Apparently retirement from KISS wasn’t going to keep Tommy Thayer away from loud guitars for very long.
The former KISS guitarist has joined forces with Dan Reed of Dan Reed Network to form SHOGUN MOJO, a new rock collective that has released its self-titled debut album through Frontiers Music Srl.
The album arrives alongside the new single “Dog Eat Dog” and its official music video, introducing a band that combines decades of rock experience with a refreshingly old-fashioned approach to making music.
They got together in a room and played.
Imagine that.
Joining Thayer and Reed are drummer Robert Mehmeti Kizilcay, guitarist Roger Öjersson and bassist Jake Nyman, creating a lineup that draws from classic arena rock, funk and the kind of guitar-driven music that once dominated record collections.
For Thayer, the project represents an opportunity to step outside the familiar world of KISS and explore a different musical direction.
“I’ve always loved doing projects like this because they give me a chance to step outside of my usual world and just create, play guitar, and have fun making music,” Thayer explained.
Reed describes the album as a celebration of the rock records that influenced the musicians growing up, with an emphasis on capturing the energy of musicians actually performing together.
The record also features a songwriting contribution from Dan Reed Network guitarist Brion James on “Funk Party.”
But SHOGUN MOJO isn’t simply revisiting the past.
The new single “Dog Eat Dog” addresses a world increasingly divided by political conflict, uncertainty and fear, encouraging listeners to remain resilient and hold on to hope despite the challenges surrounding them.
According to Reed, the song acknowledges the brutality of the world while challenging people to overcome their differences and become what he describes as “warriors of the light.”
It’s a serious message delivered through a band that clearly hasn’t forgotten how to have fun.
And while the music industry continues debating the future of artificial intelligence, streaming algorithms and whether traditional rock music still has a place, SHOGUN MOJO has taken a considerably simpler approach.
Write songs together. Play them together. Record them together.
Reed also addressed another familiar industry opinion: that audiences supposedly don’t want to hear guitar solos anymore.
His solution?
Tommy Thayer plays a guitar solo on every song.
Apparently, nobody bothered telling the guitarist that solos were out of fashion.
The self-titled SHOGUN MOJO album is available now through Frontiers Music Srl, along with the official video for “Dog Eat Dog.”
After decades of performing on some of rock’s biggest stages, Thayer and Reed aren’t attempting to reinvent the genre.
They’re simply reminding everyone what happens when experienced musicians get together, turn up their amplifiers and remember why they started playing in the first place.
And yes, there are guitar solos.
Lots of them.
Information provided by SHOGUN MOJO’s publicity team.