Kiss Sons Explain Decision to Call Their Band Stanley Simmons

Stanley Simmons, the band formed by the sons of Kiss stars Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, explained why they’d settled on their band name.

Evan Stanley and Nick Simmons will release their debut album, Dancing While the World Is Ending, on Aug. 28. They’ve already launched a series of singles showcasing their approach to their music, which they’ve previously said started as a fun project with no plans to become an actual band.

In a recent interview with SoundExchange, Stanley explained: “[W]e were never gonna be like ‘The da-da-da.’ That just seems super lame. ... And we figured, well, Crosby, Stills and Nash used their names, and Simon and Garfunkel used their names.”

READ MORE: Watch Stanley Simmons Make Their Live Debut

Simmons cited Hall and Oates and Coverdale Page, and continued: “This whole thing was supposed to be not a gimmick. It was supposed to just be...‘Here we are – here’s what we like,' without much affectation, hopefully.

“[T]hen there [were] comments, ‘Oh, they’re leaning into the dads.’ And we...didn’t even really think about that. It’s my last name. I wasn’t trying to like whack that nail real hard on the head.”

Stanley offered a theoretical argument: “[I]f I was the best landscaper in the world someone would be like, ‘But his dad’s in Kiss so he was around plants growing up.’ It’s so silly.

“You can’t escape it – so you’ve just got to do you. It’s on my birth certificate, man. What do you want me to do?”

Why Stanley Simmons Will Accept Harsh Criticism

Simmons went on to say that their family connections didn’t make them “cooler or more worthy” than other musicians, adding: “I hope everybody treats me as harshly as they would any new band. ... I hope people react to the songs as the songs – and if they hate it, I hope they express that equally harshly. I don’t mind; I welcome it.

“I think there’s a lot of us who are tangentially related to show business, and the ones that stick around – like the Nicolas Cages and the Angelina Jolies of the world – are the ones who deliver good work at the end of the day.”

Turning to their hopes of success in their own style, Stanley reflected: “All art is entirely based on the market, and if there’s no demand then it goes away. People might listen to something the first time because of a name, for sure. But they're not gonna listen the tenth time.

“They either connect with it or they don’t. ... We’re just trying to make music that we love.”

Stanley Simmons’ first U.S. tour begins on Sept. 14 and runs until Nov. 3.