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Session Stories / Interviewed by John Talman

Steve Farris Interview: Mr. Mister, KISS and a Life in Session Guitar

Steve Farris joins John Talman for Session Stories episode 21, tracing a path from Fremont, Nebraska and a ninth-grade Arlington Ballroom gig to Los Angeles, Mr. Mister, and decades of session work. The conversation covers the KISS audition that left his solo on Creatures of the Night, the breakthrough of Broken Wings and Kyrie, sessions with major artists, the rigs behind his sound, and whether Mr. Mister might play live again.

Guest
Steve Farris
Known for
Mr. Mister guitarist, songwriter and session musician
Published
August 4, 2026
Runtime
1:47:03
Interviewer
John Talman
Series
Session Stories

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Steve Farris on Session Stories

Steve Farris traces his path from Fremont, Nebraska to Los Angeles, the KISS audition that put his solo on Creatures of the Night, Mr. Mister's breakthrough, session work, guitars, rigs, and the possibility of playing live with the band again.

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Conversation guide

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  1. Fremont, the Beatles and the first real guitarFarris returns to his Nebraska childhood, the television performance that sparked his imagination, and the lessons and instruments that made guitar a serious pursuit.
  2. The Los Angeles jam that nearly sent him homeA brutal first sit-in becomes a lesson in preparation, persistence, networking, and finding a place inside the Los Angeles musician community.
  3. Auditioning for KISS and recording Creatures of the NightFarris reconstructs Paul Stanley's call, the studio audition, and the eight-bar solo that remained on the finished KISS record.
  4. From the first Mr. Mister album to Broken WingsHe explains how the band changed its writing and production process, why Broken Wings became the single, and how two number-one songs transformed its trajectory.
  5. Bradshaw rigs, Bogners and the sounds behind Mr. MisterThe discussion moves inside the switching systems, amplifiers, effects, and working guitars Farris used on tour and in the studio.
  6. Could Mr. Mister play live again?Farris recalls the band's private reunion, describes how naturally the music returned, and considers what a future run of intimate shows might require.

Editorial context

What this conversation preserves

Farris presents his career as a chain of persistence and relationships rather than a single break. The Beatles led to guitar lessons in Fremont; Berklee and Midwestern bands sharpened his musicianship; and an early Los Angeles session connection convinced him to move west. When his first major jam went badly, he returned without a guitar, studied the room, built relationships, and eventually found the working community that opened the next doors.

The KISS audition, Mr. Mister's rise, and later sessions reveal different versions of the same musical instinct. Farris explains how his Creatures of the Night solo survived the audition, how Broken Wings moved from album track to career-changing single, and how studio work could be both collaborative and unforgiving. Stories involving Dolly Parton, 4 Non Blondes, Madonna, Bob Bradshaw's rigs, and a recent Mr. Mister reunion preserve the perspective of a player who helped shape records while continually adapting to the song and the room.

This guide was prepared by Session Solos from the complete interview. It summarizes the discussion and does not represent machine captions as verified quotations.

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