Dave Gilbert's late '70s Kiss tribute band once got a (friendly, but firm) cease and desist letter from Kiss mainman Gene Simmons. Guitarist Gilbert went on to play with Big Toe, whose bassist Mark Goffeney was born without arms and plays with his feet. They appeared as contestants on the TV show Star Tomorrow in 2006.
Gilbert has also played with Claire Monsters, and with West Coast Iron Works, one of the longest continuously-operating rock band in San Diego, having formed in the mid-1960s.
His spring 2022 single "Livin’ in the Country" was written in 2020 during the height of Covid. “I really wanted my parents to hear it, so I did a solo acoustic version and put it up on YouTube," says Gilbert. "I was really happy that they got to hear it then, as they both passed in early 2021. Luckily, I still have their smiles for memories of them enjoying listening to it.” Recorded at Cabeza Records Studios by Michael Head and mastered by Paul Abbott at ZenMastering, the song features Tim “the Pinn” Butler on bass and “the Reverend” Randal Jones on drums, with guest Cathryn Beeks providing harmony vocals and Ted Stern playing pedal steel guitar.
(Photo by Sandra Small)