“Whatever happened to …?” You see these programs all the time on MTV and VH1, and you might think that Slaughter fits alongside Kajagoogoo. Well, think again, because Slaughter’s alive and kicking, so to speak.

Touring in support of their third CD, Fear No Evil, on CMC International Records, Slaughter will make a pit stop at The Laramar Ballroom in Fort Dodge Dec. 17. “We’re getting rested and ready to move on,” said Tim Kelly, lead guitarist. “The Fort Dodge show is our last one before Christmas.”

Right now, the band is on a small arena/ballroom tour, just a tad bit different than their first tour opening up for Kiss in support of their freshman effort Stick It To Ya. “It’s a lot more intimate,” Kelly said. “We’ve actually done all of this before. During the Kiss tour, when we had breaks, we’d book ourselves at a club. This time we decided, ‘Let’s go out and make it happen ourselves.'”

And taking charge of their careers is nothing new for Slaughter: they’ve been doing it from the get-go. Critics said Dana Strum, bassist, and Mark Slaughter, frontman, were crazy for leaving The Vinnie Vincent Invasion to start their own project.

Well, we all know where that lead them: right to Kelly and drummer Blas Elias, but critics still think the band is nuts whenever they try something a little unorthodox.

This time, Slaughter did the unthinkable, they left Chrysalis/EMI Records Group and signed with a brand-new company, CMC International Records.

“CMC is a great label. When we left EMI, they wanted us to wait about a year, but that would really hurt our career,” Kelly said. “We didn’t want to stay out of the picture too much longer. So, we let [CMC] license [the new CD].”

Fear No Evil was primarily written in 1993, but was delayed because of the aforementioned switch and a little court battle that Kelly went through. But, the group was patient, and now Slaughter’s intact and on the road without much media hype. “Obviously it’s a little harder [touring] without radio and MTV support,” Kelly said. “We’re going back to the old way of tour, tour, tour.”

MTV’s shunning hasn’t been a surprise to Kelly and company. They’ve seen the station do it to other artists in their genre. “We haven’t been played on MTV, but if it was just us, I’d be worried,” Kelly said. “MTV’s turned more corporate. It’s basically just TV; they took the M out of it.

“People that come see us are not listening to the radio or MTV. Our people listen to CD players at home and have CD players in their car, and they listen to those.”

Despite the lack of media exposure, Kelly doesn’t harbor any ill will toward the powers that be. “It’s a cycle of music that inevitably was going to happen,” Kelly said. “When you had Bon Jovi and Motley Crue, it was overkill with those bands because labels were signing bands just like them.

“Right now, a lot of people are into alternative. It’s lyrically depressing. Their lives are like that everyday, and they need a release, and that’s where we fit in. Let’s have a good time and party and forget about that.”

And Slaughter has done just that, through the good and bad times, always keeping their chins up when critics were slamming them. “When you look at bands like Kiss and AC/DC, Kiss had their disco thing and The Elder; everybody has gone through ups and downs. The key is persevering,” Kelly said. “Things do come back around. [Kiss and AC/DC] are not going to change and with Slaughter it’s the same thing: hanging in there and doing what we do best.”

To see what Slaughter has to offer, head on up to Fort Dodge over break. If ya would like to meet the band, bring your fan club membership, because Slaughter has been doing “Meet and Greet” before all of their shows. For more information about Slaughter and their tour dates, call their hotline at (213) 969-1760.

Doors open at The Laramar Ballroom at 6 p.m. and you can pick up your tickets at Archer Audio/Video and Appliance and Fort Dodge Music Center for $10 in advance, or you can get them for $12 at the door. For more information about the show, call (515) 573-4444.