Rock Interview Series recently caught up with Kingdom Come guitarist Danny Stag and drummer Matt Muckle. Formed in 1987, Kingdom Come released two iconic albums – their self-titled debut in 1988 and In Your Face in 1989.
They dive into the band’s current lineup, which includes original members Danny Stag on guitar, Rick Steier on guitar, and Johnny B. Frank on bass, along with newer members Matt Muckle on drums and Ezekiel Kaplan on vocals. The band is gearing up for a series of shows over the next few weeks, where they’ll be performing two brand-new songs.
Stag also shares stories from the early days of the band, including their unforgettable experience on the 1988 Monsters of Rock tour with Van Halen, The Scorpions, Dokken, and Metallica.
Stag commented on the band’s intended 2014 reunion with Kingdom Come’s original line-up, which never came to pass:
“We actually got to the point where we had an agent and shows were being booked and we were gonna start rehearsing out in L.A.. Lenny (Wolf / vocalist) flew out from Germany, and we got through one rehearsal, and it fell apart because James (Kottak / drums) had to go back to play with Scorpions.”
“Scorpions had told James, ‘Yeah, we’re winding it down. We’re only doing 50 or 60 shows a year now.’ They said, ‘Yeah, James, you can do Kingdome Come now with our blessing. Just don’t double book. If we have a show, don’t book a show on any of the dates where there’s a Scorpions show. And you’re still gonna get paid the same way.’ He wouldn’t have to change his contract or anything. They just said, ‘If you wanna fill in some days with Kingdom Come, that’s great.’ So that’s what we were gonna do.”
“Then Klaus had surgery on his knee, and he had a change of heart, and he told James he couldn’t do it. They said, ‘We’re gonna do another record.’ Remember how Scorpions retired about six times in the last 10 years? This was this was one of those times. James had no choice. Well, he didn’t want to throw away a lot of money and screw the band over. So he said, ‘I’m sorry, guys. We can’t do it.’ He was in tears. He felt really bad.”
Kingdom Come / ex-Scorpions drummer, James Kottak, passed away in January 2024 at 61 years of age.
Kottak was also part of various touring bands including Warrant, and even Dio for a short run. He was also involved in other various projects, including the band Krunk that he sang lead vocals in and played guitar for in the mid 90’s.
(Photo credit: Joe Kleon)