Kip Winger and the band that bears his name sold millions of records back in the hairy, hazy, halcyon '80s, but what many people remember most is the ridicule the band received at the hands of MTV’s animated morons Beavis and Butthead.
Twenty-five years later, Winger’s getting the last laugh…
With just about everything ‘80s hot these days, it’s only a mild surprise that Winger’s 25th anniversary tour featuring all four of the original band members: bassist Kip Winger, guitarist Reb Beach, drummer Rod Morgenstein, as well as keyboardist Paul Taylor -- has been a smash hit – selling out small venues here in the US as well as in Japan.
The original lineup of Winger (plus guitarist John Roth) lands in Milwaukee for two shows this Thursday and Friday night at the Northern Lights Theatre inside Potawatomi Bingo Casino. The Friday show is already a sell out – and there are limited tickets available for Thursday’s performance.
"The response to the anniversary tour has been amazing," said Winger.
"The fans have been great and with the addition of a new album – called "Better Days Comin’" (out in April courtesy of Frontiers Records) – we plan to tour all year."
"The new album, which features John Roth replacing Taylor, is my favorite record we’ve done to date," said Winger. "I’m very happy with the material, the performances and the way it sounds. It’s a very strong record and I’m proud of it."
The shows in Milwaukee will be different each night. The Thursday show will be a typical Winger concert – a run through of the band’s catalog. On Friday night, the band will play their eponymous debut album in its entirety, in the original sequence.
"People seem to dig it," said Winger.
In addition to the 25th anniversary tour and the new Winger album, Kip has been working on developing his formal music training and has even written a number of classical pieces, including "Ghosts," a piece commissioned for the San Francisco Ballet and the ballet suite "Conversations with Nijinsky," which recently premiered with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra.
"It’s my personal passion and fits with the heavy metal thing well – because they’re both very complex music."
You can check out Winger’s "Ghosts" via iTunes.
