Letters

This is from the Racine Journal Times on July 8th, written by Lee Roberts "Scene & Heard: Local KISS fan vying to be band's opening act oey Talbott was just 5 years old when he first became fascinated with the rock band KISS. As a youngster growing up in Racine, Talbott was introduced to the '70s-era band by a neighborhood friend whose older brother was a KISS fan. "We'd take his records into the basement and play them and have air band contests," Talbott remembers. "We even had fake guitars cut out of wood and used to put on the makeup." As he grew up and became serious about playing music, KISS continued to influence Talbott, who sports a KISS tattoo on his arm and has collected the band's memorabilia throughout his life. "They are the reason I got into music," he said. Now a father of two boys, ages 7 and 4, Talbott has a pretty good chance of performing on the same stage with the legendary rockers when they come to Milwaukee in September. He and the rest of the local band Wheeliebar - for which Talbott is the bass player - are competing for the chance to open for KISS at their Sept. 2 concert at Milwaukee's Marcus Amphitheater in a contest at eventful.com. And they need our help to get there. All it takes is a few minutes to vote for Wheeliebar by going to their MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/wheeliebar) or Facebook pages and clicking on the "Demand It!" link. They need to be among the top five vote-getters to be considered for the coveted gig (KISS members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley will make the final decision) and at press time they were in sixth place - having been knocked out of the top five only recently. Wheeliebar is competing against bands from throughout the Midwest and across the country for the chance to open for KISS, but Talbott is confident they are the right pick for the job. And it isn't just his lifelong fan status (he's seen them perform 17 times) that qualifies them. Wheeliebar - which also features Paul Tadder on guitar, Jay Wennerholm on drums and Eric Wennerholm on vocals - has not only been rocking southeast Wisconsin for 10 years, but has built a national fan base with shows in New York City, Nashville, Boston and beyond. They have played Milwaukee's Summerfest eight times and have opened for numerous big-name acts including Incubus, Papa Roach, Sevendust and Blue Oyster Cult. For a complete list of their accomplishments and awards, as well as samples of their music, go to http://www.myspace.com/wheeliebar Even if metal rock is not your thing, why not help one of Racine's own make his childhood dream come true? In addition to opening for KISS, the winning band will have a meet-and-greet with Gene Simmons and crew and have their photos taken with them. "It would be a great opportunity for us," said Talbott. No matter what the contest's outcome, Talbott said he will take his sons to see his rock heroes play in Milwaukee (his 7-year-old has already experienced KISS live once). Meanwhile, folks here in Racine will have a chance to hear Wheeliebar live when the band plays at the Fill the Cupboard on Hubbard fundraiser outside Michigan's Pub. Talbott and Tadder have been working on some new material for the band and are excited for the opportunity to share it with their fans. They are also hoping those fans - and others - will continue to "Demand" that they be the ones to warm-up the crowd for KISS in September. Voting will continue into August."