KISS ARMY ARGENTINA Exclusive Interview with SAND SLAVIN: “I never had any dispute at all with Ace…it was just with his manager at the time”

Kiss Army Argentina: First of all, Sandy thanks a lot for this contact with KISS Army Argentina.

Let’s start with your musical background. What bands and artists did you listen to when you were a kid and then a teenager? Why did you choose to become a drummer? Were you influenced by a specific musician when you took that decision?

Sandy Slavin: I can never remember not wanting to play the drums. Literally my earliest memories at age2 I’m pretending to play the drums. When I was 10, The Beatles hit the US, and from then on it was all over, All I wanted to do was play in a rock and roll band. It was Beatles, Beatles, Beatles all the time…They’re still my favorite band. Ringo was a huge influence, later on, Carmine Appice was the man. Also, John Bonham and Ian Pace were big influences. When I was 18, I had been playing the drums 3 years and I had the opportunity to study with Dave Brubeck drummer Joe Morello. His influence affects everything I play to this day. As a person and a musician, he remains the biggest influence on my life.

KAA: Many people may not know about this but you have been part of Riot, one of the most important heavy metal bands in USA, in the early ‘80s. You toured and recorded live albums with them, and you also participated in the first edition of the Donnington Festival (1980). What memories do you keep from those days?

SS: I joined RIOT in1979. At that point, they were a local band in New York that had released a couple of records independently. Right after I joined, RIOT went out on tour with AC/DC on the “Highway To Hell” tour. From that we were signed to Capitol Records and later we went to Elektra Records. While I was with RIOT we toured with Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Sammy Hagar, Grand Funk Railroad, Rush, Rainbow, Scorpions, and many more. The band toured constantly. We even toured for many months on the KISS “Lick It Up” tour. When we played Castle Donnington in 1980, we were on tour with Black Sabbath in the states and went to England just for the weekend just to play the festival. The band was playing real hot from doing all the dates with Black Sabbath, and we knew we’d go over really well with the English audience, as we had done an extensive tour in the UK and in Europe earlier in the year. It was a great day and a great show…One of my best memories about playing.

KAA: Why did you leave Riot?

SS: RIOT broke up in 1984. We disbanded the group and everyone went their separate ways. One guitarist from the group still uses the name RIOT for his solo stuff, but it’s not really RIOT. We’ve all talked lately about doing a reunion tour, but it’s very difficult, as both of our singers have passed away.

KAA: Your résumé includes a work with Peter Criss. How did you contact him? What was that experience like?

SS: Peter Criss and I are on the track “Trouble Walking”, although we recorded our parts at separate times and at that point had never met. I got a chance to meet him when I was playing with Ace at a show in L.A. He is an extremely friendly, great guy. I enjoyed meeting him immensely.

KAA: As you may imagine, in KISS Army Argentina we are particularly interested in your work with Ace Frehley, and consequently we will ask you about that.

SS: I loved playing with Ace, as I always respected his work as a guitarist. We had actually jammed together once at SIR (rehearsal studio) about 10 years before I started playing with Ace.

KAA: The position of drummer for the Frehley’s Comet has always been unstable (for instance, Anton Fig and Jamie Oldaker are some of the musicians that had that position), until in 1989, you take that job (the band had already changed its name by then). How did you join them?

SS: I auditioned for Ace. They were trying out lots of drummers, and I got an audition through his record company. We played and it seemed to really click…they asked me to join the band.

KAA: Your arrival happened just in time for recording “Trouble Walkin’”, which marked a return to Ace’s classic sound, after a stage of the Comet in which an “’80’s sound” had prevailed. How involved were you in the artistic process of recording that album?

SS: When I started playing with Ace, the record “Trouble Walkin’ ” was pretty much done. I added my stuff to what they had already recorded and Ace and I rerecorded the track “Trouble Walking” which is the track you hear on the record. They already had a vision for the sound of the record. I had nothing to do with that, but they picked me as a drummer because they wanted to go in a heavier direction.

