energy and just overall entertainment, you can't beat them," bassist Leonard, 37, says.

"And just to actually try and do something in a tribute fashion, you got to be somewhat nuts about them to do this."

Kings of the Nighttime World concentrates primarily on Kiss' makeup era, especially "Alive" and "Alive II" — Kiss' first two live releases.

"It was never a consideration to do anything but the makeup era music. That was the music that we, as high schoolers, were totally into," front man LaSalle, 38, says.

Although the tribute band plays only about four or five times a year, there is a south suburban stop slated for this weekend at Samy's Bar & Grill.

"The last time we played Samy's in Joliet, it was probably one of our best shows as far as crowd participation," Leonard, of Brookfield, says.

"We're really looking forward to going back on the South Side because they were really great."

LaSalle, of Downers Grove, says he was determined to play Kiss' flamboyant frontman from the inception of Kings of the Nighttime World.

"Kiss was one of my idols, and he was one of my idols as a frontman from the time I started playing guitar," LaSalle says.

"From seventh grade, I was mesmerized by Paul as a performer. When I first saw Paul, he was such a great performer that I admired his showmanship."

The show is what it's all about for Kings of the Nighttime World, which did its first performance in honor of Halloween in 1998.

Despite not really being much of a Kiss fan when he joined the tribute, Banks, 38, says he has grown to love the band that he and his friends emulate.

"We've taken that to the fullest extent with the pyro (by chezaday of Naperville) and the lights and the costumes and the energy. The energy is top notch," the Brookfield resident says.

"It's a lot of music, and it's just a lot of fun doing the whole ritual. Once you go to the show, you're just drawn in and you want to be part of it. It's like a circus."

Although it takes a little more than an hour for the members of Kings of the Nighttime World to morph into the members of Kiss, they say they don't mind since they've all been to between four and 10 of the legendary rock band's concerts.

Capturing the spirit of a Kiss show is what the Kings of the Nighttime World strive to do.

"There's a lot of tribute bands and there's a lot of different bands around, but I think the spectacle is what attracts people," Banks says.

"Who wants to see a band in a T-shirt and jeans playing KISS songs? It's the whole program. It's a spectacle and a good one."

Sasinka had to have a crash course in KISS songs when he linked up with the Kings of the Nighttime World. The tribute tapped him to replace original guitarist Tom Hora, who moved to Wisconsin and is maintains www.kingsofthenight.com.

The 35-year-old North Riverside resident recalls finding out on a Monday that he would need to learn 26 songs in a week.

"I came home that night and I played until my fingers bled," he says. "I learned all these songs in eight days ... The rest is KISStory."

According to Sasinka, Kings of the Nighttime World is like a musical fountain of youth.

"We all basically do it, not for the money, but we do it for bringing out the youth. It brings out the kid in you," he says. "I think it keeps you from having a lot of gray hairs."