Legendary guitarist and songwriter Tommy Thayer of the band KISS came to Santa Clarita to promote his latest collaboration.
Thayer and author David Feiss held a read/sing-a-long at the Barnes and Noble in Valencia to a crowd of kids and their parents. Feiss read the story while Thayer, along with singers Sara Rowe and Sara Niemietz, sang songs Thayer wrote for the book.
“Ernest Hummingbird,” written by Feiss, is a children’s book that tells the story of a hummingbird who wishes to no longer just hum but sing the song. In addition to the physical book, “Ernest Hummingbird” is available on Itunes as a multimedia experience, including an audiobook read by country singer Darius Rucker.
After the read/sing-a-long Thayer and Feiss opened to questions from the audience. One kid in the front row asked Thayer, “Why do you always sing?”
“Music is universal, it’s something we can connect to,” Thayer responded.
Families had the chance after to have the book signed by Thayer, Feiss, Rowe and Niemietz.
“I heard there was gonna be a book and with Darius being involved in it, we’re just huge fans,” said Sean Carville, who brought his kids to meet the guitarist and author. “My two girls and I are life-long KISS fans. We pass it on KISS that lasts for generations. It’s kinda cool having them here in Santa Clarita.”
Aside from this latest book, Feiss is also an animator and writer for kids cartoon like “Cow and Chicken,” “The Jetsons” and others, according to his filmography.
“This is actually the first one, we’ve done a few appearances, but we finally got smart and thought we should do some singing,” Thayer explained. “It’s a great way to interact with everybody, not just the parents but the kids. Sometimes if it’s just about reading a book or talking then the kids kinda get a bit restless. I think singing just gets everyone more involved.”
