KICKIN VALENTINA
American high-energy rockers KICKIN VALENTINA formed in 2013, and they have released a few records since then. The latest album is "Raw Trax, B-Sides And Bootlegs", which was released on May 2 through Mighty Music. They are going to the UK soon to kick off a tour there, and they will also play in some other European countries in the end of the month (unfortunately not anywhere near me).I use to compare their music with something like BACKYARD BABIES, and they describe their sound as "loud unapologetic rock n roll". But I would guess that any fan of energetic hard rock filled with adrenaline and street attitude could like this band.
I sent away some questions in the beginning of May 2025, and Chris Taylor (bass) answered them.
Press photo taken by John Mortensson
What inspired you to start playing music and form a rock band, and when was that?
- I've been a fan of music since I was a little kid. Around 12 I discovered bands like IRON MAIDEN and DEF LEPPARD and thought that was the coolest thing I ever heard. When I was 14, I saw the Day on the Green Fest in Oakland CA with MÖTLEY CRÜE, WHITESNAKE, POISON and JETBOY and walked away saying "that's what I want to do". Everything about it was awesome. The bands...the outrageousness of it all....the girls at the show....the vibe of the whole thing changed my life. I ended up buying a bass and had my first try at a band at 16.
When did you form KICKIN VALENTINA then, and what has happened since then?
- Jimmy (drums) and Heber (guitar) originally put the band together and I was the last to join in early 2013. A lot has happened since then. We put out a EP on a Indie label called Highway 9 Records, then got picked up by Mighty Music out of Denmark and have been putting out records and working with them for the past 10 yrs. We had our record "Imaginary Creatures" debut on a few Billboard charts, and have charted on various charts around the world. We've been all over the US, toured Europe multiple times. Done a bunch of cool festivals, opened for a bunch of big bands, made a lot of awesome fans around the world. That's it in a nutshell.
How would you describe the sound of the band?
- We always describe the band as "Loud Unapologetic RnR". We do what we do, and so far it's been working for us.
You have just released a new album, "Raw Trax, B-Sides And Bootlegs". What can you tell us about that?
- When we recorded our last record, "Star Spangled Fist Fight", we had 3 songs that didn't make it on the record. We knew we wanted to eventually release them. So we decided to package them up with some live tracks and demos. As a fan of bands, I always enjoy hearing things like this so I hope our fans enjoy this as well.
I don't really know what else to ask, but if you have something to add, do it now..
- I just wanna thank all of our fans around the world. Some of them are really hardcore and follow us from city to city and some have flown to different countries to see us. We love them for that. Keep spreading the word about us and we'll see them on tour soon.
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