Tommy Thayer is taking a different musical direction after KISS, moving away from the straight hard rock sound that defined much of his career with the band.
His new project, ‘Shogun Mojo,’ brings him together with Dan Reed, bassist Bengan Jonasson, and drummer Robert Mehmet Ikiz. According to Thayer, the new material mixes rock ’n’ roll with a much stronger funky side.
“I’d say that this is along those lines of what the Dan Reed Network did,” Thayer said. “It was funky, but it was rock ’n’ roll at the same time, with great songs and big choruses.”
That direction is a noticeable change from the music Thayer spent years playing with KISS.
Rather than trying to recreate another version of that band, Thayer said Shogun Mojo came from the musical overlap between himself and Reed.
“We’ve kind of merged both our personalities and what we love together.”
The connection makes sense from Thayer’s perspective because he was already a fan of Reed’s earlier work.
“Those first couple Dan Reed Network albums were really, really favorites of mine at the time, too.”
Thayer and Reed also have a shared history that goes back decades.
Both came from the Portland music scene, where Thayer was playing with Black ’N Blue while Reed was developing his own career. They later lost contact for many years before reconnecting after Thayer began spending more time in Prague.
What started as informal writing sessions eventually became Shogun Mojo.
“We just started kind of messing around, writing some stuff. Just for fun, actually.”
That relaxed beginning also appears to explain why Thayer is not treating the project as another major touring machine.
After decades of heavy touring, especially with KISS, he said his priorities have changed.
“These days, for me, I love to get creative, and I just want to enjoy what I’m doing.”
He added:
“I don’t want to slog it out on the road too long or anything, because I’ve done a lot of that in my life.”
Shogun Mojo still plans to play live, but Thayer expects the band to choose a limited number of shows rather than launch a long tour.
The group is also preparing its first album, which Thayer expects to arrive in the fall.
For Thayer, the project appears to be less about continuing the sound or structure of KISS and more about exploring music he already liked before joining the band.
The result is still built around rock ’n’ roll, but with funk, groove and Dan Reed Network-style influences taking a much larger role than they did during Thayer’s years in KISS.
