Kiss co-founder and frontman Paul Stanley has devoted the last few years to his new project, Soul Station, a 17-piece ensemble tribute group that performs R&B and soul classics.
For most of its existence, Soul Station has been a live music project, performing their catalog at smaller venues and clubs. But given COVID-19’s effect on the world and on the live music industry, Stanley, along with four members of the Soul Station ensemble, has released their debut video: a remote cover of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles’ “Ooo Baby Baby.”
“These are challenging times,” Stanley said in a statement. “Long before I ever heard the great British bands, I grew up listening to Philly Soul, Motown and so much more. I was lucky to see Otis Redding and Solomon Burke among others. That music and its storytelling gave me strength and hope even in some tough days. The great classics of that era are magical medicine for most and I felt myself drawn back to that era for some sorcery I think we could all use. While it’s hard to connect physically, some of Soul Station decided to reach out make a virtual and emotional connection on a great Motown and Smokey Robinson classic, ‘Ooo Baby Baby.’”
Stanley and the rest of Kiss postponed the last three dates on their North American tour due to the pandemic. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he and bandmate Gene Simmons expressed the importance of social-distancing: “Be as safe as you can for your sake and the sake of everyone around you. This isn’t a time to be casual or make unqualified judgements. There’s far more to this than simply looking at recovery or mortality percentages. We’ll get through this.”
