I've certainly enjoyed the opportunity to present my take on the local music scene and secretly being able to promote projects from my friends is something I would be doing on Facebook if it wasn't the Coconut Times.
    This week it was my pleasure to finally sit and chat with Skip, by far one of the hardest working people in the entertainment industry here and someone I have considered my closest advocate and biggest supporter.
    It would take far more than one article to tell of all that Skip has done and has been involved in so I will focus on the now. Full time, Skip is the program director and a morning DJ at irie radio 98.1 hosting the midday mayhem from 10am-2pm, Monday through Friday. More than just playing tunes, Skip mixes it up a bit with some comedy clips. The show has certainly gotten a few of the blue collar folks through the hardest part of the working day.
    If there's nothing else you know of Skip Dixxon is that he lives and breathes all things KISS. Just walking into his house the other night I saw a book on his coffee table bigger than my first apartment that appeared to be the KISS bible.  It’s no surprise that he started the KISS tribute band "Rock Bottom" about 14 years ago.
    As with any band there's been struggles along the way. Members change, motivation lags and, of course, you always have those things called day jobs that seem to get in the way. The true salt of a band is measured in how long you can keep doing it. These are the guys who keep it going with Skip on drums: John Joines on guitar and lead vocals, Roger Hillis on bass and Doug Bowers on lead guitar.
    I had a little eye opener on just how much of a production being in a tribute band really can be, especially when you're paying tribute to some of the greatest showmen of all time.  Like anyone, I assumed you slap on some make up, put on a costume and played some rock and roll with your friends.
    First there's the stage set up.  A full reproduction of a KISS show requires more stage equipment than can be hauled in the back of a short bed pickup such as mine. A rig that takes hours to set up and just as many to tear down.
    Once you have the stage set up it's time for a sound check. Easier said than done with every venue being different in acoustics. A process that can take 3 hours and eliminate the possibility of eating dinner if you end up with the wrong sound guy.
    Next is make up. It takes Erica, the make up artist, a full 4 hours to doll these guys up. I doubt they sit quietly in the chair like good boys as well. I have a hard enough time just sitting still long enough to write a 700 word article.
    Finally, after everything, there's the show. More than just dudes playing KISS songs, Skip and the boys have turned the Rock Bottom show into a full theatrical production that took years to perfect. Countless hours of rehearsal has made it all worth while.  
    Oh wait, there's one more process involved in this production that can be the most exhausting of all. Traveling. Here's the breakdown on one of their longest ventures to date which was a trip to Detroit: Friday you get off work. Drive all night to Michigan, arriving at the hotel around 2 a.m. Take a four-hour nap. Eat breakfast and head to the venue. Spend all day setting up. Sound check. Dinner (maybe). Four hours of make up and then the fun begins.
    The show starts with an hour of interaction with the crowd. Photo ops and some hand shaking and I would hope having a cocktail or two. After that there's about two and a half hours of the rock and roll production they have worked so hard to create.
    Immediately after begins the tear down and the drive back to the eastern shore. They left Friday night and returned Monday morning only to head directly to work. I have bags under my eyes just writing about it.
    Well, folks, as I stated earlier, there's just too much to Skip Dixxon for one article so I will continue next week with part 2 and some focus on the party and the open mic that is the local fun we get to share with him.  síochána y'all