KAA: After the release of “Trouble Walkin’ ” there was a very successful tour that pleased both the fans and the press. Which was your favorite part of the show? Did you have personal preferences in the set list? Because we guess that it must have been great for you to play for instance “Breakout”, a song that Anton Fig had played before; that song is by the way and for sure, pleasantly stuck in the memory of us, the fans.

SS: The “Trouble Walkin’ ” tour was a great one. There was something about that band, with John playing bass and Richie playing guitar that just clicked. John told me they had never gone over as well as we did on this tour. The fans were wildly enthusiastic and the band sounded real heavy. That’s what I tried to bring to the band musically. Really taking the rhythm section into a Led Zeppelin type direction. All of the songs were fun for me to play, “Breakout” especially had room for me to really stretch out.

KAA: After the tour ended, John Regan decides to leave the band and is replaced by James Lomenzo, and then, in 1992, the band decides to tour again in USA clubs with the “Just for Fun” tour, and though this tour is smaller than the one for “Trouble Walkin’”, I have to tell you that in my opinion, it was musically wilder, and besides, it had a set list that really kicked asses!

SS: At this point, Ace had us playing more KISS songs.. We were playing some stuff that had never been played live before. One of my favorite memories was playing “Strutter” on this tour…It sounded so heavy, it was unbelievable.

KAA: The “Just for Fun” tour marks the end of your stay next to Ace Frehley and the beginning of Steve Warner’s stay as the drummer for the band. Why did you leave?

SS: Ace had changed management and his new manager worked more at a club band level. The manager didn’t see the point of paying “professional” musicians a lot of money when he could just get club players who would practically pay him for the privilege of playing with Ace. I never had any dispute at all with Ace…it was just with his manager at the time.

KAA: Which songs that you did not play would you have liked to play with Ace?

SS: I enjoyed all the material I played with Ace. I was always open to whatever ideas he had…at one point, we were even going to cover a Thin Lizzy song. What ever we played, it was always tremendous fun.

KAA: Having spent a couple of years with Ace, how would you describe him? Because Ace’s life was in those times pretty wild, and during most of the ‘90s he seemed unable to find some personal peace and a recording company interested in signing with him…

SS: I played with Ace for half a decade. During that time, he was always straight ahead and extremely professional. I know he has this reputation as a “crazy”, “wild” person…I never saw it….It is a useful image for him, but the reality is that he was always totally professional. I’ve played with people who have much “straighter” reputations, who were in reality much less dependable.

KAA: Did you keep in touch with Ace or with any other past or current member of KISS?

SS: I occasionally talk with Richie and John…

KAA: Time passed, Ace reunited with KISS but the old problems came back and he left again. At present, Ace has regrouped his band and after years of waiting, we, the fans, have seen the release of his latest work, “Anomaly”; what do you think about that album? Have you attended any of Ace’s most recent shows?

SS: I’ve not had a chance to hear Ace’s new record, but I’ve heard that it’s excellent. I’ve not seen Ace play since we played together. I wish him tremendous success in anything he does.

KAA: What can you tell us about your present and your plans for the future? What are you currently working on?

SS: As I said earlier, there is a possibility of a RIOT reunion tour and also, I’m starting my own band… Rockin’ R&B…think Booker T & the MG’s meets The Rascals…

KAA: Finally, could you please leave a message for all the Argentine KISS, Ace and Riot fans? By the way, there are many of us!

SS: This interview has really been a lot of fun…I hear from people on Facebook, but this has been a chance to communicate with a much larger audience…Thanks for remembering, and “Turn It Up”!

KAA: Sandy, once again, thanks a lot! for your time and patience.

SS: It’s been a pleasure.

Interview: MARCELO GARCIA and DIEGO FERREYRA for KISS ARMY ARGENTINA

Translation: MARIANA “MIA” ABELLO