In Heaven There Is No Beer is a Moderncine production based on the particular underground Los Angeles scene known as Kiss Or Kill, and its name is derived from the swan song drunkenly caroled by fans and performers at the end of every show.
For five glorious years, KOK hosted several bands that were kicking off the millennium, thus starting a fresh new scene for a commercially pop-obsessed city, but it had never been widely supported by major clubs -- and rightly so, considering KOK was to be everything the areas' A-list clubs weren’t: free beer and free rock.
KOK wasn't a band, and it wasn't a venue – it simply began as an idea in 2001. First the brainchild of Matt Southwell and Cooper Gillespie of newly-formed Bang Sugar Bang, along with Johnny 99 of Silver Needle, KOK went from a gathering at a run-down bowling alley to a rapidly growing cult status popular by demand on the cusp of Generation X & Y - wherever it went, they went. It even had its own name of concert-goers, called "punters." It was a rock family, bands supporting other bands, without the interference of money and typical corporate L.A. greed... no cover, no problem. In Heaven There Is No Beer follows the evolution of KOK with the passing through of temporary areas, from a garage to a sushi bar, and eventually, rock venue The Echo.
Also in this DVD, you will witness the arrivals of house band Bang Sugar Bang, along with The Dollyrots, Midway, The Oaots, The Randies and others. You'll learn of what went on past its various entrance halls from many KOK players, both musicians and regular fans. Extras include a photo gallery, deleted scenes, four live KOK performances, trailers, promos, and even Directors' show outlines.
In Heaven There Is No Beer is your only proof that the energy of punk and anti-corporate rock was alive and well in the 2000's, just as it had been in the preceding decades. From conception to the bitter end, brought on by a combination of selling out, in-fighting with Bang Sugar Bang, and the unfortunate reality of nowhere to play, KOK had been the promised land to drowning L.A. fans just waiting around for the next big show. I recommend In Heaven There Is No Beer for any rock fan, whether underground or mainstream, as either entertainment or an educational rock necessity.
